Virginia's answer to DC's streetcars

Transit

Virginia's answer to DC's streetcars

by Dan Malouff • December 18, 2009 2:08 pm

Plans for streetcars in DC and along Arlington's Columbia Pike are well-known around the region, but they're not the only exciting plans for new surface transit inside the Beltway. Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax have quietly identified a number of corridors for significantly enhanced transit service.

View Beltway Streetcars / BRT in a larger map.

Arlington: The Transit Element of Arlington's Master Transportation Plan identifies a "Primary Transit Network" of corridors in which the County wants to "encourage a low auto-usage lifestyle" by providing streetcar or BRT service with high frequency at all times of day. In addition to Columbia Pike, the PTN includes the Crystal City / Potomac Yard transitway, which Arlington wants to be a streetcar, as well as Lee Highway (US-29), Clarendon Boulevard, and Glebe Road. Presumably Arlington will focus on the latter three corridors once its plans for Columbia Pike and Crystal City are complete.

Alexandria: The most prominent feature of Alexandria's Transportation Master Plan is that the City identifies three "Priority Transit Corridors" on which they specifically propose to implement fully dedicated, no-cars-allowed, transitways. These transitways could be light rail or BRT, and are along US Route 1 (extending the CC/PY transitway), Duke Street, and Beauregard / Van Dorn.

Fairfax: The recently released Fairfax County Transit Development Plan calls for three "streetcar or BRT" corridors: Columbia Pike, Route 7 and Route 28. Columbia Pike is simply the western segment of Arlington's streetcar project. Route 7 is gaining momentum as a light rail corridor thanks to Congressman Moran. Route 28 (which is well outside the Beltway) appears to be a more distant goal.

Unfortunately, localities in Northern Virginia don't control their transportation budgets to the same extent that DC (which is a state equivalent) does. While DDOT can fund and build streetcars directly, Northern Virginia localities currently lack the constitutional authority to adequately fund their own projects, and therefore have to work with Virginia's state-level agencies to do so. This means Virginia won't be able to move as fast as DC, and can't be as up-front about determining streetcar versus BRT. Ultimately, these plans for Virginia are less secure than DC's. Nonetheless, taken as a whole the plans that have come together for increased priority transit in Northern Virginia are extremely impressive, and would rival DC's streetcar system if built.

Cross-posted at BeyondDC.

22 comments

Tags: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, streetcars, Virginia

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Dan Malouff is a professional transportation planner for the Arlington County Department of Transportation. He has a degree in Urban Planning from the University of Colorado, and lives a car-free lifestyle in Northwest Washington. His posts are his own opinions and do not represent the views of his employer in any way. He runs the blog BeyondDC and also contributes to the Washington Post Local Opinions blog.

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IMO,
route 7 should get it's own heavy rail subway line from Alexandria out to Falls Church- especially since the old WO&D ROW inside the old DC diamond area has been compromised.

Maybe the line could continue out to Purcellville from Falls Church along the remaining, but more intact WO&D ROW.

by w on Dec 18, 2009 2:34 pm • link • report

The localities can certainly lobby State legislators for the authorization to impose special taxes or fees for the purpose of financing these transportation lines, through VACO, VML and other avenues.

by David on Dec 18, 2009 2:38 pm • link • report

What would it take for some of these to cross the river? Is that even desirable?

I'm looking at you, Lee Highway to K Street.

by Michael Perkins on Dec 18, 2009 2:39 pm • link • report

Streetcar's that operately exclusively or primarily in mixed traffic shouldn't be very long lines. They are meant as pedestrian accelerators not commuter trains. The longer in length the lines are the less likely the streetcars are to stay on schedule. I have no interest in having the district's K Street line cross the river to Lee Highway - and I say this as someone who works in Rosslyn. If a potential rider wants to get from 29 in Falls Church to K Street let them take a streetcar to Metro and ride the Orange Line in.

by Paul on Dec 18, 2009 2:48 pm • link • report

Alexandria's choices are a little bizarre. Why nothing to Old Town? And why, considering that Del Ray's town flag is a picture of a streetcar, is there no Commonwealth Ave line connecting Del Ray to the King St. and Potomac Yard metro stations?

by Tom Veil on Dec 18, 2009 3:13 pm • link • report

I'd like to see:

Little River Turnpike line extend towards NVCC, Fairfax City, Chantilly and South Run.

The Alexandria line extend southward along Route 1 towards Ft. Belvior and Woodbridge.

The Van Dorn Street line should be extended towards Kingstowne, Franconia-Springfield Metro, Annandale, Merrifield/Dunn Loring and Tysons Corner.

by Zac on Dec 18, 2009 3:21 pm • link • report

According to that map the Glebe element in Arlington would not connect up with the Lee Highway element. I question the need for the Glebe line, unless it fully connects the north and south elements. Development in Arlington is stratified along east-west corridors. Any corridor that runs north-south merely engages those east-west corridors and between it is just residential. Can't really think of a north-south road in Arlington that is consistently commercial or zoned as such.

by Lou on Dec 18, 2009 3:30 pm • link • report

@Tom Veil

I've spoken to a City Council member about the Transportation Master Plan and a route through the center of the city. The problem is that entire stretch is zoned residential. There's no chance of density there. It could make a little sense on Mt. Vernon Ave, but that too is zoned CL (commercial low density). That is subject to change, but as it is, there is very little potential for significant development in the residential heart of Alexandria - (Del Ray, Rosemont, Beverly Hills).

Arlandria is the only part of Mt. Vernon Ave with real density potential. If anything, they could have the Glebe streetcar turn down Mt. Vernon Ave through Arlandria, then take a Left on either Reed Ave or W Glebe Rd to link up with Rt. 1... that would avoid the wasted section of the Glebe route that passes an almost uninhabited area (sewage treatment plant near Rt 1).

by Nick P on Dec 18, 2009 3:49 pm • link • report

I'm not familiar with transit developments in the region, but... why are streetcars and BRT being discussed as if they are directly comparable? The bus analogue of streetcars is local buses, and the rail analogue of BRT is light rail. The non-modal distinction generally is between local service in mixed traffic versus express service in a dedicated right-of-way.

by Michael D on Dec 18, 2009 4:18 pm • link • report

we should think about introducing 'tram' into the american lexicon. it's ambiguity becomes a plus when we're not really sure what our exact plans are, but we know we want high quality transit.

i also like the idea that, by talking about trams, we might be able to start pointing to sharp-looking trams from overseas.

i'm still really suffering with the look of the DC streetcars. i'm no artsy-fartsy type -- i like pretty things, i appreciate some art, like beautiful places and objects, but damn those things are ugly. they seem to express a contempt for the City and its residents, and in particular, its riders. they seem like tokens -- toys and trinkets for monied people to point and laugh at. like those stupid advertiser-supported bus stations that we're all supposed to think are 'so cool'.

i know those are strong words, but i just gotta say what i gotta say. maybe they just look a lot worse, unmoored from their rails -- here's to hoping i'm wrong wrong wrong. maybe they can become like Hong Kong's nasty red taxis? they're certainly distinctive, and yes, i agree that's a good thing -- to a point.

we should be interested in nice-looking transit cars. they should amplify the beauty of the city, not look like relics from 1953 -- unless, of course, they are actual relics from 1953.

maybe United Streetcar will get bought by a French company so the workers will get health care, and they'll start churning out some nice-looking streetcars for a change. (i'm assuming they use the same ugly design as the DC/Czech-sourced streetcars.)

</end rant>

by Peter Smith on Dec 18, 2009 5:49 pm • link • report

I'm glad to hear that the Crystal City/Potomac Yard route will be a street car. I had been under the impression that it would be a rapid bus route instead, which I always found somewhat silly. Even the website you linked to talks about the bus route, so maybe they haven't updated it yet?

by Teo on Dec 18, 2009 6:01 pm • link • report

Peter, that's an interesting point about intentional ambiguity. There might be some parallels between what "tram" means and what BRT means in practice, since the latter is so often watered down from a true light rail operating equivalent.

(I think the DC streetcars look okay. But yes, bigger windows would be nice.)

by Michael D on Dec 18, 2009 6:09 pm • link • report

While we're dreaming, I'd like to see the lines at Rosslyn extend over the key bridge to connect to the DC line on M street.

by db on Dec 18, 2009 6:23 pm • link • report

peter,
united streetcar is a union shop. they probably have health care.
i'd be interested to see more examples of streetcars people like.

by a on Dec 18, 2009 7:00 pm • link • report

Teo: language within Alexandria documents suggests that they indeed are going with "rapid bus", at least at first.

Personally, I'm disappointed that Fairfax County isn't considering some form of rail transit along Route 1 between Huntington and Ft. Belvoir.

by Froggie on Dec 19, 2009 8:29 am • link • report

I agree in a broad sense with Peter. I think the Skoda streetcars are uninspiring (although I don't go as far as Peter in criticizing them.) My problem with them, and even the Dublin one, is that they look to "Euro" in my mind. The Skoda ones are too boxy, the Dublin one too spaceshipy.

What would be great is a design deliberately reflective of a genuinely American design: the PCC. This shouldn't be too difficult. The PCC design is streamline modern, which should be easy to reference without turning cutesy or overly historic. Really, it would only take a few tweaks to the curves and edges of the Skoda design to evoke the pillowey shape of a PCC.

by Reid on Dec 19, 2009 11:59 am • link • report

I have to say that the Flexity trams made by Bombardier are particularly good looking. I'd like to make sure the trams are good buys all-around, but the trams in Marseilles are really spectacular. The sleek Baroque window that is also curved like a Calatrava building fits in well around Federal Triangle and K Street. That is a really great streetcar, actually.

by Neil Flanagan on Dec 19, 2009 12:54 pm • link • report

It's nice to dream, but it ain't gonna happen in Alexandria.

Alexandria doesn't have the money and the Alexandria Street Car Alliance is run by incompetents.

The so called streetcar alliance is lead by shopworn former members of the Alexandria City Council (Lovain, Walker) who can't get elected in their own one party town, which they have already pushed to the verge of bankruptcy.

Isn't it time to put away the pretty toys and deal with reality in these difficult economic times?

by Ain't Gonna Happen on Dec 19, 2009 1:40 pm • link • report

Neil: it's funny you mention the Flexity. We already have examples in this country...the Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis uses the Flexity Swift model.

by Froggie on Dec 19, 2009 3:24 pm • link • report

Yeah, the Flexity has a whole lot of aesthetic shells that can be put over the base tram.

Minneapolis' Flexity models have a nice little snowplow built into the front, though.

by Alex B. on Dec 19, 2009 3:34 pm • link • report

Ain't Gonna Happen:

LOL!

by Zac on Dec 19, 2009 10:44 pm • link • report

Yeah, can you imagine the savings people would have if they didn't have a car payment and all the associated costs to burden them? Gas, maintenance, insurance... all on a mode that doesn't depend on oil from countries that hate us and which are bankrupting our treasury to deal with. I see no economic impact at all!

by NikolasM on Dec 21, 2009 10:06 am • link • report