H.R.T. R.I.P.
By Brian Kirwin | Monday, April 11th, 2011 | PolicyHampton Roads Transit can’t buy a good story. The Virginian-Pilot reports that the City of Suffolk wants to cut all ties with the regional bus/light rail company.
Suffolk has 4 bus routes, and HRT proposed cutting two of them. Suffolk responded by proposing to privatize.
This came on the heels of an absolute fiscal disaster with Light Rail in Norfolk, where costs ballooned, contracts got shady, and HRT head Michael Townes finally hit the road.
And just this past week, a consultant pegged the cost of extending Light Rail into Virginia Beach at 67 million dollars per mile, almost a 50% increase over what Norfolk’s eventually cost even with all the overruns.
807 million dollars for Virginia Beach light rail? That just put the stake through the heart of light rail, of HRT, of anything concerning mass transit. That cost is just insane!
Of course, only connecting Light Rail to Town Center costs a mere 254 million, still 57 million per mile. That was included in the calculations, and don’t think it was a mistake.
There are a whole lot of politics involved in these maneuvers. First, take the ridership studies and find a nice big shredder for them. I never believe them. I’ll believe how many people actually ride it when it’s running in Norfolk.
And I know more than a few oceanfront power brokers that aren’t too keen on light rail giving tourists an easy way to leave the oceanfront for dinner or entertainment.
They kind of want the Dome site and beach restaurants to be the center of activity and tourists to keep their cars in the lots until they head home.
If light rail ever ventures across the Norfolk-Virginia Beach border, I wondered if it would end at Town Center.
And this consultant’s cost estimate just convinced me.
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
Comments
21 Responses to "H.R.T. R.I.P."
Once again, Brian proves he can’t even get his facts straight. Suffolk will study droppoing out of HRT after HRT advised them that might make sense. Seems to me that HRT is the one acting responsibly.
Kirwin takes a shot at extended light rail to VB and says the estimate is crazy. Of course, for perspective, the cost per mile still would make this one of the lowest cost systems in the nation. Further, light rail is not the stimulus, changing land use development patterns are, and Kirwin can bury his head in the sand, or he can acknowledge changed circumstances.
Fact is, suburban land use patterns are simply unsustainable, and empty rows of McMansions in southern VB and Chesapeake are obvious testimony to that. The state simply can’t afford to build nor maintain suburban roads, bridges, and highways. Further demographic patterns favor more compact, mixed use developments like town center that need to be linked by light rail.
What a shame Kirwin focuses once again on wisecracks and misses the whole point.
Mike where do you propose that we raise the needed funds to build this great Monorail?
Or maybe I can bury my head in all the property Runnymeade has near the Light Rail line.
Or do you mean all the property we and other developers own along I-264? Kind of puts a different perspective on it, don’t you think? Do you actually believe that Virginia Beach would be the commercial center it is now if the Expressway had not been constructed? Did not that public investment bring quality growth and prosperity to the Beach? Or are you proposing that developers should start in on Pungo and Blackwater?
The only perspective it shows is yours, Mike.
Mike this reminds me of you:
It really does please me that most republicans that I know are forward thinking, business oriented, and aware of the need for a positive public private realm in our nation. To read this forum, with its preponderance of anti government zealots who are now supporting the anti growth and anti business agenda, makes me ill. I know these people that I know and with whom I interact would simply be dismissed as RINOs, but who is left?
I think light rail is a waste of money and will not provide the transportation solution for Virginia Beach. I would propose a different solution.
If Virginia beach has already purchased the Southern railway right of way I would suggest that the city create a bus only highway to the ocean front with bus routes branching off to neighborhoods both north and south of the highway. Or create parking areas along the highway that accommodate the neighborhood traffic to the Highway. The city could buy the buses and build the highway for a lot less than $67 million dollars a mile
Mike, we excel at making you ill. Where’s your blog so we can come and visit?
Brian,
If you think the Resort business community is solidly against a Tide extension to the Oceanfront, think again. I know from my service on the RAC Transportation Committee that there’s been interest in extending VB Wave service to Town Center. Most recognize the need for a Town Center – Resort Area transit connection.
As for Suffolk, all four of their bus routes average under 10 passengers per hour. Note that it was HRT that suggested Suffolk turn to I-Ride. Suffolk has become to HRT what Vietnam was to the U.S., and what Afghanistan was to the Soviet Union. A ranking Operations employee told me Suffolk integration (two years ago) was the biggest mistake HRT ever made.
On Virginia Beach light rail, you failed to mention the Lynnhaven Option under Study. Just think what your house would be worth at the eastern terminus….
The alternative compromise to extending the Tide into Virginia Beach is a privatized Rapid Bus Transit along the purchased former Norfolk Southern right-of-way. Governmental construction and capital costs, funded by highway funds, are one-third or less than light rail construction.
Capacity and maximum headway is approached since this BRT iteration will operate on a dedicated guide way while still having the flexibility to use existing roadways if necessary.
The depreciation of the vehicular units for BRT is 10 years vs 30 which takes advantage of technological advances.
More importantly, the private firm(s) awarded the franchise will bear the burden of operating costs. Rather than public transportation cost, Virginia Beach may gain another revenue stream through franchise fees.
Wally,
The problem with BRT down the NS ROW now is that it could present us with a “build twice” hitch. If BRT was to be very successful, we’d want to upgrade to LRT at some later date. If so, we’d have to tear out the BRT guideway and build a second time. (In fact, Bob Tata’s bill requires such an option.)
Personally, I’m leaning towards the Lynnhaven LRT option, but don’t have enough data to endorse a given option yet.
Privately operated BRT has been a fringe right red herring in Virginia Beach for quite awhile. Until there’s a willing operator, you’re blowing smoke.
Henry, I don’t care about my property. Frankly, I was infinitely smarter than most and sit on tons of equity already.
Your mistake is equating the WAVE bus service with rail. If I were a tourist, I wouldn’t take a bus to Town Center and spend a good part of the day traveling a few miles.
But I might jump on light rail and dine at Town Center, bypassing the many oceanfront offerings.
I know you’re tickled about your “RAC” seat, but do you really think they count you as one of “them?”
Wally, funny how you folks who complained about BRT a few years ago are now it’s biggest fan. Bottom line, all you like is opposing things, and if Sessoms was promoting BRT, you’d be blasting it.
If I am Blowing smoke, why are the reasonable answers and alternatives to your bloggers being removed from your website. I offer viable alternatives and compromises. If I am fringe right, and willing to compromise, is a position that is solid LRT fringe left? Also, is a fare for transportation that the market is willing to bear unreasonable? If subsidies to fares are required, local/state/federal government should consider that supplemental “ability to pay” basis vouchers.
The LRT proponents are so fringe left, that cost, whatever the ceiling, is limitless.
If LRT is unsuccessful, what is the cost of ripping it out? Site me an instance of a modern BRT iteration with a dedicate guide way that is unsuccessful.
Brian,
I came off RAC at New Year’s after 7 years, but still sit on the Transportation Committee. I was always well-aware that I was never in the inner circle.
Wally,
If Brian hasn’t said it, I was going to: the very people pushing BRT now were 150% against it when it was on the table in 2005. You’re fooling no one but yourselves.
Of course, if we had a BRT referendum, you’d go out and campaign against it.
Bottom line, neither Henry nor Brian will refute or agree with the content of my privatization opinion, yet they rather disparage the originator with cutesy innuendo. This tactic, though may give self satisfaction, does not nullify the opinion; rather, it strengthens the argument because it fails to response with lucid line of reasoning.
I am pleased to see that Wally at least supports BRT; that is a step forward, and by doing so acknowledges the main point. That is, the era of new single family residential homes on large lots is over, a land use policy that has died because the government suppport system that made it feasible can no longer support its inefficiencies and costs.
So what replaces it? Clearly, public transit has a role as progressive cities around the nation have discovered. Seattle has spent ten times the proposed cost per mile for their system, yet Seattle ramains one of the most popular places to be in America.
We must overcome the stubborn oppposition which yells the loudest as the broad number of supporters just keeps increasing. Fact is, light rail is popular, but the critics are louder. But anger is hard to sustain, and light rail in the I-264 corridor is the least expensive and least disruptive way to increase capacity. Remember, with his anti light rail message, Wally got less than 11% of the vote in the last election.
The voters are much smarter than Wally thinks.
Mike:
All things being equal, I did garner more votes than either of the oly two candidates for the seat that were vocally light rail advocates. Irrespective of Messrs. Kirwin and Ryto misrepresentations, I would never oppose any privately operated transportation system regardless of the mode.
Wally,
You quite publicly opposed purchase of the NS ROW.
As for a private operator, who? Mass transit down the NS ROW has been official City policy since 2003. If a private entity was interested, why haven’t they come forward in eight years time?
Aha! I see Mike’s problem now. He thinks VAB is Seattle. Not even close Mike. The progressives up there ensure there are laws that limit the property tax that can be imposed. They also don’t pay income tax and their sales tax is 8 percent or so. They had a usable bus service decades before there was any mention of LRT. The progressives came up from Calif. with all the businesses back in the early nineties when Cali took progressive to a whole new liberal level. I guess you could call the ones that live in Seattle, Portland and SLC conservative progressives, cause they also believe in holding binding referenda to tax for things like light rail. Their only fault is they tend to hire the same type of egg head liberal mis-managers that got HRT into trouble.
Henry:
I opposed the purchase of the ROW at the ridiculous price that was tendered.
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