Lane Ranger applauds grants for transit study
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Lane Ranger
Published: March 3, 2008
A Potomac River ferry and bus rapid transit on U.S. 1 are two ideas that garnered the county $325,000 from the Secretary of Transportation’s Multi Modal office.
Last fall’s trial run of a ferry from Quantico to Washington, D.C., proved promising enough for the state agency to want to take a deeper look into how a catamaran could transport commuters 24 miles up the Potomac River.
Another grant would fund the study of rapid bus transit, where buses would run on dedicated high occupancy vehicle lanes on U.S. 1 from Fairfax into Prince William County.
Only good things can come from these grants. If the federal government is not going to help in major projects like the extension of the Metro line to Dulles International Airport, then area governments need to utilize their grant money and resources to the best of their abilities when it comes to mass transit improvements.
Traffic in Northern Virginia is clearly a huge issue that most have to deal with on a daily basis and it has been for many years. Despite the presence of reversible two-lane High Occupany Lanes on Interstate 95 and the improvements made at the Springfield Interchange in recent years, traffic continues to be a nightmare for those commuting northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening.
U.S. 1 is not much better, as cars stack up through Lorton and Fort Belvoir on their way home to Prince William and points south during the evening rush. And it will only get worse in the next few years when thousands of jobs are relocated to Fort Belvoir as part of the Department of Defense’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Recommendation.
According to a Prince William County 2007 Citizen Satisfaction Survey, nearly 70 percent commute daily outside of the county. And many more come from Stafford County or further south. For those people alone, it’s worth looking into a ferry from Quantico to Washington.
The trial ferry run last fall took just 58 minutes from Quantico to Washington’s Navy Yard. According to mapquest.com, the trip between those two cities is nearly 34 road miles with a commute time of 42 minutes. But we all know that time is not exactly a conservative estimate during rush hour.
Improved bus services or a dedicated bus lane on a road like U.S. 1 would likely be beneficial, as well. PRTC spokesperson Christine Rodrigo said the organization will be actively working with the county on this study.
“Whether lane dedication makes sense is one of the key questions the study will examine, but even in lieu of lane dedication, bus service quality can be improved in all or some of the ways people espousing BRT desire,” Rodrigo stated in a press release.
This January, the average daily ridership on the Potomac-Rappahannock Transportation Commission Omni Ride and Metro Direct services was 7,300. PRTC primarily serves Prince William County, Stafford County, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Whether or not these transportation alternatives will be adopted remains to be seen. It depends on the cost and the people’s willingness to change their commuting habits.
However, in times of uncertain federal and state funding, all modes of transportation should be closely scrutinized and not brushed aside too quickly. There are alternatives to driving and all of them should be given careful consideration.
They just might save some of us a lot of time, not to mention headaches.
Smartrip accepted starting today
SmarTrip cards will be accepted for fares on all PRTC buses starting today. Even after SmarTrip cards are accepted, PRTC passengers may continue to pay fares with cash or tokens. However, OmniRide and Metro Direct commuter bus tokens are being phased out and will not be accepted for fares after May 2.
PRTC will offer passengers the chance to exchange unused tokens and apply the value toward their SmarTrip cards later this spring.
SmarTrip cards can be purchased locally at the PRTC Transit Center, located at 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In the Manassas area, SmarTrip cards can be purchased at three Giant grocery stores: Manassas Junction at the intersection of Centreville Road and Liberia Avenue, Wellington Station along Wellington Road and Westgate Plaza along Sudley Road.
Cards also are available online and at locations outside the Prince William area. For a complete listing of SmarTrip card sales locations, visit PRTC’s Web site, PRTCtransit.org. The card costs $5 before any fare values can be added.
In an effort to make commutes more convenient, PRTC will station a bus at the following locations so those with SmarTrip cards can add value to their cards:
• Today at the Lake Ridge Commuter Lot, 5 to 8 a.m.
• Tuesday at the Dale City Commuter Lot, 4:30 to 8 a.m.
• Wednesday at the Va. 234/U.S. 1 Commuter Lot, 4:30 to 8 a.m.
• Thursday at Manassas Mall, 4:30 to 7 a.m.
• Friday at the Horner Road Commuter Lot, 4:30 to 8 a.m.
• Saturday at Potomac Mills Mall, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Along with the bus to load value on the cards, PRTC staff members will sell SmarTrip cards from a table at the Community Expo in Neighborhood 5.
Please send questions or comments on roads, rail and transit to: Lane Ranger, c/o Potomac News, P.O. Box 2470, Woodbridge, VA 22195; e-mail: .
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