Question:
Arlington County is proposing to start up a new shuttle service in mid-January for neighborhoods north of Lee Highway and south of Arlington Boulevard to the Metrorail stations at Rosslyn and Courthouse.

The concept is to provide a reliable shuttle during rush periods to encourage people to use Metro. The shuttle will follow a circular route using 2 small, 17-passenger buses going in opposite paths in 20 minute loops. From the Rosslyn Metro Station, the buses will travel up Key Boulevard onto Scott Street over Rt.66 to 21st Street and then over to Veitch Street and the Courthouse Metro along Clarendon Boulevard, south on Rhodes and Queen Streets over Rt.50 and then over to Meade Street and back to the Rosslyn Station. The buses will travel from 6:00-10:00 AM and 3:00-7:00 PM.

The fare will be the same for other Arlington transit and Metrobus routes, $1.10 per trip, with discounts available for seniors and disabled, weekly and monthly passes, free transfers to Metrobus and $0.25 transfers from Metrorail.

The North Rosslyn Civic Association is seeking comments on the proposal so it may respond to the County by January 13, 2003.

[This message was edited by Paul Derby on December 13, 2002 at 05:51 PM.]

Choices:
I favor the proposal
I favor the proposal with changes I've noted.
I do not favor the proposal

 

ART61_Route_Map.jpg (258 Kb, 339 downloads) Map of proposed route

I understand this is intended to feed people to the metro during rush hours only. I would like to see the feeder bus used to get people to Rosslyn or the Metro rush. The proposed hours seem mutually exclusive for the hours area residents would be at home and use the service to get to Rosslyn. Unless businesses and transportation services are available from 6 pm to 10 or 11 pm, it will continue to appear that Rosslyn has rolled up the sidewalks when the military offices shut down at 4 pm. I'd like to see the hours include times when Arlington residents are home from work and can use the proposed bus service to get to/from the Metro and Rosslyn into the evening hours, not just rush hours.

[This message was edited by Paul Derby on December 14, 2002 at 09:44 AM.]

I am pessimistic about this proposed bus service. I do not understand why someone would wait up to ten minutes on a bus that would cost them $1.10 to take them somewhere that they could walk to in about ten minutes.

I agree with David Lubs that the bus will probably not be used much by residents living within a couple blocks of the Metro, but for those who live further away or have difficulty walking the service should be of benefit. A key for its success will be in publicizing it, especially through home associations and building managers in multi-tenant buildings. For example, hopefully there will be a brochure on it available from the County that can be included in orientation packets given out by building managers to new condo/apartment residents.