Arlington is planning for the next 10 years of ART bus service. While MetroBus provides important bus connections between localities, Arlington's ART service provides important local connections within Arlington neighborhoods, schools, and activity centers.
We've looked at the proposed route changes in detail and have a bunch of recommendations, both for routes that need improved frequencies, as well as for routes that are overly meandering, duplicative and should not be a priority in this constrained fiscal environment where both buses and bus drivers are at a premium.
ART 41
This route connects Arlington Mill to the R-B Corridor as well as providing useful service to TJ Middle School students. The draft proposal would improve frequencies at most days & times and we strongly support it.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 42
This route provides an important connection between the R-B Corridor and the Route 1 corridor, as well as providing critical service to the Department of Human Services Sequoia Complex. It deserves more frequent service than every 30 minutes. ART should consider replacing the Pentagon with another nearby Metro Station on a consistent basis to improve travel time (accessing the Pentagon Transit Center is quite circuitous) and to be closer to likely sources of ridership. Pentagon City would be an easy choice, but Crystal City would be even better - linking Arlington's two densest neighborhoods and providing a connection to VRE, and eventually Amtrak service and an easy walk to National Airport.
Frequency: Do Not Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Neutral
Frequency Comment Box: The ART 42 needs 15 minute frequencies all day weekdays + Saturday
Route Comment Box: Consider replacing Pentagon service with Pentagon City or preferably Crystal City service at all times to save travel time and be closer to likely sources of ridership.
ART 43
This route would provide a one-seat ride between Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn, and Crystal City providing significant travel time savings vs MetroRail.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Support
ART 45
The ART 45 links Columbia Pike to the east end of the R-B corridor and provides important links to the Department of Human Services Sequoia Complex; we support this proposal which would improve Saturday and Weekday morning frequencies.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 51
Extending this route westward to the East Falls Church Metro provides a more useful end point and adds service to some additional neighborhoods that need it, but the eastern extension picking up pieces of the old ART 61 is meandering, duplicative, and should not be a priority compared to other possible uses of buses and drivers.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Do Not Support
Route Comment Box: The westward extension to the East Falls Church Metro is useful, but the former ART 61 route being added to the 51 is meandering, duplicative, and should not be a priority in this constrained fiscal environment.
ART 52
Extending this route to Virginia Square via the old ART 62 route covers the useful old pieces of the 62 and provides useful service to Hamm Middle School; we support this change
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Support
ART 53
We do not support the route changes to the 53. The existing connection to East Falls Church should be retained rather than moving forward with a Microtransit pilot that is unlikely to see more success than other cities' past experiments with Microtransit. The piece of the old ART 61 that is proposed to be added to the east end of the route is meandering, duplicative, and should not be a priority in this constrained fiscal environment.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Do Not Support
Route Comment Box: The former ART 61 route being added to the 53 is meandering, duplicative, and should not be a priority in this constrained fiscal environment. Additionally, replacing the western leg of the 53 with Microtransit, a proposal that has proven to be more costly than fixed route service nearly everywhere it has been tried, is inappropriate and unnecessary.
ART 54
We believe this route should be combined with the proposed ART 72, providing a one-seat ride between Shirlington, VHC, and Marymount University, and Madison Community Center in the far north of the County.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Do Not Support
Route Comment Box: This route should be combined with Route 72, providing a one-seat ride between Shirlington, VHC, and Marymount University, and Madison Community Center in the far north of the County.
ART 55
This is the core bus for Langston Blvd and bringing frequencies up to be usable all day, every day (as the draft proposes) is critical to Langston Blvd's transformation. We strongly support this change.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 61
The ART 61 was a low-frequency, low-ridership, meandering, and duplicate bus. Eliminating this route is the fiscally-responsible choice.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 62
Restructuring this service into the ART 52 will result in a better route running more useful days, times, and frequencies.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 72
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Do Not Support
Route Comment Box: This route should be combined with the proposed ART 54, providing a one-seat ride between Shirlington, VHC, and Marymount University, and Madison Community Center in the far north of the County.
ART 74
Adding bus service to Long Bridge Park and Long Bridge Aquatics center is a definite win, but doing so by tacking it onto one of ARTs most inscrutable and meandering routes doesn't seem like the best way to do it. Great to see more service on this route, including Saturdays & Sundays, but service to a major amenity like Long Bridge should be on a direct route that is easy to explain to people; the 74 isn't it.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Do Not Support
Route Comment Box: I strongly support service to Long Bridge, but not doing so by attaching it to one of the most confusing ART routes in existence. The existing 74 service is meandering and difficult to explain and tacking on the service to Long Bridge makes it even worse. Would strongly prefer service to Long Bridge that is straightforward and easy enough to explain to a middleschooler.
ART 75
The ART 75 is a critical transportation link for students at Kenmore Middle School.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Support
Frequency Comment Box: I support an increase in frequency during peak period to every 20 minutes as mentioned in the text of the route sheet, not staying at 30-minute headways as indicated on the diagram.
ART 77
Frequency: Do Not Support
Service Hours: Do Not Support
Route: Support
Frequency Comment Box: The ART 77 is an important connection between Shirlington and the R-B corridor as well as linking many neighborhoods to both. In addition, it is a crucial transportation link for Career Center students. It deserves higher frequency service to make it usable without looking at a schedule.
Service Hours Comment Box: The ART 77 is the only bus proposed to run on Saturday but not Sunday, breaking rider expectations. Sunday service should be added to the 77.
ART 84
This route is of limited utility, but is likely quite important for those who do ride it. Moving it on the I-395 Express Lanes is a positive development, but the remainder of this route is very challenging to understand from a map or to explain to potential riders. It should be simplified.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Neutral
Route Comment Box: Adding the Shirlington Connection and moving it onto the 395 Express Lanes is a positive development, but the remainder of this route is challenging to understand from the map or to explain to prospective riders. It would benefit from simplification.
ART 85
The ART 85 would be a new route providing a link between Shirlington, Long Branch Creek, Aurora Highlands, Crystal City, and Potomac Yards filling an important gap in transit service for the Long Branch Creek and Aurora Highlands neighborhoods. We support this new route.
Frequency: Support
Service Hours: Strongly Support
Route: Strongly Support
ART 87
The ART 87 is an important route providing one-seat bus service to the Pentagon for the Long Branch Creek neighborhood along with service to the Shirlington Transit Center; additionally, it provides a useful transit connection to Gunston Middle School. We support the increased frequencies on this route.
Frequency: Strongly Support
Service Hours: Support
Route: Support