Streetcars for Northern Virginia
Will Northern Virginia be getting streetcars, and is it the right move? When this idea first came to be, it was considered far-fetched, but during the month of January, this idea advanced with city officials unanimously voting to give this project a great deal of funding. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, which was put in place last year to control the new regional transportation tax, delegates how much money goes to each project. This project currently calls for a 4.7 mile track, which will connect Pentagon City located in Arlington to the skyline area of Fairfax County, it will be known as the Columbia Pike Line. Supporters of this project hope that the Columbia Pike Line will help spark a development of a much broader streetcar network. This plan calls for streetcars to normally use outside area of traffic next to the curb. If you think that by using this public transportation you won't save time since the streetcars will get stuck in the same traffic lights that you do in your car; you will be happy to hear that there are talks about synchronizing the traffic lights with there schedule. Supporters of these streetcars also hope that the network will eventually expand from Alexandria all the Way to Tysons Corner. Authority Chairman and member of Arlington County's Board Chris Zimmerman believes that this project is a step in the right direction since it will help commuters in Northern Virginia, and at the same time it will be helping deal with Air pollution and global warming.
Last week these projects had a $392 million spending plan approved which should cover 2-1/2 years and it includes more than $150 million for the Metro. The streetcar project was approved $36.9 million. This whole streetcar plan is contingent on Virginia being able to raise its taxes. Portland Oregon has currently put a streetcar system into effect, and has found it to be popular. There have also been talks in the District about putting a streetcar network into effect.
Not everyone supports this project, just like anything else with every positive there are always negatives. Some of the skeptics worry that this project will cost more than it is worth. What I mean by this is they do not think by adding these streetcars will alleviate the congestion on roads. They also worry that these projects will end up costing more than predicted. Supporters on the other hand have compared streetcars to buses and believe they are faster since you can enter at different doors and prepay. Also in a day a bus can carry 20,000 riders while a streetcar could potentially handle anywhere between 25,000 and 30,000 riders.
