Posts tagged HRTA
One more thing…
Feb 11th
One more thing to add to my regional LRT plan. The total projected cost of all six projects that the HRTA is responsible for is over $10 billion dollars. We may be able to get 135 miles out of $4.2 billion, but we can get 312 miles out of $10 billion. That is more than enough to solve our transportation problem in a reasonable, environmentally-friendly way.
In addition, one of the main arguments for expanding out highways is the evacuation factor. Can you imagine 1.5 million people driving out on our current roads? Even expanded, thats still a lot of people, especially when it takes 2 hours to get to Richmond we the traffic IS moving. Now going with the LRT plan, if we connected it to the proposed high speed rail to Richmond (http://www.rich2hrrail.info). This trail would travel at an estimated speed of over 100 mph. That means Norfolk to Richmond in an hour or less. If people were evacuated using mass transportation, we could be evacuated quicker with less traffic on the roads. It would also speed up the process of returning after an evacuation, when interstates resume to normal operating procedures (they switch to an all-lanes-out procedure during an evacuation). It seems that once again, outdated thinking and stubborn pride is tromping over reasoned logic.
In addition, one of the main arguments for expanding out highways is the evacuation factor. Can you imagine 1.5 million people driving out on our current roads? Even expanded, thats still a lot of people, especially when it takes 2 hours to get to Richmond we the traffic IS moving. Now going with the LRT plan, if we connected it to the proposed high speed rail to Richmond (http://www.rich2hrrail.info). This trail would travel at an estimated speed of over 100 mph. That means Norfolk to Richmond in an hour or less. If people were evacuated using mass transportation, we could be evacuated quicker with less traffic on the roads. It would also speed up the process of returning after an evacuation, when interstates resume to normal operating procedures (they switch to an all-lanes-out procedure during an evacuation). It seems that once again, outdated thinking and stubborn pride is tromping over reasoned logic.
Tolls on HR’s Roads
Jan 17th
The new HRTA is looking into tolls on our roads. While I do not immediately condone tolls, I do object to tolls as high as $2.05 for the Midtown Tunnel. They say the toll was made high as a way of “thinning out the congestion and urging people to car pool.” First, how would tolling the Midtown Tunnel thin congestion?? You can’t go an alternate route, unless you go for the Downtown Tunnel, but they want a toll on that too; not to mention it would make the DT much more congested. Second, not everybody CAN carpool. I take the Midtown Tunnel twice every Wednesday for this entire Semester to go to the Portsmouth Campus of TCC. Lets do the math for a minute: 16 weeks x $2.05 toll x 2 trips = $65.60. $65!! College students like myself do not have much money. I take the bus to the Norfolk Campus on Tuesdays, thats $48 for the Semester (well under the amount of gasoline used and Parking) I can not take the bus to the Portsmouth Campus. It would take me 5 transfers and 2 hours. Perhaps a better way to solve the traffic congestion would be better public transportation.
Tolls slow down traffic flow. They drive up the cost of Single Occupancy Vehicle drivers. Normally this would drive people to find cheaper, quicker ways. This is why subways are so popular in NYC and Atlanta and DC. In Hampton Roads, however, there is no efficient mass transit. The light rail is a start but when it opens it still will not be as effective as it could be.
Lets reform Mass Transit before we start wasting billions of dollars on projects that only encourage Single Occupancy Vehicles.
Tolls slow down traffic flow. They drive up the cost of Single Occupancy Vehicle drivers. Normally this would drive people to find cheaper, quicker ways. This is why subways are so popular in NYC and Atlanta and DC. In Hampton Roads, however, there is no efficient mass transit. The light rail is a start but when it opens it still will not be as effective as it could be.
Lets reform Mass Transit before we start wasting billions of dollars on projects that only encourage Single Occupancy Vehicles.
