Friday, October 29, 2010

TDCHR October 28, 2010

On Thursday afternoon in Hampton the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads (TDCHR) met.

Norfolk's light rail Starter Line is 95% complete. Also, the TDCHR took up an agreement between the TDCHR, Norfolk State University (NSU), the City of Norfolk, and the Norfolk Housing & Redevelopment Authority that largely covers final issues in the periphery of NSU.

For the first quarter of FY 2011, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) is nearly $1.2 million under budget.

Ridership in September, 2010 was down somewhat from September, 2009.

Finally, the next TDCHR meeting will be November 18 in Norfolk. Normally the TDCHR meets on the 2nd Thursday in November and December (due to the holidays), but the 2nd Thursday this year is Veterans Day. Therefore, the TDCHR unanimously voted to move the meeting back one week.

10 comments:

Wally Erb said...

What do non-optional mass transit users think of extending the Tide in
Virginia Beach? Just another #20 bus with less stops. It's one thing to get a job, but it another to get there using mass transit in Virginia Beach. Handi-ride users complain there aren't enough bus line route stops to provide qualified Handi ride use. Light rail does nothing to alleviate that.
Input from forum

Amanda said...

Obviously we Beach residents want it since we rejected your petition

Avenging Archangel said...

Amanda,

Nice kick in the teeth. :)

Wally,

Yes, LRT would help Handi-Ride. The new feeder routes, plus additional hours on the existing routes that would feed, would widen the window under which Handi-Ride service would be required to be provided, per Federal law.

To suggest City Hall would fund a major increase independent of LRT is disingenous at best.

thesh00ter said...

Wally u know so much about the services provided but yet u never use them. really prove me wrong. and no one time doesn't count.

Michael said...

And for proof: there must be a picture of you ON BOARD a bus with PAID FARE MEDIA (a 1-Day Pass for example) in hand

Wally Erb said...

Feeder schedules? Henry, do you really believe any North/south feeder "schedule" will be reliable during peak hours and provide timely transfer? Moreover, LRT operating expenses will preempt and hamper investment in mass transit other than light rail.
I recommend that mass transit dependent users who praise this squander on a ineffectual elitist LRT endeavor need to visit the Bus Riders Union website (http://www.thestrategycenter.org/project/bus-riders-union/old-bru-site) and review their objectives and constant battle to demand adequate bus services in lieu of metro light rail services.

Wally Erb said...

@shooter:
It is true shooter, I don't use mass transit now. Mainly, because I don't have to, it doesn't get there in a timely manner, and driving my Smart car is fun and offers me freedom. But that doesn't mean that I cannot empathize with mass transit users, especially in Virginia Beach. There was a period in my life when my wife, children and I relied on mass transit. I hate to tell you the number of times we had to take a taxi when we could least afford it because of inadequate or untimely service. This is not about personalities; this about solving a problem and creating a dialog to meet those objectives.

Avenging Archangel said...

Wally,

Thanks for showing everyone you have no idea what you're talking about.

First on Handi-Ride, Federal law limits Handi-Ride operations to within three-quarters of a mile of existing bus routes during operating hours of that route. Whether or not that bus is on schedule, etc. is moot. The point is the bus schedule dictates the Handi-Ride window.

Second, on long term bus service cuts due to paying for LRT O & M, that may have happened elsewhere, but couldn't happen in Virginia Beach under the Federal rules. The FTA requires a minimum benchmark of bus operations to get Federal LRT money. Those other metro areas could cut because they had an abundance of service previously. Obviously that isn't the case here.

Finally, on feeder reliability at peak hours, trains would be every 7.5 minutes. If you miss the first one, one will be right behind it.

Game. Set. Match.

Wally Erb said...

Well, now you don't know what you are talking about. If you are satisfied with minimums, that's exactly what you can expect from this City Council and that is exactly what you are going to get. As for handi-ride, it is the biggest burr under their saddle. When queried by a questioner at Beth Shalom Village concerning the cut in handi-ride availability the answer was (Councilman Wood) unfortunately we cut the "low hanging fruit". If that isn't an elitist answer! Candidly, that is the attitude toward mass transit dependent users. Moreover, the mentors of LRN (VB Vision) don't have the necessity of adequate mass transit on their to do list.
And sadly Henry, all your participation isn't going to move your fruit higher on the tree. Someday when all the hopes and promises are broken like to those in the BRU you will find yourself as a nice cup of apple sauce.

Avenging Archangel said...

Wally,

Paratransit service is a right under Federal law. On the one hand, HRT can't deny service to those legally entitled; on the other hand, HRT can't go beyond it with funds, or equipment procured with Federal funds, without violating Federal law.