The time has come for a regional, long-range vision plan for bus and rail service for the Hampton Roads area. The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) is developing a regional vision of public transportation corridors and districts. The plan will outline the combination of transit services and land use best suited for each corridor and district.
A Public Information Meeting on A Transit Vision Plan for Hampton Roads was held October 16, 2008. All meeting materials are available at www.HamptonRoadsTransitPlan.com. Please check this out as well as further information about the study and sign up for future email updates.
Posts
1 comment:
A TRANSIT VISION FOR WHOM?
NON-DRIVERS, YES
The draft Transit Vision Plan often mentions “non-drivers”, particularly in the “Technical Memorandum” document. As a bus rider myself, I am aware that many aspects of the current HRT bus system have been designed to serve neighborhoods with large numbers of “non-drivers”. That is laudable, and the system must, of course, continue to serve them.
…AND DRIVERS TOO?
The Transit Plan envisions large proportions of the population of all ages in the year 2035 using mass transit every day. That means that not only “non-drivers”, but also many thousands of drivers and vehicle owners, will be using the transit system. Unfortunately, the current bus system is not at all appealing to drivers in Hampton Roads. Some of them tell me they used to ride the bus as children but haven’t done it for years. Many tell stories about the time they actually tried the bus, how long their trip took, and that they never bothered to try it again. Some say the bus routes and schedules cannot get them where and when they need to go. Others say they’d like to leave the car at home sometimes and ride the bus, but they don’t understand the system, and they don’t know how to get started.
IT’S URGENT!
Our existing bus system must evolve and expand very rapidly, indeed much more rapidly than called for in the draft Vision Plan. Within the next 6-12 months, hundreds and thousands of people must try the buses, the express buses, the Park-and-Rides, the ferry, the shuttle buses. If they don’t have positive transit experiences very soon using public transit to Corridor 1, the plans for light rail will flounder. If people don’t soon have positive transit experiences throughout Hampton Roads, the Vision Plan as a whole will be worth very little.
Post a Comment