Viva la Transit Revolution!

I'm so excited about bus rapid transit for Richmond, VA! GRTC wants to put in a rapid transit line on Broad St. starting between Rocketts Landing and Willow Lawn, eventually expanding to Short Pump. There are also plans to establish a transit hub with train, bus, taxi, limo, airport shuttle etc. at Main St. station - sweeeet! The first public meeting is tonight:

Public Meeting #1:  Will introduce the project to the public, explain the study process, and introduce the concepts that are being studied.

6-8pm, February 24, 2010

Children’s Museum of Richmond

2626 W. Broad St.  

There's also an identical meeting at the same time Thursday evening:

6-8pm, February 25, 2010

Thomas Jefferson High School

4100 W. Grace St.

Even for those of you who will still need to use your car on a regular basis to commute, this will mean in the long term:

1) Reduced traffic volume, less traffic jams, potentially less accidents

2) More time saved during commute to spend with your family and friends

3) Less CO2 emissions into the air from vehicle traffic, less smog, better air quality

4) Less traffic means less wear and tear on the roads, hopefully better quality roads with less necessary maintenance and less taxes spent!



If you live in the Richmond area make your best effort to attend, even if you don't currently use transit. You have no idea how rapid transit has revolutionized Vancouver, British Columbia (where I lived for 10 years) - the city would fall apart without even one of it's rapid transit lines. I am confident that if this went through, it would encourage a substantial number of people to use transit for the majority of their transportation needs. The increase in student ridership alone would make it worthwhile (Richmond has a huge population of students from multiple colleges in the area). 

And for those of you who commute to Washington, DC? Think of how nice it would be to have regular trains leave from Main St. station, instead of just once or twice a day. That's right, GRTC will be working with Amtrak to increase trains leaving from Main St. So you may be able to leave your car at home and relax (or even work!) for 2 hours on the train.
More details on the rapid transit study can be found here. If you can't make the meeting, you can still let your voice be heard:

1. Electronic Comment Form: Use this version to submit comments online.
2. Print Comment Form (PDF) : Use this version to print and mail or email your comments.
3. Public Meetings:  Leave your comments in the comment box.
4. Mail: Send written comments during the public comment period to:
   Larry Hagin, Director of Planning
   GRTC Transit System
   301 East Belt Blvd.
   Richmond, VA 23224