VBTA: So, no one rides the buses?

So VBTA, no one rides buses? Try telling that to the people sitting on this fully loaded #194. By the way: it's a 60-foot bus and ALL seats are taken with a couple of standees.

This picture was taken during an off-peak trip at Sea-Tac Airport after loading. After leaving the Airport, the bus proceeds non-stop to Downtown Seattle and runs every 15 minutes, yet it is still a fully-loaded bus.

The Tide Electrical Systems

H/T to Henry Ryto: The Tide's electrical systems contract is 5% BELOW budget.

Yes Reid, BELOW budget.

Reid: Bus Rider != Freeloader

(note how Mayor Bloomberg is standing)

Uh Reid? Newsflash: us bus riders pay to use the bus. Taxes + fares Meaning we're NOT freeloaders. Try saying that to Mayor Bloomberg who rides the subway to work (at regular fare) and even straphangs* when needed

* Forgot, VBTA has limited vocabulary: straphanging is the process of standing since there's no available seat. You're hanging your hand from the strap.

Image Source: NYC EMS Blog

Governor Kaine's Town Hall Meeting: VB Convention Center

I plan to be at the Town Hall meeting tonight to talk transportation. Couple of things:

A) The House of No: Get over your stinkin pride
B) I will be making a note that the meeting starts right as the last bus to TCC is leaving the Oceanfront
C) Reid: no one wants to hear your foolishness. I think Jessica Blaine put it perfectly: "want some cheese with that wine?"

To get home, I'm going to have to ride my bike from the Blvd & Rosemont. What fun.

It's Official: The VBTA Doesn't Give a Rat's ***

I knew it for a while, but now it's in the open for everyone to see. The VBTA doesn't give a rat's *** about anyone without a car (be it they choose not to (my case) or they're unable to).

See for yourself (it's in the Comments section) - it's right from the so-called transportation chairman of the VBTA, Reid Greenmun

UPDATE: Thanks Peter Stinson for covering this as well. See Tidewater Musings blog entry.

Now back to my Regularly Scheduled Program...

Now that everyone knows my real reason for this blog, which is that I want to work on transit policy without giving any thoughts to the political side of it, I feel good going back to my regularly scheduled program as they say on TV.

As much as I do not like the VBTA, I will not stoop to the lowness that either one of them or one of their supporters stooped to.

The VBTA

Apparently, someone who is from, or supports the ideas of, the Virginia Beach Taxpayers' Alliance is trolling both my blog and Avenging Archangel's blog. Sorry VBTA, but I actually enjoy riding the bus. Many sections of my book Rachel's Story were written while I was sitting on board a bus. I can't wait for The Tide to open so that I can breeze out of Downtown while people in their cars sit in the gridlock of City Hall Ave.

Too bad, but I'm not afraid of the VBTA. I will continue to push for expansion of mass transit that is reasonable (meaning no high priced SkyTrain - which is what Reid wants yet doesn't want to pay for since he won't stand for the tax increase required for such a system).

Please be sure to read Avenging Archangel's blog entry concerning this attack.

Transit Politics

Well, it looks like I'm starting to be known in the political arena? In a recent blog entry, I got a nasty gram from someone who...well, I'm not going to go there.

Obviously, I'm a big proponent of expanding mass transit including light rail for the whole region. I currently live where HRT service kills off around 7 PM (6:45 PM to be exact) and does not run on Sunday. I don't need much and I certainly don't need some elevated automated system to get me around (which is much more expensive than standard light rail). I've been on light rail before (Portland, Oregon's MAX and Tacoma, Washington's Tacoma Link) and it's been nothing but amazing. I start on a bus to get me to the station, then the train takes me into town. The best part is watching all the cars bumper to bumper while I breeze by on the light rail train. I can work on my book (see the Rachel's Story link) which is something that's impossible while driving.

I'm more interested in promoting transit then dabbling into politics for the most part, but sometimes, I have to say something.

Reid Greenmun: VB's biggest crybaby

Go figure, Reid Greenmun is always the anti-tax crybaby. Here, read the comments for yourself. The article is an Opinion entry from the Pilot basically speaking the truth: NSU, you're too late about crying over The Tide. I do ask, why would someone from Sandbridge even care about life in Norfolk?

I expect a nasty gram any time, so let me run for cover.