Virginia

Transit Agencies Struggling to Predict Ridership, Even as They Raise Fares
At transit agencies like D.C, Metro, bad ridership projections beget bad fare scheduling which begets bad budgets. And so on.

Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail
In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.
Setback for Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Project
Funding for a feasibility study is always one thing. Funding for a project is always something else.
Legislation to Toll Indiana Interstates and Hike Gas Tax Introduced
Tolls on interstate highways are being pushed in Indiana as a means to increase road funding, no easy task even if a waiver is given. The bill would also increase the gas tax and charge electric vehicle owners a fee for road maintenance.

Islamophobia Taking Over Planning Processes
A columnist attributes the success of President-elect Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric with a rise in potentially illegal land use decisions around the state of Virginia.

Legal Bow Hunting in a Suburban County
Large swaths of Fairfax County, Virginia allow bow hunting of deer in park spaces very close to where people live. One writer wonders if the benefits of "urban archery" are worth the risks.

Virginia Planning for High-Speed Rail Between Richmond and D.C.
The pieces of the still-speculative Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor—connecting Atlanta to Washington, D.C.—are starting to take shape. The latest leg to come into focus would connect Richmond to D.C.

D.C. Metro Will End Late-Night Rail Service for Two Years
A tough decision that has been on the table since the summer has now been made official by the WMATA's board of directors.

This Light Rail Line Lowers Nearby Home Prices
Not every transit project has a positive effect on adjacent property values. A study finds that people do not, in fact, want to live next to Norfolk, Virginia's Tide light rail.

One Year After Opening, Virginia Capital Trail a Bike Infrastructure Success Story
The Virginia Capital Trail is transforming the state's middle peninsula, according to Mobility Lab.

D.C. Metro and Uber Partnership Seeks a Win-Win
Uber and D.C. Metro are partnering in new ways as the transit agency deals with fallout from its SafeTrack repair program.

WMATA's SafeTrack: Behind Schedule and Over Budget
The SafeTrack repair program has shut down Metrorail lines for much of 2016—and the price for the repairs to the system keep going up.

Two Towns, One Brewery: What Roanoke Can Learn From Bend, Oregon
The opening of the Bend, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery in Roanoke, Virginia is bringing a new realm of possibilities for future development in the former railroad town, as it looks to go from "trains to brains."
WMATA Stepping Up Efforts to End Sexual Assaults on Transit Lines
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) recently launched a new campaign to combat sexual harassment and assault—especially toward some of the most marginalized members of the community.
D.C. and Arlington Explore Connection by Gondola
A feasibility study suggests a gondola system across the Potomac would be cheaper than a new Metro station.
Big New Subdivision Approved Along Virginia's U.S. 29 Corridor
A 277-acre development got the rezoning it needed to go from single-family housing to mixed-use outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Big Hopes Ride on a Recently Approved Transit Station in Alexandria
A long-delayed decision by the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration removes the final regulatory obstacle for the construction of a new Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia.

Tuesday's Election May Hinge on the Changing Demographics of Suburbs
Today's suburbs have changed dramatically from a generation ago. Younger, more diverse, and more liberal, they are "trending more Democratic." The PBS News Hour explores this critical demographic shift five days before Election Day.

The Washington Post Urges a Radical Fix for D.C. Metro: Federal Takeover
The Washington Post opines that the best way to end Metro's 'death spiral' is to have the federal government take it over, similar to the way it intervened in the district's fiscal meltdown in the 1990s or Puerto Rico's debt crisis this summer.

Arlington County Allows New Street Variations to Prioritize Multi-Modalism
The Virginia county of Arlington has written into law the ability to create shared streets as well as streets that prioritize pedestrians.
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