The region is under threat from a late winter storm, and drivers are urged to delay their trips Friday morning. (more…)
Traffic
The problems swamping the D.C. region’s transit system are deeper than the public has been led to believe but not insurmountable, according to a report prepared for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) by the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
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There is hope for Prince William County’s bus system.
County officials said it can fund the $9.2 million budget shortfall looming over the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) in fiscal year 2017, that begins July 1.
Snow showers should pass through the region this evening. While the showers will be light in nature, we all remember what happened last time the forecast called for “light snow.”
The snow should move through this evening late into the afternoon rush hour. Crews with the Virginia Department of Transportation will deploy snow plows to treat the roads early this afternoon, said VDOT Northern Virginia spokeswoman Jennifer McCord.
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Morale among bus drivers at the region’s commuter transit agency is low.
It’s the kind of mood you would expect from employees if your bosses, the heads of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation, are heard in public, and in the media talking about a “doomsday scenario” where operations as you know them could come to an end.
New commuter bus service from eastern Prince William County to Mark Center begins today.
Commuter buses will take riders from neighborhoods in Dale City and Lake Ridge to Mark Center, the federal employment hub in Alexandria that is the home to the Department of Defense’s Washington Headquarters Services, and other Department of Defense agencies.
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Some relief for cash-strapped OmniRide could come in the form of legislation in Richmond.
A new bill by Sen. Frank Wagner (Norfolk, Virginia Beach) would set the gas tax “floor” at February 2013 rates. That means OmniRide’s parent agency Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission would get it’s 2.1% funding from the state’s motor fuels tax based on 2013 prices, which averaged $3.17 per gallon statewide that year. Diesel fuel averaged $3.36 per gallon statewide.
The roads last night were treacherous across the region, as less than an inch of snow that fell quickly turned to mush, and then to ice.
Vehicles traveling on Route 610 slipped and slid all over the roadway as drivers tried to make their way home.
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A snow emergency has been declared in Manassas Park.
Starting 6 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, drivers cannot park their vehicles along snow emergency routes.
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A new OmniRide budget calls for cutting services and raising fares.
Fares could increase by 5% starting in July to offset a $9.2 million budget shortfall for Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the agency that operates OmniRide commuter, and OmniLink local buses. The fare increase is on top of fares that have already increased by 30% since 2009.