River City Rapids reports today on a comment Mayor Wilder made at a recent town forum about the sad state of public transit in Richmond:
The mayor’s reply (paraphrased): “I know we need to do a better job with transportation. I find it incredible that you can now get on the bus and go to Fredericksburg but you can’t get on it and go to Chesterfield!”
Besides appreciating the humor here, I’m glad to know that Wilder supports public transit. Besides the now-forgotten diatribes he made against the congregation of bus riders on Broad St., this is the first I’ve heard of him speaking on public transportation.
I wish he’d spend more of his political capital on that issue and less on some other fights he’s picking.
And thanks to River City Rapids for sharing this anecdote. It made my day. Or at least my morning.
May 31, 2007 at 10:29 am
Wilder’s comment is funny but misinformed. There are a couple of routes that go to Chesterfield. One of the routes I personally rode on from Petersburg to Richmond with a stop over at John Tyler CC in Chesterfield.
Wilder should spend some time and effort trying to improve the GRTC system.
May 31, 2007 at 10:43 am
I know Wilder’s wrong- and River City Rapids points it out too. Chesterfield does have some limited bus service, but has also fought GRTC’s incursion into the county (as Hanover still does),
I appreciate Wilder’s point about the generally sad state of transit, even if slightly misinformed.
May 31, 2007 at 11:00 am
It’s amazing how Chesterfield complains about lacking funding for roadbuilding to combat congestion, but fails to look at public transit as a solution instead of a nuisance.
June 1, 2007 at 9:58 am
A regional approach to public transport in the Richmond metro area would be a Very Good Thing. Maybe Wilder should look into making that happen … but I won’t hold my breath.
June 1, 2007 at 10:47 am
The couple of token express routes from suburban parking lots to downtown hardly constitute “service” in Chesterfield. Of course, the great irony here is that GRTC is “jointly owned by the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County” and that Chesterfield appoints half the GRTC board!
GRTC has tried to make inroads into the ‘burbs, but gets repeatedly stymied. Once again, Chesterfield needs to wake up.
June 1, 2007 at 10:42 pm
I think all this talk of buses is a waste… with the relative explosion of population in Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover in the last ten years I do not think it would be impossible for the area to have light rail, or a trolley or something that would not only service the counties, but also help lessen some of the traffic issues that have grown up in this same time period.