Linda and I headed east on Saturday with our two grandkids to Busch Gardens. We had some free passes and the grandkids have a lot of free time, so off we went. Fifteen minutes in, as we entered Interstate 64, we realized we were in trouble. No, it wasn’t the kids, but the traffic; it was bumper to bumper. Not the 20-mph bumper-to-bumper, but the 50-mph, accident-waiting-to-happen congestion in which you have to pay 150 percent attention or end up rear-ending someone.  So we took the Route 33 exit and jumped down to Route 60 for a less stressful, but more bumpy and longer, ride.

I couldn’t help but think as we lunged from pothole to pothole of how the car companies could market cars with heavier but smoother suspensions on new models of our favorite makes.

“The Chevy Traverse will take a beating from the deepest crater VDOT throws at it and ride as smooth as when you took your first test drive on the less-pothole-ridden street around the dealership. We guarantee it or your first alignment is on us,” the advertisement would brag.

Fantasizing further as the “are we there yets” repeated from the backseat, I was thinking about how great it would be to have a smooth-riding train from Richmond to maybe Virginia Beach that we could board and be whisked toward the coast, disembarking at Williamsburg where one of the little Busch Gardens trains would complete our trip.

Although preliminary engineering is underway for a widening of I-64 from Richmond to Hampton Roads, there is no indication that there is any money for it. On the other hand, there is some funding in the pipeline for a semi-high-speed train that would run on an upgraded rail line along Route 460. The same train would run through Chesterfield, but may not stop here.
But what about local commuters? According to the Virginia State of the Commute Survey, the average Richmond commuter travels 16 miles, which takes 23 minutes, but 88 percent of those people surveyed drive to work alone. That’s a lot of gasoline and a lot of cars on the road that maybe don’t need to be there.

I’m always happy to see that GRTC is working to connect the suburbs to the city with buses. Last week, GRTC, owned cooperatively by the city and surrounding counties, announced it had received grants to buy five larger buses for express routes, three of which service Chesterfield. According to GRTC, the bigger buses will reduce the number of folks who currently have to stand during their bus rides.

But we’re missing something. Three express buses from Chesterfield’s suburbs into downtown. The Chester bus is actually the Petersburg express that stops in Chester and it’s not promoted, nor are the express buses that service Midlothian and Route 360. I assume that if advertised in any substantial way, the buses wouldn’t be able to handle all of those who wanted to ride.

Also, these express buses are just that – express – which means they don’t service localities. I know I’ve beaten this drum so many times it’s worn through, but we have to get back to the idea that we’re no longer a rural community. My office sits right on Route 10 and I watch thousands of cars go by every day. The traffic is pretty intense most of the day, and I can’t help but think a public transit option would lessen the traffic here. Past Boards of Supervisors have been resistant to public transportation and that’s why you only see three express routes into Chesterfield. That’s about all our officials could stomach.

Retailers in our core areas have been having a tough go of it. I think public transit would help those retailers, reduce the traffic count on our major highways and, dare I say it, reduce pollution. It would even reduce the amount of maintenance needed on the roads in areas they would serve.

It’s good to see that planners are considering mass transit in the new comp plan. Objective 5 states: “Create a transit system that increases local and regional mobility and provides a viable travel alternative for Chesterfield citizens.” It includes recommended policies to “develop a countywide transit plan” and “continue to work with GRTC and regional entities to promote a bus system that provides adequate service to the residents of the county.”

Right, I heard you, there’s no money.  Well, GRTC just received $2.1 million for new express busses. Chesterfield’s pilot program for LINK was financed with a grant that was only about $350,000 for two years. If there’s a will, there’s a way.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column will take a hiatus for a while. We have decided to consolidate the Focus and Forum pages to one page, allowing more space for community news. Beginning next week, you will see the columns written by Rick Gray and Dr. Robert Owens alternating every other week. Charlie Todd’s column will continue on a monthly basis. From the Editor will appear only occasionally in the short term.