On May 18 The Virginian-Pravda editorialized on mass transit in Virginia Beach, and I blogged ("V-P And Transit In Virginia Beach") in response. They wanted to start improving transit in Virginia Beach by adding additional rush hour buses on Route 20, a clunky solution and hardly our greatest need.
Monday evening at work I had a brainstorm, a more effective and cost-effective way of relieving Route 20 in the interim until light rail. My idea: a hourly express bus at rush hour between 19th Street & Pacific Avenue (Oceanfront's Transfer Center) and the Military Circle Transfer Center. Military Circle is a transfer point for Routes 15, 20, 23, 25, and 27. One half-hour it makes the run one direction; the other half-hour the return trip. It's advantages over more 20s at rush hour:
1. It would avoid the stop-and-go traffic on Virginia Beach Boulevard, in which the 20 gets hung up.
2. You could do with one bus what would take two under the additional buses on the 20 scenario, cutting the operating cost in half.
3. Since it would serve Norfolk, Norfolk would have to pay a portion. That's only fair with all those Norfolk-bound riders. (Virginia Beach would pick up the full tab for more buses between Pembroke East and 19th & Pacific.)
I'm 110% in favor of more and improved mass transit in Hampton Roads, but we may need some creative solutions to do it in a cost-effective manner.
3 comments:
Takes about 20 minutes to do according to Google Maps. Allows the driver to take an extended 10-39 (stretch break) and only need one bus.
It's a thought. Perhaps a couple of trips could be sent up & down Atlantic Ave to replace the Sheetshaker Express.
Henry, by "express" do you mean they can run it on i-264?
Brian,
Yes, via I-264. That's why Michael's Google is off: anyone knows getting through that I-264/Military Highway intersection will take at least 5 minutes alone.
Michael,
Going up and down Atlantic would require putting a second bus on the route.
More intriguing is going to limited year-round service on Route 30, maybe once every 20 minutes. When the 19th/Pacific TC gets moved for Dome site redevelopment (to the convention center?), you're still going to need to connect the year-round routes to Atlantic Avenue. The VB Wave could do it.
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