ART bus

Walter Reed ‘Super Stop’ Now Open

By ARLnow.com
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The first of 24 planned “Super Stop” bus stops on Columbia Pike opened this morning.

The stop, on Columbia Pike at the intersection with Walter Reed Drive, offers riders a brighter, more open and attractive take on the traditional sheltered bus stop. The stop features lighting, an electronic display that shows when the next buses are coming, and a number of unbranded newspaper boxes (not yet filled).

At any given time some 15 passengers can use the stop, which serves Metro 16 and ART 45 buses.

Completion of the stop was long delayed, hampered by “a number of unexpected issues regarding construction and new materials,” according to a project rep. The project was first approved in 2011.

Crews are expected to begin work this spring on a “Barton West” Super Stop near Penrose Square, followed by work on new stops at Columbus and Dinwiddie Streets later this summer.

Closures for Washington’s Birthday

By ARLnow.com

George WashingtonSchools and Arlington County government offices will be closed for Washington’s Birthday on Monday.

Also called Presidents Day, the holiday marks the end of a string of winter federal holidays. The next federal holiday is Memorial Day, on May 27.

In Arlington, all courts, schools, libraries and county offices will be closed. All community centers will be closed, with the exception of the Barcroft Community Center, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Wakefield, Washington-Lee and Yorktown pools will be open on a holiday schedule. Monday marks the last day before the pools start their spring schedule.

ART buses will operate on a holiday schedule. Metrorail and buses will operate on a Saturday schedule. Parking meters will not be enforced.

Trash and recycling collection will proceed as normal.

Man Arrested for Grabbing Woman’s Breast on Bus

By Katie Pyzyk

Aaron Darnell AlexanderPolice have arrested a man accused of grabbing a woman’s breast on an ART bus.

Around 4:30 p.m. on Friday (January 18), police say a woman was riding the ART bus when a man got on at the Ballston Metro station and sat across the aisle from her. He allegedly began speaking to the woman in a vulgar manner and she asked him to stop. The woman became nervous and also asked the man to move away from her.

Around the area of Washington Blvd and N. Pershing Drive the suspect allegedly leaned over and grabbed the victim’s breast. The victim yelled and told the man to stop, to which he reportedly responded, “F— you.” The bus driver pulled over and called police upon hearing the commotion, and the suspect took off on foot.

Police quickly found a man in the area meeting the suspect description, and the woman was able to identify him. Police arrested 28-year-old Aaron Darnell Alexander, of no fixed address.

Alexander was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for a laceration on his hand, which he said he received when he was robbed and stabbed the previous evening. Alexander has been charged with sexual battery and is being held on a $3,500 bond.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Walking the dog past the State Department Training Center on S. George Mason

Legislators Holding Public Meeting Tonight — Arlington County’s delegation to the Virginia General Assembly will hold their annual public legislative hearing tonight (Friday). The public is invited to address the delegation at the meeting, which starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Arlington County Board room on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Blvd. The delegation includes three state Senators and four members of the House of Delegates. [Arlington County]

Changes to ART 42 Schedule — Minor schedule changes to the ART 42 bus route will take effect starting Monday, Jan. 7. The changes in scheduled arrival times are designed to “improve on-time performance.” [Arlington Transit]

Camel to Visit Arlington Church — A live camel will be visiting an Arlington church this weekend in celebration of Epiphany. Chewy the Camel is scheduled to show up at the Church of the Covenant (2666 Military Road) around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6, and the public is invited to the event. “Join everyone that morning at 10:45 a.m. for a celebration and parade, as well as the Spanish and English telling of the Wise Men’s visit, accompanied by goodies and crafts for children in Fellowship Hall,” the church said on its website. [Church of the Covenant]

Flickr pool photo by Ddimick

County Launches Adopt-a-Stop Program on ART Routes

By Katie Pyzyk

The county’s Transit Bureau has launched a program to engage residents in the upkeep of Arlington bus stops. Now you can take part in “Adopt-a-Stop”.

Individual residents or groups can sign up to adopt and perform light maintenance at one of the ART bus stops. At first, the program will focus on stops along the ART 51, 52, 53 and 61 routes. Additional routes and stops will be added soon.

Participants enter into a one year agreement, during which time they will maintain the stop at least once a week. They’ll perform duties such as picking up trash, reporting vandalism or safety hazards, clearing the area of snow and reporting items left at the stop.

The county will perform necessary heavier maintenance once it’s requested by the participant. Those tasks include removing graffiti, cutting tall grass and repairing bus stops. Should the participant request it, the county will also install a trash receptacle at the bus stop.

Transit Bureau Chief Stephen Del Giudice said although Arlington fared well in the recent recession, there was a reduction in the ability to commit resources to these types of maintenance projects. The county’s efforts mainly have focused on heavily used commercial corridors.

“We’re not always able to get to some of the residential areas. We see this as filling a need as far as our ability to commit resources to residential areas,” said Del Giudice. “We thought it would be a good idea to get community involvement in our transit program.”

Since the program began on May 16, three individuals each adopted a stop, and one group adopted two stops. Those who take part will get a certificate of participation, a mention on Arlington Transit’s website and a sign of recognition at the designated stop.

Sign up can be done online. Participants must be at least 18 years old, unless they are part of a group led by a person at least 18 years old.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Mill Student Gets Scholarship — Arlington Mill High School Continuation Program student Marleny Giron has been awarded a $10,000 “Founders Scholarship” from Comcast. The scholarship is intended to recognize students for their leadership, academic achievement and community service. It was created in honor of Comcast founder Ralph Roberts.

New Art on the ART Bus — A new “Art on the ART Bus” exhibit is up. The exhibit, by local artist Jenny Sidhu Mullins, explores the idea of national identity. [Facebook]

Flickr pool photo by Alex

Renovations Approved for New Transit Operations Center

By Katie Pyzyk

The County Board has given the go ahead for renovating the building that will house the county’s Transit Operations Center.

The building, at 2900 S. Eads Street near Crystal City, was originally purchased by the county for use as storage space for the adjacent water treatment plant. It will now house the Arlington Transit (ART) operation center, which will contain administrative and management offices, dispatch and other operating functions, a break room for bus drivers and a classroom for training.

D&A Contractors won the contract, which is valued at a little more than $1 million. The board approved the measure at its meeting on April 21.

Interior renovations will be made to about 5,000 square feet of office space, and will involve HVAC upgrades and work to achieve Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. An emergency generator will also be installed, to keep bus dispatch services running during power outages.

The Department of Environmental Services Transit Bureau requested the upgrades for its ART bus operations staff, which has been operating out of a temporary office across the street at 2910 Jefferson Davis Highway.

Once the renovations are complete, the temporary office will be removed and a vehicle fueling and wash station installed. There will also be extra parking for buses.

ART Bus Service Changes Begin Monday

By Katie Pyzyk

Four ART bus routes will begin using different schedules or routes as of Monday.

Generally speaking, the changes to ART 42, 52, 75 and 77 will be to add additional hours of service or to tweak existing schedules by a few minutes. However, one stop is being removed in Clarendon for two of the routes.

For more information and for full ART bus schedules, log on to the Arlington Transit website. Details for the changes starting on Monday are as follows:

  • ART 42 — Additional times are added on weekdays so buses run more frequently during the morning and evening rush hours. Saturday schedules do not change. Buses will no longer travel down N. Highland St in Clarendon, but will instead use N. Garfield St. The stop at N. Highland St and Clarendon Blvd will no longer be in service.
  • ART 52 — Slight time adjustments will be made to help the buses run more efficiently. The schedule will help buses better coincide with the Yorktown High School bell schedule. Students should be able to use the bus to get to and from school more easily.
  • ART 75 — Additional midday and evening service will be added. Buses will now run weekdays until after 10:00 p.m. The changes will also help buses better coincide with the Wakefield High School bell schedule.
  • ART 77 — Saturday service will be added, starting at 7:00 a.m. and going until 11:54 p.m. The change should make it more convenient for riders to visit Shirlington on the weekends. Slight changes will also be made to the weekday schedule to make buses run more efficiently.  Buses will no longer travel down N. Highland St in Clarendon, but will instead use N. Garfield St. The stop at N. Highland St and Clarendon Blvd will no longer be in service.

Light Pole Falls on ART Bus in Penrose

By ARLnow.com

An ART bus reportedly clipped a light pole this morning, causing the pole to fall onto the roof of the bus.

The incident happened at 11:00 a.m., near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and S. Uhle Street in the Penrose neighborhood.

“There were no injuries reported and ACPD remain on scene conducting an investigation,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Although the area is not a main thoroughfare, police are re-routing traffic as necessary.

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County Closures for Presidents Day

By ARLnow.com

Most Arlington County facilities will be closed in observance of Washington’s Birthday (commonly referred to as Presidents Day) on Monday, Feb. 20.

Courts, DMV facilities, human services offices, libraries, public schools and administrative offices will be closed.

No recreational classes are scheduled and all community centers will be closed, with the exception of the Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ART 41, 42, 51, and 87 bus routes will run on a Saturday schedule. All other routes will not operate. Parking meters, meanwhile, will not be enforced.

Trash and recycling collections will continue normal operations, but the county trash call center will be closed.

ART Bus Ridership on the Rise

By ARLnow.com

More people are riding Arlington’s ART buses more often, County Board Chair Mary Hynes said earlier this week.

According to statistics quoted by Hynes, ART is on track to serve 2.5 million riders for the 12 month period ending this June. That’s a marked increase from just seven years ago, when ART bus ridership was just under 800,000 during financial year 2005.

Hynes said 1.2 million passengers rode ART from July to the end of December 2011 — a 14.5 percent increase over the same time period in 2010. ART now serves more than 9,000 passengers every weekday, versus 8,000 a year ago.

The transit service is planning to add additional service to the ART 42, 75 and 77 routes, according to Hynes.

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