Thanksgiving Roundup

The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments is finalizing Region Forward, a proposal for comprehensive region-wide guidelines on sustainable long-term growth and development. The report identifies regional problems and goals in land use, transportation, environment, energy, economy, and housing. Comments on the proposal are due by the end of the week (Nov. 30).

If you were worried the gas tax might go up, you have less to worry about. WTOP predicts hikes are a no-go with the incoming administration in Richmond. What's interesting is that both the pro- and anti-highway advocates want a higher gas tax (to fund and discourage automobile lifestyles, respectively). Virginia's (17.5 cents per gallon) is the lowest in the region (D.C., 20; N.C., 26.6; Md., 23.5; Pa., 31.1; Del., 23; W.Va., 20.5).

Meanwhile, the federal gas tax is still subject to adjustment and the problem of taxing gas is open to debate. One recent study points out that highways are largely subsidized (just like rail, buses, and other modes) and that non-users of road pay a large share of that subsidy.

Are budget shortfalls even news anymore? The Virginia Department of Transporation is facing more big cuts, with a public hearing Dec. 1 in Richmond.

A concept that Gov. Tim Kaine ran with this past summer is back: telework. Now Rep. Gerry Connolly is touting the concept for the federal government and working on legislation that would push government agencies toward more teleworking, according to WAMU. What if I-66 as it is in August were a year-round phenomenon?

The Fairfax County Times has a lot of eye-popping stats on deer and deer-related accidents, including "an estimated 400 deer per square mile" in Bull Run Regional Park, next to Centreville. (According to the Times report, a number above 20 is a reason for environmental concern.) Always drive safely, folks, and watch out for deer.

You know what suburbs are, you've heard of exurbs too, but what about boomburbs? USA Today brings us another story along the lines of housing trouble in bedroom communities. Is Centreville a boomburb? Centreville is one of the bigger clumps of residential housing in the county without a town center. Sociology professor Robert Lang recommends boomburbs become "a little less sprawly, a little more village-like with clustered development, denser housing."

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.

Post-Labor Day Roundup

Stimulus now hitting commuter rail. Virginia Railway Express is reported to receive $9.8 million in federal stimulus money for 12 new locomotives and a canopy at the Manassas Park station. A VRE spokesman said via The Washington Post that new running stock is more efficient and can pull more passengers than the 20 aged locomotives currently in use. VRE operates commuter trains along the I-66 and I-95/I-395 corridors to downtown D.C.

• The Post: "Two Transit Agencies Get $14 Million From Stimulus"

Ridership is up across the state but not so much in Northern Virginia. So says a recent transportation report, according to Inside NOVA. VRE ridership is up, and buses in the Prince William area are also seeing a modest increase, but ridership in Fairfax County and Alexandria is actually a bit down.

• Inside NOVA: "State Transit Ridership Slowly Increases"

It's a bad year for pedestrians in Fairfax County. Fatalities are way up. Please drive and walk safely.

• The Fairfax County Times: "Pedestrian Deaths Soar"

An I-66 corridor transit study will be complete this fall. And the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will be hosting public information meetings to review findings and receive comments in the last two weeks of September. The study was commisioned to evaluate short- and midterm improvements to the corridor, such as bus rapid transit, car- and vanpooling, and park-and-rides.

• DRPT: I-66 Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study

A Virginia megaproject has been defered. Plans for high occupancy toll lanes on I-395 and I-95 have been put on hold and a Virginia official explained via The Washington Examiner that the current credit market and community concerns are big factors in the reassessment. One such concern is Arlington County gearing up for a lawsuit in opposition. Residents of Arlington and Alexandria are alarmed over the potential negative impact HOT lane construction would have on their communities, especially around Shirlington Circle.

• The Examiner: "HOT Lanes on I-95/395 Put on Hold"
• Greater Greater Washington:"Economy, Opposition Push VDOT to Postpone I-95/395 HOT Lanes"
• Alexandria Gazette Packet: "A HOT Mess (Alexandria leaders consider joining a lawsuit Arlington County is preparing against feds)"

The HOT lanes currently under construction on I-495 (between the Dulles Toll Road and the Springfield interchange) are unaffected by the I-395 decision.

Dog Days Roundup

Faster, better buses on I-66 and into the city. The I-66 corridor is part of a regional priority bus network plan taking shape in an attempt to snag federal stimulus money for transportation improvements that can be implemented quickly (i.e. "shovel ready"). Regional planners are putting together a proposal of "phase one" improvements that can be completed by Feb. 17, 2012, and qualify for TIGER grant funds. Rapid bus service on managed lanes on I-66 and I-95 (which could include "trunk line facilities, including new inline stations, and director indirect access to major destinations, including the Pentagon, Tysons Corner, and Franconia/Springfield"), priority bus improvements on the freeway bridges across the Potomac River, and a K Street transitway are on current proposal materials. Planners will finalize the proposal by August and submit for the grant in September.

• Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments: "TPB Votes to Submit Application for Stimulus-Funded Regional Priority Bus Network"
• The Washington Post (June 15): "A Fast Track to a Busway"
• Greater Greater Washington: "'Priority Bus' a Valuable Part of the Transit Mix When Done Right"

Preventing buses from getting stuck in the same traffic as single-occupant vehicles between Route 50 and the beltway would give transit a leg up to consumers, but let's see how this plays out next month.

Wider I-66 with better buses. Rep. Frank Wolf (R) is in the news for what he's pushing in the annual transportation bill that passed the House last week. Wolf wants the following considered: extending the rushour window for usage of the highway's shoulder, spot improvements and widening outside the Beltway, and HOT ramps at Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road. Wolf is also a proponent of bus rapid transit.

• Inside NOVA: "Transportation Bill Could Ease Travel for I-66 Drivers"
• Loudoun Independent: "House Approves $85 Million for Dulles Rail"

The stimulus starts to hit the region. And the Fairfax County Parkway is the local "shovel ready" favorite apparently. Money goes to an interchange over Fair Lakes Parkway (between the existing interchanges at I-66 and Route 50) and an extension past Rolling Road in Springfield to Fort Belvoir, a major mecca for military-related jobs. Metro and VRE are also getting money.

• The Post: "$260 Million Earmarked for Va. Roads, Interchange"
  
• Washington Business Journal: "Virginia to Get $1B in Infrastructure Stimulus"

How many in Centreville commute down I-66 to the Pentagon? What happens when they take their commute down to Fort Belvoir? Rep. Jim Moran (D) says the region's roads and transit network aren't ready the massive military job relocation to come.

• WTOP: "BRAC Move to Fort Belvoir Will Create 'Chaos'"

Chuck a workie (not a sickie) on Aug. 3. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) is promoting Telework Day to encourage more individuals and organizations to consider telecommuting or work-at-home arrangements. Anything that increases business productivity and worker flexibility, such as skipping a long commute whenever possible or avoiding rush hour should be explored. If you need a reason, tell your boss the governor said so.

• WHSV 3: "Kaine Asks Virginians to Telework August 3"
• CommuterPageBlog: "Go Green with Va. and Telework August 3"

Gubernatorial hopefuls vie for Richmond by way of Northern Virginia. Republican Bob McDonnell announced a transportation plan. Democrat Creigh Deeds hasn't released as much detail yet. The two nominees do agree on tax credits for businesses that have telework programs.

• The Fairfax County Times: "Candidates Grapple with Transit Problems"
• Richmond Times-Dispatch: "At Debate, Hopefuls Clash over Road Funds"
• The Post: "As Candidates Ponder Taxes and Traffic, Specifics of Road Proposals Remain Elusive"

Transit fare prices increase across the region. Riding VRE or driving the Dulles Greenway is now pricier. The Dulles Toll Road will likely increase fares soon as well to fund the Metrorail extension. And the Fairfax Connector buses that took over Metrobus routes around Centreville are a tad pricier than the old Metrobus special fare. On the other hand, gas prices are kinda sorta almost low or lower than before at the moment.

• News Channel 8: "VRE Budget Gap Forces Commuters to Pay"
• The Post: "Greenway Revenue, Traffic At Odds"
• The Fairfax County Times: "Hearings Scheduled on Toll Increase"
• Los Angeles Times: "Gasoline prices drop as crude oil hits eight-week low"

A plan to privitize potties fails. The Virginia Department of Transportation is shuttering the rest area off I-66 in Manassas in September; other areas throughout the state already closed down. A number of politicians called for the privitization of the potties by changing the federal law that prohibits such, but the amendment by Rep. Frank Wolf failed in committee.

• VDOT: "Rest Area Closures to Begin July 21"
• The Post: "If Drivers Have to Go, They Have to Go Far"
• WHSV 3: "Amendment to Change Federal Rest Area Law Fails"

And Virginia has a website to keep track of so-called megaprojects in Northern Virginia.

Independence Day News Roundup

Start thinking about more transit on the I-66 corridor. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D) and Jim Moran (D), both of Northern Virginia, are pushing for federal funding to begin study of an extension of Metrorail's Orange Line to Centreville. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is moving forward with an environmental study on a proposed expansion of the Manassas Line to Gainesville and Haymarket. Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is studying the I-66 corridor for more short- and medium-term fixes, such as bus rapid transit.

• The Washington Post: "Up Next on N.Va. Transit: Planning for Everything"
• Washington Business Journal: "Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran Push Rail Extension in Transportation Bill"
• The Washington Post: "Plans to Extend VRE To Haymarket Advance"
• VRE: Gainesville/Haymarket Extension (archives)
• DRPT: "I-66 Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study"

The county has no money. And as a county, Fairfax is reliant on the state transportation department (VDOT) and federal handouts for most transportation projects. VDOT allocated the county virtually nothing for new secondary road construction this year, but federal stimulus is funding highway construction at the Fair Lakes interchange and the extension of the Fairfax County Parkway to Fort Belvoir.

• The Washington Post: "Ailing Budget May Lead Fairfax Back to Car Tax"
• The Connection Newspapers: "Fairfax Out of Road Money"
• The Fairfax County Times: "County's Fiscal Outlook Remains Grim"
• VDOT: "Virginia Obligates More Than Half of Discretionary Highway Stimulus Funding"
• WTOP (AP): "Va. Receives $285M in Highway Stimulus Funding"

What if the county were a city? If Fairfax County were a city, as the county executive recently suggested, Fairfax would be the largest city in the region, bigger than Baltimore, D.C., Richmond, and Virginia Beach. And Fairfax as a city would have more independence from the state's central departments of transportation and taxation to take such matters into its own hands.

• The Washington Post: "Fairfax Executive Suggests Dropping 'County'"
• WTOP: "Should Fairfax County Change Its Name?"
• The Examiner: "Unhappy with Roadwork, Fairfax Eyes Becoming City"

Fairfax Connector took over former Metrobus routes in western Fairfax County. If you take a bus in Centreville, Chantilly, or Oakton (12's, 20's, 2W), check the Fairfax Connector website for new route numbers and any schedule changes.

• WMATA: "Metrobus Service, Fare Changes Begin June 28"
• Fairfax Connector: Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton Routes
• Fairfax County Department of Transportation: "Fairfax Connector to Absorb Centreville and Chantilly Metrobus Service Effective Monday, June 29, 2009"

Offbeat: Centreville Baptist Church has moved its sign off Route 29. The sign facing southbound traffic was of the large wheeled flashing variety usually used to alert drivers to dangerous or special conditions, but the message was an invitation for men to attend the church's prayer service.

• WTOP: "Church Asks Foregiveness, Moves Road Sign"