“Daddy! More people should ride bikes! There’s less traffic!”*

What a nice surprise to get to Crozet Elementary this morning after riding just over a mile to find that the bike rack had been moved to a more visibly prominent location. I even heard kids discussing the new location.

Little things matter.

* When do 2nd graders not speak in exclamation points?

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More context to come, but for now …

I asked Crozetians for the services of a teenager to photograph the walk from Trailside Coffee in Old Trail to Henley Middle School. From sidewalks to paths to the bridge back to a path, it looks like a pretty nice walk to me.

To the kid who took the pictures, thank you. To the administration of Albemarle County Schools, please be reasonable and allow kids to walk to school.

Update: Thank God for bureaucracy. How ever would our children survive without it?

Related:

- How many residents in Old Trail walk to School?
- Walking to School – do you do it?

Update: a very relevant and timely story, Are We Overprotecting Our Kids?

Update #2: From Jessica with the Crozet Trails Crew:

Thanks for the slide show. The Crozet Trails Crew would like to work with Old Trail, the Schools, and the County to improve and/or maintain this trail so that school officials, parents, and kids feel like it is a safe option for getting to and from school. We would be happy to meet with all interested parties on site and to schedule a workday as early as September 4th. Please contact Jessica@crozettrailscrew.org to volunteer or with suggestions.

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I’d heard about this and driven/ridden my bike by the site of the soon-to-come retention pond but haven’t yet taken photos.

Happily, I received this email from a reader today:

I wanted to bring to your attention a detention pond that VDOT has planned along Jarmans Gap Road. My hope is that you could post a story on Real Crozet to get the community at large involved. I have been trying to convince VDOT that this plan is a ridiculous solution to the storm water problem on Jarmans Gap but so far I haven’t gotten very far. It is my understanding that the developer for Old Trail also tried working with VDOT on an alternate plan to no avail.

I have a meeting with Ann Mallek on Thursday at the site to try and get the BOS on my side but the honest truth is the Western Bypass is occupying most of their time these days.

The plan, as I understand it; there is a large detention pond planned for the green space at the entrance to Old Trail (where the sign used to be). This detention pond will be filled from the bottom using the curb and gutters along Jarmans Gap. This water will then be drained through a controlled release into the storm water drains that run through Old Trail. This “pond” will be 10 feet deep and surrounded by chain link fencing that is 6 feet tall. There is landscaping in the form of trees and shrubs only only the South side (which is the side closest to the home on Old Trail Drive that it will sit beside). There are small plantings planned for the North side along Jarmans Gap. The other 2 sides will remain bare. Forgetting the fact that the fencing planned is hideous, I find the entire project offensive. VDOT has planned this as if it were way out in the country and wouldn’t be affecting anyone.  This is a main corridor in Crozet and I think this will affect everyone! I can think of no other development/neighborhood in Albemarle County, or the City of Charlottesville for that matter, that has such an eye sore at it’s front door.

When I first discovered this plan, the VDOT employee that I spoke with said in no uncertain terms that it WOULD be a mosquito pit. When I asked him if he would want to live next to something like that he said “absolutely not”.

This is from Justin Beights, Old Trail’s Developer responding to my inquiry several weeks ago:

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have contacted us regarding the work on Jarmans Gap Road. As you know, this is a VDOT project over which we have little control. However, please know that we have been attempting to work with VDOT for nearly two years to keep this work from negatively affecting our homeowners. Unfortunately, such efforts have met with resistance on the part of the transportation department.

Currently, the work at the intersection of Old Trail Drive and Jarmans Gap Road involves the creation of a sediment basin to collect run-off from the construction site. This is a typical environmental requirement of any construction that involves moving dirt (we have several in Old Trail Village, including the pond behind the town homes on West End Drive). Ideally, VDOT’s stormwater management would tie into the existing structures and systems in Old Trail Village. We have offered to work with VDOT engineers to create just such a solution, but they have not been open to this overture. Options for VDOT other than the collection basin at the intersection (Carriage Park entrance) would be to convert the permanent structure to a bio-filter or piping the runoff to one of our existing ponds. Neither of these options is attractive to VDOT because that would incur greater expense than the retention pond they’re digging now.

At this point, we are trying to convince VDOT that the sediment collection basin should be temporary in nature, and that a more attractive, beneficial solution should be conceived. Feedback from homeowners in the area should be directed to the VDOT, as it is a state organization responsible to the taxpayers. Regardless of your avenue for expression, please know that you have our support to reduce any negative impact on you and your quality of life here in Old Trail Village and Crozet.

Sincerely,
Justin Beights
President
Beights Corporation

Further update to include pictures and maps:

View Larger Map

You should not leave anything lying about that can collect water. If you have tarps over lawn equipment, be sure to shake the water off after every rain. Children’s toys and toddler swimming pools, flower-pot saucers, and empty buckets and tires are obvious water collectors. If you can not avoid leaving these items outside, you must empty them shortly after every rain or use so that eggs can not be laid in the water or remain there long enough for the mosquitoes to hatch out and mature.

A not-so-obvious water collector is any area that is out of sight and therefore out of mind. Roof gutters are one such example. Check your gutter as soon as possible after every rain to be certain that it is not clogged and in need of cleaning. Gutters fill up quickly with debris from nearby trees.   

If you own a bird bath, empty it every day or so for the birds’ health as well as to avoid creating a mosquito breeding area. Refill it with fresh water. In times of drought, use the cold water from your faucet that precedes the hot water you need for a shower. Simply fill containers with the water that is not yet warm enough for you to bathe in.   

Avoid installing a water feature (a so-called pond or water garden that does not function like a natural pond with live animals in it) because these basins of water provide prime habitat for mosquito eggs. During Virginia’s Garden Week, I often tour many gardens that have fancy concrete water features that undoubtedly function as mosquito breeding grounds. If you notice your neighbors have such adornments in their yards, do not hesitate to suggest that they either empty the containers and keep them empty, or install a pump to keep the water moving.       

Mosquitoes do not need to be eradicated (they are an important food source for other creatures) nor do we need to minimize their numbers by wholesale spraying of the environment at great cost to other wildlife and humans.   

Life for a mosquito starts as an egg laid on the surface of standing water. Depending upon the species, it might be laid singly or in an irregularly shaped mass or floating raft of eggs. The eggs hatch very quickly, usually within two weeks (depending upon species and temperature).   

Before man came along, an adult female mosquito wanting to lay eggs would find standing water only in tree holes, temporary puddles formed in animal tracks or in areas of slow-draining soil, or in still ponds. In such naturally wet situations, the mosquito eggs or larvae would be subject to predation–AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS AT RETENTION PONDS.   

Birds obtaining water from tree-hole puddles would inadvertently slurp up mosquito eggs or larvae. Amphibians roaming around on the ground at night could find the maturing mosquitoes and eat them. Newts, dragonfly and damselfly larvae, and predacious beetles would take advantage of the floating mosquito meals in ponds.   

Sadly, human habitats are—more often than not—inhospitable to these natural predators. Landscaping for wildlife instead of just human life would alleviate the majority of problems people have in their yards.     

We simply need to take responsibility for our own welfare. Eliminate standing water in your yard so that mosquitoes can not successfully reproduce in your midst. Then these insects will not be so problematic for humans.   

Sincerely, Marlene

Marlene A. Condon (Author, The Nature-friendly Garden, Stackpole Books)
Naturalist and Writer/Photographer/Speaker
Crozet, VA 22932-2204
E-mail: MARLENECONDON@aol.com
www.MARLENECONDON.com

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The Walk to School portion has been rescheduled due to lack of participation.

Crozet Community Advisory Council Meeting – Walking & Biking to School meeting to try to get community buy-in. This is the sort of meeting that the community needs to, if it truly believes in connectivity and walking/biking to school, get behind. If the buy-in/interest isn’t expressed, we will have the continued status quo – as in – nothing happening.

Update: There is a meeting after all.

Once again, my apologies for the off-and-on again regarding this month’s CCAC meeting.  We are postponing the “Walk-to-Schools” discussion until our May 19 meeting, but Mike and I decided we had enough agenda items left to have a shorter CCAC meeting.

The CCAC is meeting tomorrow, Thursday, at 7:30 PM (instead of 7PM) at the Meadows Community Center (our usual place).

Agenda:

CROZET COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Meadows, Crozet
Thursday, April 21, 2011
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Agenda

 1. Agenda Review (Mike Marshall – CCAC Chair)

 2. Approval of Minutes from March 17, 2011 meeting

 3. Public Comment

 4. Announcements

 5. Library Design Approval by ARB update (Bill Schrader)

 6. Update Crozet Square project and Claudius Place Project
       (Claudius Place project is behind B&B cleaners)

 7. Outreach to WAHS feeder pattern schools’ PTOs (Mary Gallo and Lucy Goeke)

 8. Officer elections (CCAC)

 9. Plans for Crozet Fourth of July celebration: dance, parade, a day in the park.
     (Mike Marshall)

10. County/City Comprehensive Plan kick-off event April 27, 2011 from 3P to 7P

11. Future agenda items and items not listed on the agenda (CCAC)

Adjourn

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What’s it going to look like when there are 2200 homes rather than 250?

This is the traffic nearly every morning during school drop-off time.

I wonder if any kids from Old Trail will ever walk to school.

Update:

From an offline commenter:

Why do you assume the problem is Old Trail KIDS??   Tell ALL of the WAHS parents to use the buses we tax payers pay for and quit using Old Trail Drive as a short cut to drop their kids off. Take a look at the bus stops in Old Trail and count the number of students going to all three schools by bus.
 

The students living in Old Trail will walk to all of the schools after the county gets off of it’s arses and puts in the promised walkways up to 250 and and down 250 for access to all schools as promised.

Update #2: The offline commenter raised a very valid point; I called and asked if I could use the comment in the post and we had a good conversation about the post, traffic, bureaucracy and other such matters. The point I wanted to convey is that this is not an Old Trail (which is a great place to live) issue, it’s a Crozet issue. I’d bet that at least 60% of the traffic in that photo aren’t from Old Trail but are from Crozet.

We’re in this – this traffic and lack of infrastructure and lack of common sense culture – together.

(did you notice the mountains in the background of the photo?)

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Brilliant. I’m no engineer, but I’d wager that they would finish it in a month if they were properly incentivized.

Newsplex reports:

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is expected to endorse a resolution supporting the temporary closure of Jarmans Gap Road (Route 691).

The Virginia Department of Transportation has recommended a complete closure of Jarmans Gap Rd. to traffic for approximately 60 days during the construction project to allow for the installation of a precast box culvert at Powell’s Creek.

The road closure would be coordinated with the summertime public school closing, June through August of 2011. VDOT advises that during the school year, Jarmans Gap Rd. will be reduced to one lane of traffic, as necessary. Complete closure of the road would expedite the installation of the culvert and shorten the overall length of the project.

This could be damaging and isolating to Downtown Crozet. On the other hand, it could provide an opportunity to further develop its own identity.

VDOT’s Dashboard for the Jarman’s Gap project.

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And it might happen in my kids’ lifetimes.

A $13.5 million project to widen a stretch of Jarman’s Gap Road in Crozet will be advertised for construction in January 2011. The right of way phase for this project first began in 1998.

“Given the amount of development that has taken place, the improvements are important for providing adequate access,” said chief planner David Benish in an interview. The project will also add sidewalks and a bike lane, which will make downtown Crozet more accessible.

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Interesting article at the Wall Street Journal this morning discussing walking to school. I’ve noticed more people walking to Crozet Elementary this year, which I’ll chalk up as a good thing.

(read more at my new favorite blog, Free Range Kids)

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I’ve fielded a couple of questions over the past few days …

Any idea why they are doing the major tree clear cutting on jarmans rd? Could this be for the widening/sidewalks or dominion clipping to prevent power outages?

And:

Over the past 2 days they have been taking down what appears to be most of the trees on the southern side of Jarmans Gap Road starting from the west end. Is this for the sidewalks? Just curious if you happened to hear anything, sorry if I missed anything about it.

So … what’s going on?

From Jack Kelsey with the County of Albemarle:

The sidewalk will be on the north side of JGR only. Utility relocations are planned for the south side and must be completed before VDOT bid the construction contract. So the tree removal is most likely associated with the utility relocation activities.

And from Howard Tomlinson, Project Manager of VDOT confirms:

Yes the sidewalk is planned only on the northern side of Rte.691 under the UPC 11129 project. Any tree removal at this time will be for utility relocation.

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From the press release:

Pedestrian safety near Crozet Elementary School will get a major boost thanks to a state grant award that will be announced on Wednesday, May 12, at 1:00 pm at Crozet Elementary School by Board of Supervisors Chairman Ann Mallek, School Board member Barbara Massie Mouly, and Crozet school officials and parents. Details of the grant and the specific improvements it will fund will be outlined at the press conference.

I’m looking forward to seeing how “near” is defined. And “major.”

Either way, walking to Crozet Elementary is a good thing. As is “walkability” for home prices.

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Start by looking at the PDF showing what they’re planning to do, read about how much (more) they are delayed, and know that “VDOT is 99% complete with obtaining the right-of-way”.

I’m still working on gathering more information … suffice it to say if you live on Jarman’s Gap Road (or are considering buying a house fronting on Jarman’s Gap) changes will be happening. Someday.

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Thanks to Channel 29: (bolding mine)

A new Albemarle County Board of Supervisor’s resolution calls for a nearly one-mile stretch of Old Trail Drive in Crozet to be accepted into the state road system. Part of it was accepted into the system 2009, so this will complete the process.

…

“Old Trail Drive, in its entire length from Jarmans Gap Road to the other connection point at Route 250, has always been intended to be a pretty major traffic thoroughfare in Crozet,” she said. “The Crozet master plan presents it that way.”

There have been discussions over the years on RealCrozetVA about the accessibility of Old Trail Drive, and now it’s officially a public road. Great.

Related reading:

VDOT helps builders and citizens adjust to new secondary street standards

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From part four of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s excellent series on traffic -

Scenic 250 formed as a grassroots organization in 1997 to protect the rural character of the highway. According to steering committee member Scott Peyton, it was a coincidence that the Virginia Department of Transportation launched a pivotal study of 250 that same year.

“It was a watershed moment,” Peyton said. “We had been previously unaware of VDOT’s plans to widen the road.”

VDOT’s final report in January 2000 recommended the widening of 250 west to four lanes between the US 29/250 Bypass near the Bellair neighborhood all the way to the railroad trestle crossing the Mechums River.

Scenic 250 vigorously opposed the road’s widening, a recommendation that VDOT made over the objections of the citizen committee participating in the study. The public argued that it made no sense to widen 250 when it ran parallel to the existing I-64.

With the strong support of Supervisor Sally H. Thomas, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in May 2000 that committed the county to protecting the road as a two-lane scenic corridor all the way west to the county line. VDOT conceded that 250 was used largely for local traffic, and if residents wanted to deal with the congestion, that could be a local choice.

Since 2001, the traffic on 250 west has increased on all the sections measured annually by VDOT. Near Yancey Mills and Old Trail, traffic is up by 28 percent as of 2008. However, the section from Miller School Road to the Mechums River is up 48 percent over the same period, and from there to Ivy it has increased 41 percent.

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From Charlottesville Tomorrow:

The Commonwealth Transportation Board will vote this week on ways to deal with a $851.5 shortfall in VDOT’s Six-Year Plan. Among the cuts is nearly $7 million for Jarmans Gap Road, a key infrastructure project supporting the Crozet Master Plan, adopted in 2004. The project currently has an advertisement date of January 2011, but that is likely to change if the cuts are approved.

Read the whole story and get involved.

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As far as I know, this is only for Crozet Elementary, but why not expand it to all schools in Charlottesville and Albemarle?

If you’re in Old Trail, stop by Trailside Coffee on the way to Brownsville, Henley or Western Albemarle. If you’re in Downtown Crozet, stop by the Crozet Mudhouse. Make a good time of it!

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Thank you to Stephen Goadhouse for this guest post:

A few words about the train itself.  It is a part of Amtrak and not the Virginia Railway Express.  It runs daily from Lynchburg to DC making only a few stops (apparently for a higher fare, you can continue on to BWI airport after DC – interesting way to catch a flight).  It is called the Northeast Regional as it connects with the existing Northeast Regional line in DC that runs from Boston to Newport News.  However, I think they could have created a better name like the Blue Ridge Run or something.  Since when is Lynchburg, or Newport News for that matter, the Northeast?

If you book at least 14 days ahead, it is only $29 each way and it is currently only $22 each way as a special to introduce the new service.  Considering that it takes you within a few blocks of the Capital, you can’t do better driving (what with gas and parking fees).  From Union Station in DC, you can take the Metro anywhere else for it’s small fee.  You are also fairly close to Capitol Hill so walking is a good option too.

Waiting for the train in downtown Charlottesville, I could have easily gone to a local restaurant to wait but I opted for the station instead.  It’s nice and clean.  Before I knew it, the waiting area had overrun and a near mob of people were waiting outside. Wow!  At least for now, this is already popular.  As someone else said, “Meredith Richards would be proud.”

One of the biggest mental hurdles to public transportation, at least to me personally, is the thought of having to wait and not being in complete control.  However, sitting here waiting, it occurs to me that I have complete control of how I use my time.  There is always something to do and not having to concentrate on the road gives me the freedom to do it.  Yea, I have to get up and leave the house earlier than if driving myself, but there’s always some book that I’ve been meaning to find time to read.  Now, I have the time. With today’s communication tools, like the iPhone, you could even spend this waiting time writing emails, or listening to music or calling a friend or even playing a game of Sudoku.  This time waiting for the train really is a gift, if I choose to see it that way.

The call has gone out that the train is nearly here. Let’s go!

Another potential option than going to Union Station, as we stopped there to pick up passengers on the way home, is the L’Enfant train stop in DC just prior to Union Station. You can also easily access the Metro from this stop as the Metro entrance is very close to the train plaza. Alexandria is another choice, also with nearby Metro access. Both of these stops were open-air with a roof – something to consider.  However, they seem to be as easy to navigate as Charlottesville’s train stop.  If you decide to go this route, be sure to book the trip as such so they’ll know to stop the train.

Even with Union Station’s chaos, I was able to bob and weave my way fairly quickly out of the building.  I even made it on time to my 12 noon engagement, which was a 15 minute walk from the station, but only in the nick of time.  After an afternoon of sights along the Mall,  it was back to Union Station to catch the train home.  Luckily, there was just enough time for a stop at Capitol City Brewery in the National Postal Museum across the street from Union Station.  After a refreshing stop which included onion rings, chili, an Octoberfest and a great stout, it was on to Union Station with 20 min to spare.  While waiting for my beer, I had called 1-800-USA-Rail and verified, via the automated service, that my train was on time, so there was no time to delay.

Once I bobbed and weaved my way to my gate, it was easy to get on the train when we started boarding.   I was cutting it close by stopping at the restroom and ordering an Americano at Primo Cappuccino right by my gate.  However, I made it with little stress and I am now settling in for a relaxing trip home.  I cannot ever remember leaving DC looking forward to relaxation.  It’s usually a matter of psyching myself up to deal with the traffic and the long drive home.  At exactly 4:50pm, we pulled out of Union Station, right on time.  In fact, we arrived in Charlottesville at 7:10 pm, 10 minutes early!

My only regret is that I did not have more time in DC.  I could have easily enjoyed two more hours.  However, this is a day trip to DC from Charlottesville afterall.  Driving my car to DC would have allowed me to decide when to arrive and leave, but I would have most likely lost most of that extra time dealing with traffic and parking.  I know I would not have enjoyed a late lunch at the brewery if I had to drive myself home.  I would have also been exhausted by the time I finally arrived home.

Taking the train to DC on a weekday only gives you about 4 hours, just enough time to really only visit one museum.  So keep this in mind.  Considering that it was such a relaxing trip and the train ticket price was reasonable, I feel this is an acceptable trade-off.   If Amtrak adjusted their schedule to give you more time in DC, then I would like it even more.

After this wonderful experience, my wife and I will have to try an overnight trip by rail to DC.  I am sure I have many fun day trips in my future as well.  It was definitely worth taking a day off for this adventure by rail.  The Northeast Regional to/from Charlottesville is, in my opinion, another great thing about living in this area.  If you have any interest in doing this yourself, I highly recommend that you book right now.  Me thinks this is just going to continue to get more and more popular.  

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Perfection is the enemy of the good.
Gustave Flaubert
French realist novelist (1821 – 1880)

The Daily Progress has a good article about the stalling of the Streetscape project. Please read the whole thing.

“We don’t want the charm of downtown to die away,” Trigo said. “That’s why we have to keep the businesses alive and work together.”

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors already has appropriated the money as part of its capital improvement plans, but Marshall said he and other CCAC members are worried the money will be spent on other county projects if property owners don’t get on board.

“Downtown needs this to happen and time is slipping away,” Marshall said. “This is a project that will benefit everybody, [but] the county needs to find a way to reassure [property owners] they are going to hold contractors to a schedule and stick to it.”

My question is this – if we don’t take advantage of this opportunity now, when will we? We’re not going to get a perfect plan – but we need to insist on getting this started and finished as soon as possible. What better time than the midst of a recession to prepare for the other side?

Secondly, I’m going to borrow tfjtolson’s comment from the Daily Progress in its entirety:

I want the business owners of Crozet to know that while they build it (the streetscape) we will keep coming. I want them to stay in business and I want Crozet to have the improvements.
Therefore, as a Crozet resident, I pledge to keep patronizing their stores during the construction.

Who will join me in this pledge?

Update: More at C-Ville.

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From Charlottesville Tomorrow (read the whole thing) :

Encouraged by the reality of daily passenger service from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., Albemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek (White Hall) sought the full Board’s support for a feasibility study for daily commuter service from Crozet to Charlottesville. The Board agreed on April 1, 2009 to send a letter to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) officially seeking grant opportunities to study the idea further.

The service is proposed to be run on rails operated by the Buckingham Branch Rail Road (BBRR) , according to Mallek. She has met with Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris to discuss the idea with the railroad company’s officials. Buckingham Branch operates a railroad line that runs nearly 200 miles from Clifton Forge to Richmond on its Piedmont Branch.

The idea sprung up from a conversation between City resident John Pfaltz and Gale Wilson, the General Manager of the BBRR’s Richmond-Alleghany Division. Wilson identified three challenges, according to Pfaltz:

* Amtrak would need to sponsor the project and CSX, which owns the rail line, would need to approve the service

* CSX trains and Amtrak’s Cardinal service would take priority on the line

* Fencing would be required to keep pedestrians off of the track through Charlottesville

Pfaltz said the second item could be overcome by extending a “passing track” that currently exists in Ivy. This extra track would allow either the CSX train or the commuter train to park while the other train passes by. He estimates the start-up costs would be around $5 million.

(Hat Tip: C-Ville)

In a poll on RealCrozetVA last year, nearly 90% of respondents said that they would be willing to use rail service from Crozet to Charlottesville. About 60% of respondents said that they would be willing to pay less that five dollars each way –

The real challenge may lie in the answer to this question – what do you do when you get to Charlottesville? One idea is to have one of the rail cars be a bike car – then use bicycles to get around town.

Some studies have shown that properties close to transit are worth more …

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Would you like a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to commute to work or school in Charlottesville? JAUNT would like to hear about your transit needs in order to create a bus schedule and route that would satisfy as many Crozet citizens as possible. This is the perfect time to let JAUNT know what you would require in a bus service for use on a regular basis.

Please take a few minutes to complete a very brief online survey: JAUNT Survey

Co-sponsored by the Crozet Community Advisory Council and Ms. Ann Mallek, Supervisor for the White Hall District in cooperation with JAUNT, Inc.

Questions about this survey? Contact CCAC member Tim Tolson.

Note that this survey comes on the heels of John-N’s comment:

NBC29 reports today that JAUNT is jacking their rates as much as 50% for non-certified-handicapped patrons. So much for an affordable public transportation alternative for western Albemarle County. The increase seems to be for the purpose of appeasement to cab drivers and CTS buses who felt threatened by the cheaper publicly-funded alternatives. Too bad.

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And they have some marketing to do to get that message across to the public. In short, as Charlottesville Tomorrow reports – if we want (bus) transit to and from Crozet, we have to ask and we have to use it.

Mallek is currently collecting names from those expressing interest, and trying to determine what schedule and location would best serve Crozet commuters. She says many of the constituents she’s talked to have offered to pay for a seat on the new route on a monthly basis, rather than day to day, to ensure that JAUNT sees sufficient interest to keep the service going.

It’s not rail, but efficient transit may help real estate values.

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The following is from a reader. It seems that JAUNT has some marketing to do.

“Thanks for your blog entry that mentioned Jaunt. I didn’t know they offer commuter service. I thought they only did transport for handicapped folks. I spoke with (someone) at Jaunt who advised that all commuter service between Crozet-Cville is door-to-door upon request, and they have no way of knowing how long any particular route would take on any given day.

She said that there are no plans for express service — and it would have to be taken up with city council who funds them.

I would definitely consider using the service if it would just be one pick-up in Crozet (say at Bank of America parking lot which is a designated park & ride) to a stop (or two) in Cville [downtown mall—UVA/Corner?].

I think that the service needs to have a predictable schedule and route.

I really can’t commit to using a service that might take 45 mins-1 hour due to multiple stops along the way.”

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I’m embarking on a shift in how I get around. and I’m hoping to demonstrate the relative ease of biking around Crozet.

Riding to the farmers’s market on Saturday mornings, to Great Valu for a few groceries, to the drop-off point to pick up my weekly CSA share, over to Old Trail for meetings, to the BP to pick up the Crozet Gazette, to the Pool, Mint Springs Park, to Highlands to show a house that I’m marketing … The possibilities for riding a bike instead of driving are many.

Gas prices are affecting everyone.

If you’re willing to join me in my effort to think differently, let me know in the comments.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.