Steve Burns
WMAL.com
ARLINGTON – (WMAL) Public comments can start rolling in today on what commuters would like out of expanded transit options coming to the I-66 Corridor. Tolls are set to be in place by summer 2017, and under the current proposal, toll revenue from cars would be directed toward expanding transit use.
“They’re paying for their own benefit,” Coalition for Smarter Growth Stewart Schwartz told WMAL. “Because the corridor, if it were just single-occupant vehicles and HOV-2, I think it would continue to melt down.”
Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties are already looking into expanding their commuter bus service.
“It’s a lot easier than driving, I can tell you that much,” Schwartz said. “You’d have wifi, you can get some work done, plus you can sleep, which you can’t do driving your own car.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation is accepting comments from the public up until their public meeting in Arlington on May 5.
“With the dedicated lanes, (buses) will have dedicated lanes outside the Beltway and the free-flowing traffic inside the Beltway,” Schwartz said. “They will have a faster, more relaxing trip.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Flickr user Mrs. Gemstone)
