This is a slightly different post in that I am asking for something from you, the reader. Please email this post to your neighbors, homeowners’ associations and friends.
First, a tip about possible bus service from Crozet courtesy of Jaunt –
We’d love to provide more (and faster) service to Crozet. Currently JAUNT leaves Crozet about every two hours on weekdays. The 8 AM morning bus to Charlottesville is well-utilized, so it takes a while to reach town (we go door-to-door). But the 10, 12 and 2 buses are quicker. We provide return trips at 9:15, 11:15, 1:30, 3 and 5, too. Fare is $3.00 each way. We did try an express commuter route from Crozet a few years ago, but we had very few takers.
If we want this service, we need to ask – 434-296-3184
On to rail –
Getting train service from Crozet to Charlottesville is not impossible; read today’s story at the HooK. Like anything, we need to ask – we just need to use our collective voices to make it known.
A lot of people have been meeting with a lot of different people discussing the possbility of bringing rail service back to Crozet. This post is an attempt to get some of those people on the same track so to speak about Crozetians’ desires for rail. What do you think? Nearly everyone to whom I have spoken has expressed interest, but turning that interest into cohesive action is a challenge in and of itself.
Think of this as part of a the community’s effort to help Crozet.
Let me throw another thought out there. What if you could ride a Segway to the train, take it into C-ville with you for your ‘last mile’ transportation?!? Its been my experience that the biggest problem with light rail is how to get around once you get to the end of the tracks. DC is now allowing limited use of Segways on Metrorail, and Maryland is currently experimenting with Segways on busses and light rail. What if you could glide to the Crozet station and not take up a parking space when you got there, take the train into Charlottesville, and then were able to ride your Segway directly to your office or appointment. And all without breaking a sweat? I’d love to have that option, and not just because I sell Segways! I’d love to see rail become a viable alternative to Route 250.
Don Rich
Seg-Ville, Inc.
I’d also love to see light rail, but an attractive balance of service quality with cost would be required for it to work. Counting fuel and parking, plus a bit extra, the equivalency cost with driving works out to about $4 each way. You’d still need to own a car and be able to drive when necessary, so depreciation and insurance would still be expenses. Service frequency and time spans would need to be reasonable–it would be worth less if missing one train made you very late for work, if there was a risk of getting trapped in C’ville when working late, if coming home early was never an option, or if you couldn’t stay in town for dinner sometimes. You would probably also need several boarding/unloading spots in Crozet and C’ville to capture substantial ridership (eg, east and west sides of both towns, perhaps in addition to the central stations).
For “last mile” transportation, the Strida (www.strida.us) is an interesting, light and compact alternative to a powered device.