It’s popped up in my feedreader the past two days. I wonder if there’s a feed just for the commuter information.So roll down your window, let the wind blow back your hair and enjoy the 63-degree weather while we have it.Here’s the rundown so far this morning:Charlottesville-Albemarle Urban Area: No incidents reported.I-64 from Richmond to Staunton: No incidents reported.U.S…. 29 from Lovingston to Madison: No incidents reported.U.S…. 15 from Madison to Buckingham: No incidents reported.Route 20 from Orange to Scottsville: No incidents reported.I wonder also what the source is for the data (maybe 511?), and whether anyone actually commutes from Lovingston to Madison.
Browsing Category Transportation
Instead of a Monorail in Charlottesville
Or Streetcar, or whatever they want to call it, why not this? It combines Bus Rapid Transit and bikes, and doesn’t require a ten-million-dollar a mile investment.
Property taxes in Albemarle and a Streetcar in Charlottesville
Instead of defaulting to “raise taxes,” only two member of the Albemarle BoS think they need to reevaluate government’s “core services.”… While a possible good start, my question is this – how many people will actually use it?… We need to have a coordinated transit plan with the County of Albemarle and the surrounding counties. All I can think of is “monorail!”I’ve talked about Charlottesville/Albemarle/Central Virginia’s transportation issues for some time, and there seems to be very little progress on anything productive besides more meetings.
This is why I tell my clients that everything can change
Purchasers should exercise whatever due diligence they deem necessary with respect to adjacent parcels in accordance with the terms and conditions of the purchase contract, but in any event prior to settlement on the subject property. In short, sellers are generally responsible for disclosing anything within the four corners of their property, and the buyer (and buyer’s agent) should do all the due diligence they can to learn about what is outside those four corners.And then read this story at Charlottesville Tomorrow referencing the Mosby Mountain development on 5th Street Extended/Old Lynchburg Road – Bill Edgerton (Jack Jouett) also expressed sympathy for the neighbors, but he could not support making an exception, in part because of the history of neighborhoods changing their minds on sidewalks, particularly when faced with the prospect of a new neighborhood being connected to an existing development…. Mitchell was, however, quite surprised to learn that, at least in the view of some of the Planning Commissioners and staff, his cul-de-sac was seen as accommodating a road interconnection to future development adjacent to his property…. Mitchell said that if the County ever tried to connect Hatcher Court he would both be opposed to it and try to buy the land behind him.In my view, unless you own the land around you, it is more likely than not to become, at some point, either a through road (not the cul-de-sac you’re used to) or some form of development.In this case, it sounds like the neighbors don’t want the sidewalks; but what happens in ten years when the cul-de-sacs become through roads?
$270,000,000
McDonnell says if the local highway oversight group known as the Metropolitan Planning Organization takes the Western Bypass off its Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan, our highway district could lose a lot of money…. The Attorney General issued his opinion at the request of Lynchburg State Senator Steve Newman (pictured below), who’s been fighting for years to get a bypass around Charlottesville.Attorney General McDonnell’s letter is here (PDF):You ask whether the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (“MPOâ€) would risk losing its primary system highway construction funds should it remove the proposed U.S. Route 29 Bypass around Charlottesville (“Bypassâ€) from its Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan (“Planâ€). If MPO removes the Bypass from its Plan and the federal government requests reimbursement of its funds expended on the Bypass, you ask whether MPO would be required to repay such amount from its primary highway system funds. Response It is my opinion that if MPO removes the Bypass from its Plan and the Federal Highway Administration requires the Commonwealth to reimburse the funds spent on the Bypass, an amount equal to such reimbursement would be deducted from the primary system highway construction funds for the Department of Transportation district in which the Bypass is located.
Growth issues abound in Charlottesville and Albemarle
Free Enterprise Forum’s October newsletter – they attend more meetings than almost anyone else Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program still seeking tractionAh, the “greater good” argument:The request creates a conundrum for the Board, a conundrum most succinctly spelled out by Slutzky at that September meeting: “We’re weighing the individual property owner’s wishes appropriately, but we should be weighing them against ultimately what’s the objective of this master planning process.â€At that same meeting, Wheeler offered her own view: “To propose a change in property rights or the land use for my property without contacting me is unconscionable,†she said during the public comment. “The property rights for the people who live in that area should be the concern of the people who live on that land.â€Is a conservation easement not an option?At least one of the candidates is going door-to-door.Cato Institute scholar talks zoning.Dr. Van Doren outlined three points on zoning’s inefficiency, “Zoning reduces some property values (land that could be used more intensely), more than it increases other property values; zoning is not necessary to ‘preserve’ wealth; and the market for change in zoning is political rather than explicitly economic.â€How Houston gets along without zoning.Meadowcreek Parkway moving forward. I couldn’t agree with Dave Norris more:“I would like to see a much stronger emphasis be put on getting a commitment by the County and setting an expectation from the County to really step up on the issue of transit, bike and pedestrian connections,†he said.I would add only that to emphasize the need to coordinate transit plans with all the stakeholders, not just the City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle and the University of Virginia.
Hop on the bus, gus
Thanks to Simon and Garfunkel for the headline.Bus rides in Charlottesville are free this month. Let’s hope ridership goes up. Now, if we can just get the busses from stopping rush hour traffic for five minutes on South-bound Emmet Street … they would do wonders to improve their efficiency and their public image.