News: Fairfax riders say they feel stranded by plan to cut bus lines, Washington Post, March 29, 2010

By Nicole Norfleet
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 29, 2010

One February night, a woman boarded Deloris Bailey's 553 Fairfax Connector and said, "They're going to cut our bus!"

Bailey and some fellow passengers were shocked: Bus service had already been reduced last year by almost 40 percent.

To get to work in the District, Reston commuters can ride the bus to the West Falls Church Metro station; join the tens of thousands of drivers on the road; or jockey for a spot at one of four park-and-ride lots, three of which are filled to capacity, and then take a bus to a Metro station.

For Bailey, 48, who has lived in Reston for more than a decade, the bus is the best option. She learned last month, however, that Fairfax County is planning to cut not only her bus line but also six other routes in June....

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Agenda: Transportation WG Meeting, March 29

Agenda
Transportation Work Group
March 29, 2010, 7PM
Maynard residence


1. Opening, member remarks (5-10 mins.)

2. Reston bus budget cuts: What, if anything, should we do regarding the Reston bus budget cuts? (See Dave Edwards’ paper.) (10-15 mins.)

3. The Reston TF’s schedule re TOD, and meeting their timeline. (Terry—5 mins)

4. What specific transportation issues do we think we should tackle and how? (For those of us who had research assignments, please use any results you have in this discussion.)
• Some issues to consider first (10-15 mins.):
o Should we stick to land use issues almost exclusively (since they can be captured in the new Comp Plan) or cover the full range of trans. issues and implied changes to statute/ordinance/policy/programs?
o How far do we want to go down the implementation path knowing (a) a separate WG is addressing and (b) the RTF is not dealing with implementation issues so far?
o What do we envision as our final product(s)—briefing/viewgraph presentation, written report, Comp Plan & other official language….?
o Others?

• Apply RMAG approach to south side of Herndon-Monroe (tour the site; draw up specific RMAG-like recommendations for the area—without costing) (5-10 mins.)

• Generate specific topics we want to include in a report for the RTF on TOD areas and RTC. (Note: This is a combination of looking at perceived needs and ideas we should vet in further research and interviews.) (30-45 mins.)
o Transportation infrastructure needs (intersections/interchanges, bridges, road widening, satellite commuter parking, etc.)
o Traffic demand management (constraining vehicle demand through raising costs/time/access/etc. and encouraging alternatives--means, subsidies, etc.)
o Bus transit needs (station/TOD access, circulators, etc.—see RMAG)
o Pedestrian and bike improvements (RMAG & beyond)
o Others?

• Prioritize the work we propose for ourselves, assign follow-up, and set a schedule. (15-20 mins.)

5. Set schedule for next several TWG meetings. (5 mins.)

6. Adjourn.

News: Traffic Main Concern for Future Wiehle Station, Reston Observer, March 25, 2010

Written by Leslie Perales • Observer Editor Thursday, 25 March 2010 14:10

More than 75 people attended the last community workshop for the Reston Master Plan Special Study, which focused on land surrounding the future Wiehle Metro station.

Prior to the meeting members of Save OUR Buses, a group working to petition the county to keep a number of area buses slated for cuts, handed out flyers and collected signatures outside.

The workshop began with an overview of the area. Fairfax County Senior Planner Heidi Merkel said the county wants to ensure that existing neighborhoods close to the future Wiehle Metro station are preserved.

Merkel said the county’s vision for the area includes high-density use on the north side of the Dulles Toll Road and medium density on the south side of the DTR to help protect close neighborhoods.

She said the county is looking to build on information collected from previous planning events, such as a charette that was done in 2002, which concluded that mixed-use development would best serve the area.

The majority of those in attendance said they were most concerned about what kind of traffic the new Metro station will bring to the Reston area. For three years the station will be the end of the Silver Line, which could cause commuters to flock to it until more stations are built.

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Meeting Summary: Transportation Working Group, March 11, 2010

The Reston 2020 Transportation Work Group met Thursday evening, March 11, in its initial organizational meeting at 7:30 PM. Those present included Terry Maynard (chair), Dave Edwards, and John Mossgrove. Dan McGuire, Rob Whitfield, and Denver Lovett had other commitments.

After introductions, Terry Maynard briefly discussed his telecon with Kathryn Martin, Chair of the RA TAC, in which he described what the WG was setting out to do and she suggested that they work together while avoiding duplicative efforts, keep WG recommendations realistic, stay in touch personally, and make sure a rep attends the other group's meetings, among other topics. (Terry will attend the next TAC meeting--first Thursday in April.)

A brief discussion ensued on the specifics of the WG's tasking, which is both broad and very time constrained. As with the other groups, we are supposed to have a draft report ready for the TF by its April meeting under the original January Citizens WG proposal, a target we don't believe is realistic at this time.

Our discussion focused on how to come quickly up to speed on Reston transportation planning issues. We generally agreed the RMAG report provided an important foundation for further work, but we needed to expand its geographic coverage, add more "soft" policy aspects to it (eg--non-infrastructure inducements to limit vehicle traffic, like Arlington has done), and keep it mind the totality of Reston as we focused initially on the Dulles Corridor/Reston Center area. We believe we can not address the financial dimensions so well covered in the RMAG report, a topic that may be important to the Implementation and Phasing WG.

We agreed to research the following and share preliminary results before our next meeting (Monday, March 29):
* Dave Edwards--Identify people with expertise on transportation issues in government and industry who could contribute to our understanding of the issues, possibly participate in the WG, and serve as informal consultants off whom we could bounce ideas, drafts, etc.
* John Mossgrove--Review and share information on Tysons Corner and Reston transportation planning, including recent specific development proposals.
* Terry Maynard--Review Arlington and Montgomery County transportation analyses, plans, and policies for their appropriateness to the Reston transportation issue. Also, explore USDOT and SmartGrowth sources for usable information pertaining to Reston transportation planning.

The meeting adjourned at 9PM.

The next meeting of the Transportation WG will be at 7PM, Monday, March 29, at Terry Maynard's residence. The core agenda item will be reviewing what we've learned and organizing to move ahead.

Terry Maynard
Chair, Transportation Work Group
Reston 2020 Committee