Regional Cooperation: The Key to a Connected Richmond

The new year brings new efforts for regional cooperation in Metro Richmond. One of these efforts is being lead by State Delegate Manoli Loupassi, who is the only delegate in Virginia to represent the City of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield.  According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, Loupassi is proposing legislation that would give Chesterfield and Henrico equal representation on the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) board. This change has been on the legislative agenda for Henrico and Chesterfield since the beginning of the 48-year-old institution, which mainly operates toll roads in Metro Richmond.  The legislation would require that all three jurisdictions agree on a project before it could be undertaken.

Such legislation could pave the way for a larger Metro Richmond transit authority. Regional cooperation is vital for the Richmond metro area to obtain federal funds for transportation and infrastructure development.  That’s why Loupassi is seeking to expand the authority of the RMA or to form a new regional body. According to a recent article in Richmond Magazine, Loupassi will introduce legislation into the General Assembly that would join Richmond localities in a partnership to manage and maintain roads shared by all Metro Richmond residents.  Loupassi is calling this new body the Richmond Regional Transit Authority. Though it would not initially include public transit, Loupassi sees it as a first step to a group that would one day administer public transit in the greater Metro region.

RVA Rapid Transit supports taking steps to achieve the goal of connecting our region using an efficient, effective system of rapid mass transit.  The need for public transit and the job access and economic development it provides is becoming increasingly evident to both city and county citizens. Chesterfield county alone has seen a 75% increase in its poverty rate over the last ten years.  Many of these individuals need access to job training and employment through public transportation. And regional businesses need access to the workforce that would be available via a rapid transit system.

The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC), recently held its annual breakfast, where it laid out its  Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Richmond Region. A need for greater access to transportation was one of the main findings of the study. The study found that 18% of households in the City of Richmond alone do not have cars, and 27% have only one car.  CEDS pointed out that the Mayor’s Anti-Poverty Commission called for the development “of a functional regional transit system.”  The CEDS recommended beginning with incremental steps such as giving GRTC control of bus route changes instead of having city Council approve them, a recommendation that has been implemented since the report was written.

It’s encouraging to see Delegate Loupassi, other elected representatives and government administrators working to create a more prosperous, connected and unified Metro Richmond. But our elected officials and the civil servants who implement policy are constrained by what they believe to be politically possible and what they believe their constituents support. Bringing rapid transit to Metro Richmond is more than possible as long as residents of the region raise their voices and let their representatives know that exceptional public transit is a priority. In the coming months we will be organizing opportunities for you to make your voice heard, so be sure to stay tuned.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

How Rapid Transit Benefits Our Aging Population

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) benefits people of all demographics and backgrounds. Whether you’re a business professional who lives downtown and would rather not brave interstate 64 to get to work in the West End, or a VCU student without a car who would like to experience everything that Richmond has to offer, RVA Rapid Transit is designed to serve everyone who wants to ride.

BRT will be particularly effective in addressing the needs of our senior population. Providing them with adequate transportation options will be increasingly difficult as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age.  According to a Brookings Institution Study, by 2030 one in five Americans will be over the age of 65 and one in 11 Americans will be over the age of 85.  According to a Transportation for America Study,  many of these seniors tend not to move after they reach retirement age, preferring to “age in place” ( pg 3).

Additionally, a 2004 study found that seniors age 65 and older who no longer drive make 15 percent fewer trips to the doctor, 59 percent fewer trips to shop or eat out, and 65 percent fewer trips to visit friends and family, than drivers of the same age. And a 2008 study by AARP found that 85% of older Americans were extremely concerned or very concerned about rising fuel prices, causing them to consider alternative modes of transportation. 20% of seniors over the age of 65 do not drive at all.

The Brookings Institution study notes, “over the last decade older people have made less use of public transit. However older people would consider using this mode if services were provided in ways that better met their needs. To make transit services more appropriate for older people, federal, state,  and metropolitan policies and programs should encourage or require, as well as finance, four major categories of public transit developments: improving conventional service, increasing safety and security in all parts of the system, enhancing communication and information, and providing additional services more carefully targeted to the elderly.” Both the Transit for America Study and the Brookings Institution study suggest designing public transit to be accessible to seniors and making pedestrian sidewalks safe and accessible for seniors.

    Locally, the United Way of Greater Richmond’s Age Wave Study arrived at similar findings to these national studies.  According to the study, the population of people over the age of 65 in Metro-Richmond is projected to double by 2030. The Age Wave study provides a framework to support an increasingly elderly population including:

•     An Engaged Community that gives back through civic participation and volunteerism.

•     A Livable community that has affordable housing, accessible public transportation, and makes the effort to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

•     A Stable community where adults have access to jobs that provide financial stability and allow people to save for retirement.

•     A Well Community that provides for the medical needs of an aging population.

RVA Rapid Transit is an important step toward making the Richmond region more liveable for seniors. This system of rapid mass transit will allow them to “age in place” while retaining access to the services they need and the amenities they enjoy.

Rapid Transit Proves Effective in Richmond-sized Cities

Most people who have lived in metro Richmond for any duration of time come to see the city as a “big small town”. It’s big enough that you can get a taste of city life, but not so big that you feel overcrowded and have to deal with a high cost of living. The supporters of RVA Rapid Transit love the Richmond region and believe that a comprehensive Rapid Transit System will substantially improve the quality of life for the entire metro area. We’d like to share some examples of how cities similar to Richmond have successfully implemented comprehensive transportation systems.

In 2012, Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit that “integrates transportation and community redevelopment,”  released a report, “Midsize Cities on the Move: A Look At the Next Generation of Rapid Bus, Bus Rapid Transit, and Street Car Projects In the United States.” (You can download the full report here.)

The report defines a “midsize city” as any city between 50,000 and 250,000 residents. Many midsize cities are part of metro areas of 100,000 to 10 million.  The report notes that midsize cities are often characterized by both promise and problems. On the positive side, many are inexpensive to live in, have lower levels of congestion and have institutional assets such as universities. On the negative side, many of them struggle with poverty, unemployment and limited tax revenues.

Does any of that sound familiar? Based on the report’s definition, Richmond is a pretty typical midsize city. The Reconnecting America report shows that successful rapid transit in a city  the size of Richmond is not only possible, it’s already being implemented with great results.

In Eugene, OR, transit planners have begun construction of the first phases of a 61-mile network of bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. In 2007, the Emerald Express, the first BRT line, opened for business. This line connects downtown Eugene with its partner city Springfield, while serving major destinations like the University of Oregon. In 2009 the Federal Transit Administration reviewed the line and found that ridership had doubled compared to previous service, riders found the service to be more reliable and developers had taken interest in developing along the BRT line (p. 42).

In 2008, residents in Flagstaff, AZ, approved a ballot measure to fund Mountain Links, the city’s first rapid bus service, which links downtown Flagstaff, the Northern Arizona University, and off campus residential and commercial areas called the Woodlands (p. 26). Already, data from ridership indicates that Mountain Links has 600,000 trips per year (p. 41).  As a result, Northern Arizona University has closed some parking lots and converted them to green public spaces.

In Grand Rapids Michigan, a town that has reinvented itself as a hub for high tech and medical industries, the city is constructing a 9.6 mile long BRT route, where 65% of the route consists of dedicated lanes.  The silver line will be the first BRT line in Michigan. Already, developers have shown interest, and one grocery store has agreed to locate there (p. 23).

The report contains several suggestions for achieving successful transit-oriented development in midsize cities.  These suggestions include having an overall vision of economic development with transit as a key element, working with business, institutional interests and property owners to support transit-oriented development and enacting supportive zoning to create the optimal densities of different types of development around transit routes.

The report shares just a few examples of midsize cities across the nation that are realizing the potential of sustainable, transit-oriented development. We look forward to Richmond joining their ranks so citizens of the metro area can benefit from the economic and quality of life improvements that a comprehensive rapid transit system will bring. We hope you’ll join RVA Rapid Transit in making this vision a reality!

Photo Credit: Ben Schumin, Wikimedia Commons

GRTC's CEO Calls Rapid Transit "The Future"

Retiring GRTC CEO Eldridge Coles calls rapid transit "the future of transit in Richmond," Style Weekly reports in a new interview.

The 46-year GRTC employee began his career as a bus driver and has seen many changes in Richmond's public transit system over the years. He believes that what Richmond needs now is rapid transit and a more comprehensive system that spans the entire Richmond region.

He says, "I would like to see buses go further out into the counties ... where the jobs are."

Read the whole interview at Style Weekly.