More for Metro?

Despite grim budget situations, some transit advocates are calling on local governments to contribute more for transit services. The regional transit authority that operates Metrorail and Metrobus has a dire budget situation of its own and may have no choice but to make serious cuts to service and hikes to fares.

How could Metro ask local governments for more when most other government operations are expected to be cut drastically? And if I drive, why should I care?

Service cuts, fare hikes, or a combination of the two could lead to what many have described as a "death spiral." As transit services get slower, become less frequent, lose capacity, cost more, and serve fewer neighborhoods, more people will switch to driving themselves where they need to go, further reducing transit ridership and revenue while putting more stress on highways.

Belated New Year Roundup

Well, it's almost lunar new year.

The new overlords are in. Virginia's new governor, Bob McDonnell (R) says transportation is not on his agenda this year but he is using emergency money to reopen highway rest areas. He also wants to raise highway speed limits in rural areas.

Meanwhile the Beltway is winning accolades. If you thought the congestion at I-495 was bad, you weren't alone. The Daily Beast says the Capital Beltway is #3 among national bottlenecks. No surprise there.

Mind your vehicle occupancy. There have been many media reports of high-occupancy vehicle enforcement on I-66 since December. Fines are pricey and violations have been many. If you need a review on the region's HOV restrictions, check with the Commuter Page.

Metro is seeking input on its big budget decision. The region's transit backbone (Metrorail and Metrobus) has to cut service and/or raise fares and is presenting four options.

And some sorta good news. Fairfax Connector has adjusted schedules, including Centreville's 442 and 444 to Sully Station and Stone Road. This should mean a little more service and more frequent buses during peak periods. Check out the new schedules if you're a minute minder.

Sorry for the holiday hiatus. We're back.

Photo credit: Tom Saunders, VDOT

Autumnal Roundup

It's back to school season or at least townhall-style meetings in school cafeterias.

• The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation held public meetings in September discussing preliminary findings from their study of short- and midterm transit options on I-66. They're thinking mostly bus service improvements, and the study will be finalized next month.
• Metro is facing a budget shortfall and has held public meetings to discuss the topic in D.C. and Virginia. (Maryland meetings are scheduled for next month.) Service cuts, fare increases, increased contributions from participating jurisdictions, and other options are to be considered.
• Fairfax County is holding a series of meetings on its 10-year plan for bus service. Attend the meetings to learn about bus service, give input, and participate in the development of service recommendations. The remaining meetings are all scheduled weeknights, 6 to 8pm.

Interstate 66 is what state transportation secretary calls Northern Virginia's most congested and challenged corridor and he says its high-occupancy vehicle program needs to be updated (possibly longer, higher, and/or both directions). Others are calling for high-occupancy toll lanes. That said, if nearly half of I-66 commuters take transit, imagine what the highway would be like if more or less took transit.

For Tysons commuters, Fairfax County is starting a free lunchtime shuttle bus operating every ten minutes on two routes in Tysons Corner. If you bus or carpool to Tysons or if you want to just give your car a lunch break during the mid-day rush hour, then this service is probably for you.

Foreclosure rates in the outer suburbs have increased, according to a report in The Examiner. Looks like Fairfax County isn't in as bad a shape as Loudoun, Prince George's, and Prince William counties. But Fairfax's rate is still more than twice as high as its other neighbors.

Metro Talks Finances, Seeks Input on Budget Shortfall

At a public forum last night in Northern Virginia, transit officials, representatives from local jurisdictions, and Metro riders discussed the value and needs of the area's major transit operator in the wake of the economic recession. Metro faces a projected budget shortfall of more than $100 million for operations in fiscal year 2011 in addition to capital improvements estimated to cost $11.4 billion over the next 10 years, according to the opening presentation by John Catoe, Metro's general manager. Officials responded to comments and questions from forum participants about how Metro can balance its budget.

Most commentators emphasized that service cuts would be detrimental, both to the region as a whole and to the lives of many users reliant on the transit system. Some commentators viewed fare increases as unwelcome but preferable to service cuts. Users of MetroAccess, a paratransit service operated by Metro for people with disabilities, were concerned that the level of service they receive now, higher than what is mandated by federal law, could be reduced.

Fairfax County supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield) recommended consideration for contracting bus service and "giving these bus routes back to the jurisdictions," citing how his county contracts bus operators for the routes assumed from Metro in Reston and Centreville. "Competition is something that could lead to lower fares, increased service, and a better system," Herrity said, after noting that Fairfax Connector's contractors have saved the county money and improved service.

Metro's biggest expense category, "personnel" in the presentation's pie chart, led to discussions about Metro employee salary and the benefits packages. Catoe insisted that reports that some employees receive extraordinary compensation due to overtime are rare cases that should become rarer. Pensions, another large personnel expense, are in a sticky situation, according to Metro director Chris Zimmerman, who explained that Metro's obligations to fund pensions for employees was inherited from the bus operations the infant transit agency assumed 30 years ago, and for legal reasons can't be modified without arbitration.

A number of commentators and officials, including Herrity and Zimmerman voiced support for priority bus improvements -- road and route modifications that allow buses to bypass normal traffic -- which could reduce costs by allowing buses to move more people faster with fewer vehicles and less fuel. Catoe was recognized for his personal experience implementing dedicated bus lanes in Los Angeles, and he said busways that once existed in the D.C. area's past should be brought back.

Catoe's presentation detailed the value of Metro service to the greater community in terms of transportation, economics, and the environment before providing a background on the budget situation.

• Metro's biggest sources of funds are state and local contributions (39%), fare and parking (33%), and federal contributions (20%);
• Metro's biggest uses of funds are personnel (45%) and capital costs (i.e., new buses, trains, stations, etc., 35%); and
• average fare subsidies per passenger (i.e., estimated cost of a ride not covered by its fare) are $37.89 for MetroAccess, $2.46 for Metrobus, and $0.54 for Metrorail.

Also noted are some of the "cost drivers" of the budget gap (slide 16 or page 9):

• contractual union wage and benefit obligations,
• pension contributions,
• fuel and energy inflation,
• escalating claims costs,
• security,
• maintenance of an aging system, and
• decreased due to ridership decline.

[I actually had to leave at 9pm before the meeting wrapped up (to catch a bus, naturally). So if anyone at the meeting, especially anyone who stayed to the end, has anything to add, please comment.]

Photo credit: Metrobus by Jason Lawrence.