Mike D

JetBlue would be a great fit for Richmond, I think - especially given Richmond's sizeable coporate presence.

Wow, Richmond's redevelopment is moving into high gear. Keep it coming.

Although I don't know a lot about the former VA governor turned mayor of Richmond, I will say that because he is the first mayor of Richmond under its restored-strong mayor statute, he will be in a better position to advocate and bring about change. I don't understand what that whole "rotating-mayor" thing among the city council was all about or what advantages it had. But I'm glad that's gone and that Richmond now has an independently elected mayor - and one who's not quick to mince words.

Thanks for submitting the maps. It looks like they have a good plan there, especially when you see all the sights that look to be very close to where the streetcars would run. Looks very promising.

Well I hope it happens - it looks like it would be very useful for tourists and people living downtown. Memphis and New Orleans have sucessful streetcar lines and I think Richmond will benefit from the streetcar too.

That is why the streetcar should come first. Perhaps it can be several lines that converge in downtown Richmond. You can then build on the additional ridership that would come from the streetcars.

I'm one northerner who doesn't think that all southerners are rednecks and I think that any northerner who thinks all southerners are like that is an arrogant snob. There are plenty of people like that around here. But there are also plenty of dumb rednecks (who were born and raised in Massachusetts) up here too. They're everywhere. Hopefully, you won't have trouble adapting to the north. I've lived in the northeast my entire life - born and raised in NYC, first two years of college at Philadelphia's Drexel University, last three years of college at UConn and two years of graduate school at Boston's Suffolk University. For me, adapting to Philly and Boston wasn't difficult because both are large cities in the same region as NY (there are some obvious differences - but every place is different). And while I find a lot of residents of the Bay State to be very provincial in their attitudes (especially by mentioning "New York"), I found some folks who were very friendly - both natives and non-natives. You will too. My girlfriend happens to be one of those very friendly native Bay Staters - so I don't regret coming here at all - whether I continue to live in Mass, that's a different story.

The interesting theing about DC's Anacostia line is that it will use the Skoda cars, but they will not run in-street. They will run on an abandoned CSX right-of-way in Anacostia. I'm glad DC decided to use the Skoda cars there and not turn that rail line into a busway. I like the Skoda cars. They're smaller than the huge LRVs that many cities are going after and less expensive. If I'm not mistaken, Portland went with simple trolley wire for the Portland Streetcar to keep costs down, unlike the sophisticated catenary that powers the Tri-Met LRVs - which look like they can take on a 75-foot NYC subway car, (don't get me wrong, I think light-rail is one of the best things about Portland) I think the Skoda cars would be a much better fit for Norfolk's planned line. They can also be used to run to other parts of the city.

I also think a non-electric light rail system - like the River Line from Trenton to Camden, NJ - would work in Richmond. The good thing about it is that you don't have to splurge for overhead electric wires and power substations.

I hope it happens. Richmond would benefit from an historic streetcar system. They got companies out there like Gomaco that have building historic streetcars for places like Charlotte, Memphis, Little Rock AR, Lowell MA and Denver. It worked there. It can work in Richmond too.

The First Freedom and Civil and Civil War Museums sound really promising. They could be really popular. I hope to check them out in the future when they open. I like American history a lot - so I would find these museums especially appealing.

Given Richmond's strong amount of history and historic sites, I think a streetcar would be perfect for it. And since Richmond was where the first electric streetcar operated in regular service, it could have some real historical significance. I really hope it happens. With all that's going on there now, this could be one more project in Richmond's renewal.

That, too, I think is something that seriously hurts the HR region - the fact that all the localities bicker with each other and refuse to cooperate and work together to bring things there. Your example with VA Beach refusing to cooperate with Norfok on the starter light rail line is the perfect example. At least Newport News expressed real interest in a light rail connection to Norfolk, but yeah, that's going to be a lot more difficult to build because it must cross water to get to Norfolk. Then again VA Beach doesn't like to cooperate with the other localities on much of anything, do they? Maybe if the other localities can learn to work together, they can succeed without VA Beach. Maybe.

Good to see that Riverside-on-the-James project coming along so well. Hope it's a huge sucess after it's done.

It would be the smart thing to do if they add rail to the 564 tunnel - something that should have been done with the Big Dig in Boston to connect North and South Stations, but I digress. Private funding to build a new HR crossing? Sounds like a really innovative solution. I hope it includes rail service. Having a direct rail link to Norfolk will help the HR area immensely. The good thing about HR is that it lends itself quite well to being developed in a dense pattern that would be conducive to rail travel, with the area being hemmed in by water (you can't pave over the Atlantic Ocean or the Chesapeake Bay!). It would also justify running additional Amtrak service to HR. I was surprised to find out that only two trains per day in each direction run from Newport News. There should be a lot more than two.

I agree that user fees are the way to go, such as tolls, gas taxes and strong violation fees - this is what should be used to pay for highway expansion. Personally, I also think HR could use better rail transit. I would think given the geography of the area, rail could really be beneficial to the area. Having only highway crossings between the Peninsula and the South Side will just make the traffic worse. I think a rail bridge should be built too. It could be used by commuter and Amtrak trains.

Well Rus, I will take your word for it. Before I posted in the Virginia forum, I followed the development proposals on the Norfolk/Hampton Roads. It's defintely encouraging to hear about the new developments in Norfolk. The new Trader and Granby Towers are good starts and I know there's a lot more planned. I would like to come down and check it out.

From what I've heard Virginia does have milder (better) winters than Massachusetts and New York. Personally after two brutal winters in Boston (2004-2005) and one in New York City (2003), I've had enough of blizzards and brutal cold. As for being called a Yankee - I don't think that's so bad. In Boston, I've been called a Yankee-fan in a derisive way just for telling someone I'm from NYC (even though I don't root for the Yankees).

I'm inclined to agree - that's what I thought. My biggest concerns with Norfolk are that its economy are heavily dependent on the military and shipping and with my degree, I don't think I would be able to find jobs that I would be qualified to do in those two industries. So it sounds like Richmond would be a better fit for me at least as far as employment is concerned. BTW, thak you for wishing me luck. I'm considering various areas for relocation, mostly in the Southeast, Southwest and West. I'm trying to convice my girlfriend that not having to deal with another brutal Boston winter is a good thing. She hates brutal cold and snow (as do I). We got pounded with a ton of snow (87 inches) this winter. In fact this past January was the snowiest on record and last January (2004) was the coldest since 1888. But we'll see what happens.

VDOT is broke? But doesn't VA have a surplus? That should be used to set up some sort of dedicated transportation money. VA has grown a lot over the years and the infrastructure doesn't seem to be set up to handle it - at least from what I've been reading here. HR defintely needs more links between the Peninsula and the South Side - and not just roads.

Well I'm currently finishing up a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Suffolk University in Boston. I would love to work in transportation or urban planning. But I'm also willing to work in the private/corporate sector, possibly doing corporate communications. Richmond just might be better for me as far as jobs are concerned.

Yes, I wouldn't consider northern VA - too expensive - then I might as well live in DC. I like both Richmond and Norfolk. One thing I'd like to know is which metro has the stronger job market - Richmond or Norfolk?

Thank you, Wrldcoupe4. It is one of the areas I'm intersted in checking out. I'd defintely like to know more about the job market in Richmond. I've read that Richmond has a sizable amount of companies headquartered there. I would think that would bode well for a strong economy.

Happy to hear that Richmond is coming back to life (when did it die?). When I saw the Riverside on the James project, it looked very promising. I defintely hope downtown Richmond (along with the rest of the city) continues to grow.