Countywide Transit Network Study: Introductory Public Meeting Setting the Stage, Mapping your Future

1. Introductory Public Meeting
- Setting the stage
- Mapping your future
Monday, July 16 Thursday, July 19
Fairfax County Government Center Hayfield High School
Rooms 9 and 10 Middle School Cafeteria
12000 Government Center Parkway 7630 Telegraph Road
Fairfax, VA 22035 Alexandria, VA 22315

2. Tonight’s meeting purpose
- Present scope/schedule
- Discuss goals and objectives:
“Setting the Stage”
- Consider preliminary network concepts:
“Mapping Your Future”
Tonight’s meeting format
- Presentation
- Open house
- Facilitated conversations
- Online survey
- Comment cards
2

3. Study purpose:
Establish most
effective way to
serve the
County’s needs to
accommodate
planned growth
over the long
term by improving
public transit
usage.
3

4. Study objectives:
• Establish a connected rapid transit system to
meet demands through the year 2050
• Define transit corridor functions, station
locations, modes and rights-of-way to guide
subsequent comprehensive plan amendments
and development review processes that protect
needed right-of-way for ultimate transit network
• Coordinate with other regional, state, and local
jurisdictional plans
• Identify policies, programs, and actions to
support phased implementation and expedite
delivery of priority elements in the near term
4

5. Study process:
• Develop functional plan
for transit system
• Conduct travel demand
forecasting and assess
implementation
feasibility
• Solicit input from
partner
agencies/jurisdictions,
the public, and
elected/appointed
officials
5

6. Study process:
• Develop functional plan
for transit system
• Conduct travel demand
forecasting and assess
implementation
feasibility
• Solicit input from
partner
agencies/jurisdictions,
the public, and
Metrorail elected/appointed
officials
6

7. Study process:
• Develop functional plan
for transit system
• Conduct travel demand
forecasting and assess
implementation
feasibility
• Solicit input from
partner
agencies/jurisdictions,
the public, and
Commuter rail elected/appointed
officials
7

8. Study process:
• Develop functional plan
for transit system
• Conduct travel demand
forecasting and assess
implementation
feasibility
• Solicit input from
partner
agencies/jurisdictions,
Metrobus the public, and
Local Bus elected/appointed
officials
8

9. Study process:
• Develop functional plan
for premium transit
system
• Conduct travel demand
forecasting and assess
implementation
feasibility
• Solicit input from
partner
agencies/jurisdictions,
Transit system the public, and
elected/appointed
officials
9

10. Study schedule:
• Goals and objectives (spring 2012)
• Public input milestones
• Goals and objectives (summer 2012)
• Initial concepts (fall 2012)
• Refined concepts (winter 2013)
• Recommended concepts (spring 2013)
• Board endorsement of study recommendations,
with subsequent comprehensive plan
amendments as warranted
10

11. The Countywide Transit Network Study phases are
scheduled to facilitate coordination with other regional
transportation studies

12. The Countywide Transit Network Study will plan for a future
beyond the 2040 Constrained Long Range Plan horizon
District of Columbia
1. Anacostia Streetcar Project Phases I and II, 2012
2. H St. NE/Benning Rd. NE Streetcar Project, 2012, 2015
3. K St. NW Transitway, 2018
4. TIGER Grant Bus Priority Improvements (not mapped: DC, MD, VA)
Maryland
5. Corridor Cities Transitway, from Shady Grove to COMSAT, 2020
6. I-270/US 15 Corridor, Shady Grove to I-70, HOV lanes, 2030
7. Purple Line, Bethesda to New Carrollton, 2020
Virginia
8. Cherryhill VRE Station and 3rd Track, 2012
9. Crystal City Busway in Arlington, and Potomac Yard Busway/ Street Car in
Alexandria, 2013, 2018
10. Dulles Corridor Metrorail, 2013, 2016
11. Fairfax County Parkway HOV, widen and upgrade, 6 to 8 lanes, 2035
12. Franconia/Springfield Parkway HOV, 2020, 2025
13. I-495 High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes and new bus service, 2013, 2030
14. I-66 HOV, widen to 8 lanes with interchange reconstruction at US 15,
2020
15. I-66, construct HOV ramps to access Vienna Metro Station, 2014
16. I-95/395 HOT Lanes, widen, construct 2, 3 lanes and new bus service,
2012
17. Potomac Yard Metro Station, 2017
18. US-1 bus right turn lanes, 2035
19. VA 244 Columbia Pk. Streetcar from Skyline to Pentagon City, 2016
NOTES:
HOV = High-Occupancy Vehicle
HOT = High-Occupancy/Toll
Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

13. An interconnected transit system will
help Fairfax County:
Connect people and places affordably
using multiple transit modes that
attract choice riders
Grow efficiently by promoting mixed-
use development in designated centers
Thrive by helping residents access
places to work, play, and shop in an
environmentally friendly manner
13

14. 14

15. The region’s most developed activity centers have
more jobs (red) than housing (blue)
15

16. The region’s projected growth is both upwards and
outwards
16

17. Fairfax County Future Development Concept
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18. Most of the County’s growth potential lies within these
established activity centers
Housing units: Commercial space:
Existing: 19% in centers Existing: 82% in centers
Growth: 83% in centers Growth: 99% in centers
Total: 36% in centers Total: 89% in centers
18

19. Fairfax County’s land use
policies encourage
development within
designated activity centers,
which currently include about:
• 10% of County acreage
• 19% of County households
• 82% of County jobs
19

20. Fairfax County’s land use
policies encourage
development within
designated activity centers,
which currently include about:
• 10% of County acreage
• 19% of County households
• 82% of County jobs
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
20

21. Fairfax County’s land use
policies encourage
development within
designated activity centers,
which by 2050 include about:
• 10% of County acreage
• 36% of County households
• 89% of County jobs
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
21

22. Fairfax County’s land use
policies encourage
development within
designated activity centers,
which by 2050 include about:
• 10% of County acreage
• 36% of County households
• 89% of County jobs
How can the County’s EPTCs
best be organized into a
network to serve these
centers?
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
22

23. What does transit
supportive density look like?
Huntington: 15 units/acre
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
23

24. What does transit
supportive density look like?
Fairfax Center: 20 units/acre
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
24

25. What does transit
supportive density look like?
Merrifield: 35 units/acre
Activity Density = (population+jobs)/acre
Blue: (AD>4): supports local bus service
Red: (AD>20) supports bus rapid transit (BRT)
Purple: (AD>50) supports rail transit
25

26. About 70% of the County’s residential growth through
2040 will be in multifamily housing units.
26

27. Fairfax County’s
transportation plan
identifies eight
Enhanced Public
Transportation
Corridors (EPTCs).
How should they
connect?
What functions should
they perform?
Might other corridors
be needed to
complete the network?
27

28. Currently, transit service
is oriented primarily
toward serving jobs in
Washington DC and the
inner suburbs of
Arlington and Alexandria.
About 830,000 people
start a transit trip in the
inner core on a typical
weekday afternoon.
Most (57%) transit trips
stay in the inner core.
28

29. Currently, transit
service to jobs in
Fairfax County is
relatively limited in
comparison.
About 46,000
people start a
transit trip on a
typical weekday
afternoon in Fairfax
County. About half
(51%) stay within
the County.
29

30. In 2040, Fairfax will be
more of a jobs center
with greater transit
access to housing both
within and beyond the
County boundaries.
Under current plans,
about 136,000 people
will take a transit trip
starting in Fairfax
County, and 59% will
stay within the County.
30

31. Travel to, from, and
within Fairfax County
comprises many
overlapping travel
patterns.
One study objective is
to determine how to
most effectively
establish premium
transit corridors to
help serve these
2040 PM desire lines demands.
31

32. Initial review suggests that a
more robust network of high
quality transit corridors will be
valuable to serve both current
(white) and future (purple)
demand for person-trips.
High quality transit service will
be important to attract patrons
traveling to/from, within, and
beyond Fairfax County.
These maps show what one
potential study network might
look like. What opportunities
for connections do you see?
32

33. The type of premium transit service appropriate for each
corridor will reflect the traveler needs and land use
context in that corridor.
Destination corridors, like the
Orange Line in Arlington, connect
neighborhoods to multiple activity
centers.
Commuter corridors, like Virginia
Railway Express, primarily serve
one major activity center and tend
to focus on journey-to-work trips.
District circulators, like the planned
Tysons Corner Circulator, enhance
mobility within an activity center or
Source: Center for Transit Oriented Development group of adjacent centers.
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34. Your feedback is
valuable to us!
“Setting the Stage”
helps us identify
and refine study
objectives through
the online survey
and comments on
the draft goals and
measures
Survey available tonight or online until August 10:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/2050transitstudy.
34

35. Your feedback is
valuable to us!
“Setting the Stage”
helps us identify
and refine study
objectives through
the online survey
and comments on
the draft goals and
measures
35

36. Your feedback is
valuable to us!
“Mapping Your
Future” helps us
identify connections
that should be
considered for
premium commuter,
connector, or
destination transit
corridors
36

37. Next steps:
• Refine goals and objectives
• Identify potential networks
• Conduct travel demand analysis
• Evaluate alignment feasibility
• Summarize initial findings
• Engage with public
37

38. Thomas Burke (Fairfax County DOT)
thomas.burke@fairfaxcounty.gov
703-877-5600
Dan Hardy (Renaissance Planning Group)
dhardy@citiesthatwork.com
703-776-9922 x502
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/2050transitstudy/