Do Del Ray and Arlandria Need a Trolley?
With the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project slotted for cancelation, should another way to move visitors and residents be considered?
Photos
The Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project, which made a bumpy ride through City Hall in 2012, appears to be off the tracks.
With the city facing a $31 million budget shortfall, City Manager Rashad Young is recommending abandoning the project and its $700,000 price tag in his budget proposal for fiscal year 2014. The pilot project was to be funded with money set aside for transportation projects in the city.
• See: City Manager Proposes $626.6 Million Operating Budget
The project was subject to plenty of scrutiny from lawmakers, business owners and citizens, who debated how far north into Arlandria the route would travel and later what other neighborhoods it would traverse.
• See: Council Approves Trolley Route Serving Del Ray and Arlandria
Once a route was finally settled, an initial request for contractors to operate the line yielded no bids. A second request did yield bids, but Young said they came in three times higher than expected. DASH also suggested lending a hand by providing shrink-wrapped buses.
• See: Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley Project Hits Bump in Road and DASH May Revive Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley Project
“We are disappointed,” said Mellenie Runion, president of the Del Ray Business Association. “We had it in the works and now we’re curbing it. Where did it all go? We’ve been asking for pedestrian lighting on Mount Vernon for 15 years. Where is it?”
Kevin Beekman of the Arlandria Action Plan Advisory Group said he is disappointed, but “we don’t want it if it’s not done right.”
Runion, who owns a home-based business specializing in handmade organic soaps and other products called Truly-Life, said she would like to have “some sort of green transportation” connecting Old Town with Mount Vernon Avenue. She mentioned pedicabs, which had been a popular amenity at First Thursday street festivals in the past. She also suggested something similar to the Savannah Slow Ride bikes that carry 15 pedaling passengers at once for tours of Savannah, Ga.
Young’s proposal does include expanding Capitol Bikeshare to other parts of the city, possibly Del Ray. Runion likes the idea of expanding bikeshare but doesn’t think it solves the issues.
• See: Alexandria's Bikeshare Stations Are Ready to Roll
“It’s about moving visitors in a fast way,” Runion said. “Obviously it’s going to be harder to move an older person or a group of five on bikeshare. It’s a mass transit issue, and I don’t think we all need to look like Old Town.”
Would you like to see a trolley serving Del Ray and Arlandria? Or would you prefer an alternative? Or nothing at all? Tell us in the comments and take our poll.
Cameron Miller
8:09 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
What about a trolley to connect Northridge neighborhoods with Braddock Metro and with Shirlington. A trolley travelling between Shirlington and the Braddock Metro along Quaker Lane and Braddock Road or alternatively from Quaker Lane down King Street to King Street Metro would be very helpful.
Jeff Yake
9:14 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
I agree, Cameron--and it would reduce commuter congestion between two major transit points that do not have commuter parking.
Tom
10:08 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
Answer- no.
For Jeff and Cameron, refer to yesterday's article about Mr Young's budget and Council's advertised increases in taxes, etc. and explain why my taxes need to go up more to pay for this "free" service? Doesnt Dash have routes covering this area?
Pete
10:22 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
Stunning that a city still seeing hugely rising property values also finds itself with a $31M budget shortfall and proposes a property tax rate increase. Be that as it may, sure, the trolley is cute. But dozens of Dash and Metro buses traverse these proposed trolley routes daily. Perhaps a cheaper alternative--the city should instead fund a DASH education effort to help citizens learn to ride a bus or get over their fear of doing so.
Matthew Braun
1:27 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
If people don't know how to use a bus, maybe we don't need them moving around unsupervised.
DelRayRez
12:12 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
Use a propane-fueled cab or bus that already exists - there's your greener alternative. Better yet, get off your butt and walk off some calories.
Del Ray Ray
2:50 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
that's an easy answer for those that are not
1. Elderly
2. Have small children
3. Have physical issues that may impede them "getting off their butts".
Kim Moore
6:52 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
No, we do not need a trolley. There are plenty of buses up and down Mt. Vernon Ave. also, tourists/riders should be encouraged to purchase Trolley passes at a nominal fee. The "free" trolley is not free. If we all have to dig deeper to pay our real estate and property taxes, then the city should make efforts to reduce the trolley program's cost.
A $2 round-trip fare, or $5 weekend pass for adults would be an acceptable effort.
amy lu
10:59 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
The trolley is meant to bring tourists from Old Town to Del Ray/Arlandria.
imo, two things adversely impact those tourist from visiting Del Ray: Wayfinding signage and a coordinated parking plan.
The City spent money to complete a Wayfinding study. Implementation so far consists of public parking Wayfinding signs in Old Town and possibly a few replacement signs adhere to the recommended format.
The City spent money to complete a Del Ray Parking Study. Implementation consists of nothing. The consultant repeatedly resisted City staff directives regarding the study ("buggered it'). The data collected is now, years later, obsolete since several new restaurants with significant "reduction of required parking" have opened since then. In addition, the Oxford Avenue lot hosts a year-round market on Saturday mornings and the 'Human Services' parking lot charges a fee.
Time for Del Ray to find common cause, band together, roll up our sleeves and do something ourselves like we'd do long before DR became 'hot'.