In a discussion at Charlottesville Tomorrow:
We still have a narrow window of opportunity to buy right-of-way for transit; use existing shoulders; use existing rails; even put BRT lanes on the Meadowcreek Pkwy. A good system will be multi-modal. If you can’t walk to a bus/trolly; if you can’t get there on a safe bicycle lane; if you can’t park & ride, the system will be underused. The system MUST connect and serve all of our county growth areas.
There’s a lot more there, and it’s well worth reading in its entirety. The Central Virginia region is likely to look much, much different in fifty years than it does today. That our region needs to cooperate is a given; how we’re going to do it is the question.
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We have struggled with this in Central Florida asking for a speed rail service and everyone votes yes several times and DOT comes up with reason after reason to delay. Except they bought outdated trains. It will not connect all as we wanted it to but it’s gonna be as start. This will allow some to work in larger cities at a better wage and ride quickly to and from work.
Jim, I read the entire blog and comments from the Charlottesville Tomorrow blog you referenced. You nailed the core of the subject with that well-versed quote. I’ll paraphrase for a universal application: If you can’t walk to a transit station/stop; if you can’t get there on a safe bicycle lane; if you can’t park & ride, the system will FAIL.
Also the issue of rail rights-of-way is key. Always the real estate. I can’t help thinking part of Buffett’s rail road buys have to do with the future real estate applications based on the attached rail rights-of-ways.
Here in Atlanta we are big in calling any mixed-use project walkable whereas few are in a real livable terms. Unless of course walking to Starbucks counts.
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