Finally, Arlington to scrap streetcar projects

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness. What a waste of money!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

I hate to disappoint you but all those Dems who voted for Vihstadt got what we wanted. Next election we'll be Dems again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

This is so short sighted. Every single study of modern streetcars show that PERMANENT streetcar infrastrucutre significantly increases property values and desirability of businesses and new houses want to locate on permanent infrastrcuture not a bus line. Columbia Pike sucks. But I guess you all think its awesome and that there is a money tree growing somehwere to continue build subsidized housing etc...

that must be why streetcars are so popular these days and are everywhere......er....wait.

They actually are everywhere -- well, everywhere except in the US. American exceptionalism, I guess.

You do not know much about population density, do you?

What don't I know about population density? Is the population along Columbia Pike insufficient to support a streetcar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

well yes, they are all over Europe, and come with heavy government subsidies to offset operating costs...subsidies that governments can no longer afford across of much of Europe.

and glad you noted the exceptionalism of this great country

In contrast, here in the US, roads come with heavy government subsidies, and we can no longer afford them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

This is so short sighted. Every single study of modern streetcars show that PERMANENT streetcar infrastrucutre significantly increases property values and desirability of businesses and new houses want to locate on permanent infrastrcuture not a bus line. Columbia Pike sucks. But I guess you all think its awesome and that there is a money tree growing somehwere to continue build subsidized housing etc...

that must be why streetcars are so popular these days and are everywhere......er....wait.

Well 17 cities are now bringing them back and in various stages of construction. Its about land value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

This is so short sighted. Every single study of modern streetcars show that PERMANENT streetcar infrastrucutre significantly increases property values and desirability of businesses and new houses want to locate on permanent infrastrcuture not a bus line. Columbia Pike sucks. But I guess you all think its awesome and that there is a money tree growing somehwere to continue build subsidized housing etc...

that must be why streetcars are so popular these days and are everywhere......er....wait.

Well 17 cities are now bringing them back and in various stages of construction. Its about land value.

That may be, but this particular one did not seem to be a good deal.

Curious, do you know how many of those are planned to operate on dedicated lanes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That may be, but this particular one did not seem to be a good deal.

Curious, do you know how many of those are planned to operate on dedicated lanes?

Problem: the streetcar would operate better with a dedicated lane.
Solution: scrap the streetcar.

No, that doesn't make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Problem: the streetcar would operate better with a dedicated lane.
Solution: scrap the streetcar.

No, that doesn't make sense.

Well, it might make sense. What if the streetcar performance is so hampered by lack of a dedicated lane that it is slower than a bus, or not so much faster that it justifies the added expense?

The county board and the school board both operate as though they have no obligation to provide detailed descriptions of the information it used to produce a cost-benefit analysis. We're in a suburb crawling with policy analysts. Why on earth wouldn't the boards try to speak their language?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rapid bus maybe?

+1

I think streetcars are great when they have dedicated space. As I understood the Columbia Pike street car, it would be sharing the road with cars. So, there wouldn't have been any savings in regard to traffic and at least buses can move around a blocked lane.

I agree that the streetcar should have a dedicated lane. I wish people would have spent more energy trying to improve the streetcar than complaining. An enhanced bus service (let's be honest--there will be nothing rapid about it) will require the same transit style stops, which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It will also require substantial street improvements to support the weight of larger, heavier buses (the streetcar would run on rails and therefore would not impose the same wear and tear on the street).
the pike is screwed.

BRT will not happen because there is no dedicated lane. Enhanced bus service won't happen because the stops will ist substantially more than your standard bus shelter. In short, the pike is screwed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

Has there been any "bus stop" that has cost $1 million? No. Please educate yourself. Transit stops can reach or exceed $1million. None of those exist in Arlington either. The only stops that cost more than $1 million are the metro stops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

This is so short sighted. Every single study of modern streetcars show that PERMANENT streetcar infrastrucutre significantly increases property values and desirability of businesses and new houses want to locate on permanent infrastrcuture not a bus line. Columbia Pike sucks. But I guess you all think its awesome and that there is a money tree growing somehwere to continue build subsidized housing etc...

must be wonderful living in fairy land with all the free-spenders like yourself. it's my tax dollars at work. too bad not a single one of these "studies" was ever produced or cited by the County Board - interesting that never happened since you said it and it must be undeniably true. all the board did was to make claims with no evidence or data to back it up - kinda like what you're doing.

this is not a priority, nor is aquatics center or million dollar bus stops. add to that the band-aid fixes for core services (like education) and this is the fiscal entanglement the country is in.

if you want cheap housing, look in western or southern FFX, Arlington, pockets of PG county or SE DC. if you want to live and prosper in a free and open society, then roll up your sleeves, make the sacrifices and stop asking for handouts.

Well it's my tax dollars too and schools are not a priority for me. So maybe you and your precious snowflakes should start making some sacrifices too. $19,000k+ per child. That's absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Well it's my tax dollars too and schools are not a priority for me. So maybe you and your precious snowflakes should start making some sacrifices too. $19,000k+ per child. That's absurd.

Don't worry, the streetcar money won't go to the schools. The state will just take it back and spend it somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

Has there been any "bus stop" that has cost $1 million? No. Please educate yourself. Transit stops can reach or exceed $1million. None of those exist in Arlington either. The only stops that cost more than $1 million are the metro stops.

where do you live? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/1-million-bus-stop-opens-in-arlington/2013/03/24/49e5c47e-917c-11e2-9abd-e4c5c9dc5e90_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

Has there been any "bus stop" that has cost $1 million? No. Please educate yourself. Transit stops can reach or exceed $1million. None of those exist in Arlington either. The only stops that cost more than $1 million are the metro stops.

where do you live? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/1-million-bus-stop-opens-in-arlington/2013/03/24/49e5c47e-917c-11e2-9abd-e4c5c9dc5e90_story.html

That's not a bus stop.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/22806/bus-stop-or-transit-station-its-not-all-the-same-thing/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news. Now they can spend that money on actual county priorities like expanding and updating schools. Hopefully once we get rid of Tejada and Hynes we can stop the $1 million bus stops and what not for good. Even more money for schools, affordable housing, etc without stealing resources from parks and community centers.

I personally can't wait to vote Fisette out, though. I'm sure his concession speech will include that his loss must be a "miscommunication" involving the ignorance of the Arlington electorate or something, though

This is so short sighted. Every single study of modern streetcars show that PERMANENT streetcar infrastrucutre significantly increases property values and desirability of businesses and new houses want to locate on permanent infrastrcuture not a bus line. Columbia Pike sucks. But I guess you all think its awesome and that there is a money tree growing somehwere to continue build subsidized housing etc...

Yup - just one more reason burb property values will keep dropping while DC becomes even more insanely expensive