ART bus

Utility Work Causes Pike Bus Stop Closure, Extra Walking

By ARLnow.com

The busy bus stop at Columbia Pike and South Buchanan Street will be closed for 15 months due to utility relocation work. Two new temporary stops have been set up on either side of the construction, but the closure will force some riders to walk an extra quarter mile to reach their destination.

The ART 41 and WMATA 16S buses will now use a temporary stop at the Pike and South Columbus Street, just before the Four Mile Run bridge. The ART 45 bus will now stop at South Thomas Street, about a quarter mile up a hill from the Buchanan Street stop.

One resident who emailed us about the closure complained that the new Columbus Street stop was too far away and that too little notice was given about the changes. We’re told WMATA is in the process of producing a brochure to help explain the new stop locations.

Should WMATA Pay When Metrobus Pass Holders Ride ART?

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s ART bus system may stop honoring Metrobus passes if WMATA doesn’t start sharing revenue, according to Michael Perkins at Greater Greater Washington.

While regional bus providers like ART are compensated when SmarTrip holders pay for individual rides, so far there is no revenue-sharing agreement for SmartTrip (and paper) “flash passes.”

Arlington County board member Chris Zimmerman, who also sits on WMATA’s Board of Directors, says that the current system is unfair to regional providers.

The county board has given ART the leeway to stop accepting the Metrobus pass if a revenue-sharing agreement cannot be reached. In that scenario, ART would instead issue its own pass, Perkins reports.

Board Approves Snow Removal Ordinance, ART Fare Hike

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board approved a controversial snow removal ordinance on Saturday by a vote of 4-1. Board chairman Jay Fisette cast the lone ‘no’ vote, calling the hefty penalties in the ordinance “overkill.”

The board also passed a fare hike for the county’s ART and STAR buses. The base ART bus fare will increase from $1.25 to $1.50.

Additionally, the board approved a zoning change that will allow Army-Navy Country Club to build a sprawling new four-story clubhouse with views of Washington, D.C. As part of the zoning change, the club will allow an emergency access road to be constructed through its 254 acre grounds. The road, which will connect the Arlington Views neighborhood near Columbia Pike with Army Navy Drive near Pentagon City, will also be open to bicyclists and pedestrians.

For more information, see the county press releases on the snow removal ordinance, the transit fare hike and the Army-Navy clubhouse.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

DHS Investigating DCA Bomb Sticker — The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a suspicious sticker found on a trash can at Reagan National Airport, reports Government Security News. The sticker appears to be a stencil-type illustration of a man with a bomb strapped to his chest. DHS and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have emailed a photo of the sticker to various security companies and law enforcement agencies, GSN reports.

New ART Route To Pentagon City — A new ART bus line will connect Pentagon City with the Douglas Park and Nauck neighborhoods. The ART 84 line will run every 30 minutes during rush hour, starting June 21. More from the Arlington Transit Blog.

Meet the Artists Reception at Yorktown High Tonight — Yorktown High School (5201 N. 28th St.) is holding its annual art exhibit from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day this week. Tonight there will be a “meet the artists” opening reception and mural dedication from 6:00 to 8:00. All events are open to the public.

ART Bus Fire Caught on Video

By ARLnow.com

Update on 5/11 — A county spokesperson says the fire was “electrical in nature” but an exact cause won’t be determined for another week or so.

An ART bus caught fire on Pershing Drive near Ft. Myer around 6:15 tonight. We’re told the intense flames were extinguished by 6:30, but not before causing some major traffic backups. There were no passengers on the bus and the driver managed to escape safely before the bus was fully engulfed. Special thanks to the tipster who sent us this dramatic video.

ART Buses Now Can Be Tracked Online in Real Time

By ARLnow.com

Arlington has rolled out a suite of real time tracking solutions for ART buses. The tools let riders check up-to-the-minute arrival times based on the actual location of buses.

Among the tracking options for riders are the “RealTime Desktop,” which displays a useful but user-unfriendly map of the bus system, and “RealTime Smartphone,” which can be accessed on a computer as well as on a smartphone and which is actually much easier to use. There will also be RealTime displays at select bus stops throughout the county.

Excluding Metro’s NextBus system, the new ART system the first local real-time bus information service in the region. Beta testing on the system began a few weeks ago.

The technology for the service is provided by New Zealand-based Connexionz.

Arlington Transit has also recently started publishing schedule and route information in an online format that may eventually be used by Google and other web developers.

ART Service Suspended, Other Notable Closures

By ARLnow.com

ART bus service has been suspended for the day due to weather. Above-ground Metrorail and bus service also remains suspended.

The Crystal Couture show has been canceled for tonight. Classes have been canceled at Northern Virginia Community College. Pentagon City mall is closed and will reopen Sunday at 11:00 AM.

Also, the U.S. Postal Service has suspended mail delivery today.