RICHMOND HIGHWAY NEEDS LIGHT  RAIL  TRANSIT

    Why?  Northern Virginia suffers bad air days, traffic congestion, pedestrian fatalities, inadequate highway funding, sprawl and an unsustainable dependence on diminishing imported petroleum. To top it off, the military is moving 8.000 people away from rail transit to Fort Belvoir.

   A thorough study by the Virginia Department of Transportation about four years ago found that Bus Rapid Transit would reduce the ability of Richmond Highway US 1 to move people.

    With congestion approaching gridlock at peak hours Bus Rapid Transit is completely unrealistic. It is not a quick  cheap  fix. Transit Oriented Development is needed to restrain sprawl, conserve highway space, reduce air pollution and fuel consumption. To get Transit Oriented Development we need Light Rail Transit to expand  our limited Metro Rail service,

     What is Light Rail Transit ?

    Light Rail Transit uses vehicles very much like Metro Rail cars but modified to adapt to street operation, use of railroad tracks  and/or open ground as well as subways and aerial structures, but with no third rail to endanger pedestrians,  Once built, it has much lower operating cost than buses, is safer, and attracts a higher volume of riders which saves huge volumes of motor fuel. It is a  good source of relatively well paid employment that can not be exported overseas.

     Much of Richmond Highway is graced by a grassy median on which a single track  can be laid in the grass using only 13 feet of width, with a little more at stations and 26 feet every two miles for 160 yards  of double track for trains to pass each other going in opposite directions, Stations in the median will also provide a safety island for pedestrians trying to cross Richmond Highway where  many are killed.  Left turn lanes must be modified to accommodate Light Rail safely and this will enhance pedestrian safety.

    At the public hearings on  Richmond Highway about four years ago people presented a petition  for Light Rail but the consultants dismissed it without study. That was before the Army announced the transfer of 8,000 more employees to Fort Belvoir and before the state study found Bus Rapid Transit infeasible, The bus lanes would prevent right turns without tying up traffic and reducing highway capacity. Light Rail on a single track in the median does not cause this problem but adds to capacity,

   Because of this reality, the obvious presence and permanence of Light Rail in the median causes real estate values to rise and attracts

Transit Oriented Development to the area. 

   In North America over the past 30 years, Light Rail has established an enviable record. It has increased its ridership in the last 20 years 279%  while Rail Rapid Transit has increased 42 % and commuter rail 57 %, Urban bus travel has not increased at all despite 20% more buses in service,

   Cost wise, Light Rail moved peope, for 57 cents average per passenger-mile in 2005 when buses cost 77 cents. but the better Light Rail lines get down to  30 cents per passenger-mile, even less than MetroRail, 

   A Richmond Highway Light Rail line would commence at Huntington Avene MetroRail station and proceed south on  Kings Highway to Richmomd Highway Groveton, Beacon Mall, Hybla Valley, Woodlawn and Fort Belvoir, then on the Military Railroad right-of-wsy to CSX to Springfield Metro Rail station,  Stations would average three-quarters of a mile apart to permit walking to them,  Bus service on Fort Hunt Road, Harrison Lane, Beacon Hill and Pole Road would connect at Light Rail stations  but also continue on in to Huntington Avenue on their own  routes 101, 151,152, 161, 162, 171, 331 and 332.

   Light Rail will provide faster service scheduled precisely to connect with every other Metro Rail train to minimize waiting time. Faster time also reduces cost. and adds fare revenue.

    An improved Richmond Highway will be able to move 3.000 people per hour in the peak direction. With Light Rail added, that will grow to 4,200, 40% more, but actual Light Rail travel volume may be more like 25 % more actual movement. If more capacity js needed it will be there.

     How can Light Rail be afforded.?  We  can not afford not to have it. It should save  2.1 million gallons a year on oil consumption worth $ 6 million a year or more  It will reduce the cost of bus service by 10%. 3 million per year. It will save people $ 4 million per year on operating their automobiles,  It should eliminate a few of the fatalities but what is that worth?

It will reduce highway improvement costs. It should increase property values about $900 million, worth $ 9 million per year.  Total annual cash benefits should reach $ 22 million  per year which will support borrowing $ 280 million. That will match federal aid of $ 280 million or more  to cover the estimated  $ 560 million investment, It is not a cost but an investment that earns a return

       It is a much needed vital link in our mobility.