Deirdre Fernandes
The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
The City Council is scheduled to learn today about negotiations to buy the old Norfolk Southern Corp. rail line, a 10.6-mile corridor identified as the likely route for a light rail project.
The 66-foot wide swath of land runs from Newtown Road to near the Oceanfront, roughly paralleling I-264.
For years, the city has sought to buy the land to use for some form of mass transit. The land is assessed at $7.3 million. A Norfolk Southern appraisal in 2003 valued it at $40.6 million. The state has agreed to put up $15 million to help buy the land.
Mayor Will Sessoms and Norfolk Southern officials declined Monday to comment on negotiations.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Take a look at San Francisco
Comparing us to Denver and Charlotte misses a major point. Google "BART map" and see how extensive the mass transit system is in the Bay area. We're talking about a bunch of metro areas, separated by lots of water and bridges. BART did a lot to ease traffic congestion from folks who live in Alameda and work in SF, or even San Jose. I had the opportunity to work with one of the original advisory board members for BART back in the 80's. In an area tour, he took one look at those NS tracks and asked why we didn't have mass transit. I set up a meeting between him and the Norfolk City Manager of the time. No one had an answer for him. What we are seeing built is the first stage. someday it will cross the waters to Portsmouth and Hampton, Maybe even Williamsburg. It will relieve traffic on our roads and not just our highways. I'm thinking about Northampton Blvd., Great Neck Road, Lynnhaven Parkway, heck most of the traffic on Witchduck in the mornings is trying to get on the interstate. Oh, and, nothing, NOTHING will help the Independence Blvd. traffic until someone besides a dyslexic monkey re-designs that interchange.
Woo hoo
I can't wait! Go Light Rail!
Except....
Tidewater is not a city. It is a region of multiple cities each having their own adgenda and transportation problems. Groups like HRT and the political motivated MPO try to pretend this is one city, however, there is no common adgenda, and no agreement. So we end up with norfolk blowing $288 million tax dollars on a train that will do nothing to relieve gridlock, and the VB puppet mayor satisfying the developers whims to pave and concrete every square inch of the city. Neither of which will truly address transportation issues or relieve congestion on the interstate system.
squirrelly said:
"Mass transit works great in big urban cities, not spread out rural ones."
And mass transit also works in small rural cities like Salt Lake City, population 178,858, where they already have 3 light rail lines running and 4 more under construction. They also have a commuter rail line up and running too, and just broke ground last year on an extension to that line.
Light Rail Definition
Ptown67,
Light rail is so named because of the number of passengers that it can carry. By comparison to heavy rail, example NY City's subways, light rail carries fewer passengers or a lighter load. Hence the name, Light Rail. On the other hand, one light rail car can still carry 2 to 3 times the number of passengers that a bus can carry.
Except in very rare cases, all public trains in this country run on the same gauge as freight trains.
Stop your whineing . . .
The vast majority of those that have either chosen to spout their lack of knowledge here or in other media are the same that complain about I-64, I-264 & I-664 being crowded. They can't seem to understand what causes road congestion in the first place. Large vehicles being operated and occupied by a single individual. I have no problem with seeing large vans and pickup trucks on the roads as long as most every seat has a body occupying it. I have a large pickup truck myself (Ford F-250 Super Duty 4x4) which is used when I need to haul something or to help a friend. Otherwise, I drive something much smaller. When I'm driving my truck and stuck in traffic I do not complain because I know that for even that short amount of time that I'm driving, I'm also part of the problem. I lived in the EU where mass transit has always been a way of life. Americans need to understand that mass transit needs to be a way of life for them as well.
LightRail vs Traffic
Has anyone forgot about the backups it will cause at Witchduck rd., Va beach blvd.,Rosemont rd.,and Lynnhaven rd. We have a failing HOV lanes now,so why dont these people make use of them in the Light Rail project.Not only run from Norfolk to Va Beach but also include passage to the Naval Base by using the HOV lanes.Just add the Shoulder as a lane because people dont understand lane closures anyway and use the center lanes.Plenty of places to make flyovers for exits and entrances for the Rail bus.Plus we do not need a Human Flyover at Towne Center.People need to learn how to cross in crosswalks and time the signal lites accordingly.Works well in D.C. and Baltimore,also the last time I checked jaywalking was illegal.So if you want to play Frogger crossing the roads w/out using crosswalks,then I show no mercy for you.
SESSOMS' TRAIN TO NOWHERE
A part time mayor endorsing part time transportation.
[A small train used to haul
[A small train used to haul taxpayer's money to wealthy, connected developers.]
Which leads to the first corollary of unintended consequences:
Dateline - Jan 13, 2016
VA BEACH COUNCIL APPROVES MASSIVE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PACKAGE TO RELIEVE CONGESTION AND DANGERS AT RAIL CROSSINGS.
-System of Overpasses to Cost $1.5B. Town Center Monorail Crossing to Pembroke Luxury Resort Included.
Viable means of transportation?
For who? Who will actually drive from their house to a train station, exit their car, wait outside on a ramp for a train, to move, station to station at a slow pace, to let them off at another station, so then they can either walk, if within a short distance, or take a bus, which is what HRT is counting on, to their final destination. Based on the HRT's current estimates, which you can view online, it would take about an hour from the oceanfront to downtown Norfolk. Who in their right mind would do this, and why would anyone want to pay, my low end estimate based on current cost per mile of the Norfolk line, $500 million dollars for this boondoggle. Come on people, use your brains. It might not be politically correct, but people rely on their cars and individual freedoms. Mass transit works great in big urban cities, not spread out rural ones. Let me also tell you that Norfolk is already asking business's for updated tax records, revenues, etc, which they have never done, in order to start increasing the taxes due to this debacle. VB better not jump on board the white elephant.