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It’s Official: The Great Richmond Bus Reroute Reduced Transportation Access For Low-Income Residents

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Six months after the Great Richmond Reroute, access to public transit for low-income neighborhoods has remained limited and in some cases, gotten worse, according to a study at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“Our city is long overdue for a comprehensive transit redesign to meet the needs of today’s citizens and a growing, dynamic city,” the Great Richmond Reroute website says.

Richmond’s 2018 transit system overhaul was the first in over 80 years. The redesigned bus routes include the addition of the GRTC Pulse, a rapid transit bus line that runs up and down Broad Street from Willow Lawn in the west and Rocketts Landing in the east. The Pulse decreases the amount of downtown transfers that would be needed by connecting to every bus route, according to the Great Richmond Reroute website.

In December, the Wilder School’s Center for Urban and Regional Analysis released the study on the effect of the reroute in low-income neighborhoods, citing previous studies that found specific neighborhoods to be at an economic disadvantage.

Though the study found that transit accessibility improved in job centers, like Short Pump or Willow Lawn, access to the transit system for low-income neighborhoods decreased with the redesign.

“While GRTC has taken a forward-thinking approach to improving jobs accessibility, there is still room for improvement related to improving transit access to affordable housing and increasing high-connectivity nodes near low-income neighborhoods,” said Sarin Adhikari, Ph.D., research economist with the CURA.

CURA found that about half of the households in low-income neighborhoods are not served by transit stops with “high connectivity,” a label they measured by looking at the frequency a bus comes, average distance to a destination, and number of bus routes that serve a stop. Which means individuals from these neighborhoods are more likely to be walking further to the bus stop, waiting longer to be picked up, using multiple transfers, and/or riding for longer periods of time.

While the study shows that overall accessibility to the GRTC has increased, the increases in certain areas, like major business centers, are accounting for decreases in low-income neighborhoods.

CURA’s analysis showed that public transit accessibility at major job centers increased by about 6 percent, if walking distance from the bus is less than a quarter of a mile. The Great Richmond Reroute website boasts rider-benefits as including, “more access to jobs, hospitals, schools, retail businesses, and the airport.” While CURA’s study found that to be true, it also found that transit accessibility for residential dwellings was down 22 percent.

“While the city is pursuing a path of further economic development and growth, it is our collective responsibility … to ensure the whole community reaps the benefits of this Richmond economic expansion,” said Fabrizio Fasulo, Ph.D., director of the CURA. “This is especially important for the marginalized and disadvantaged communities in the region that have felt, and rightfully so, left behind in past developments.”

Also noted in the study: the majority of the population who rely on public transit are under the federal poverty threshold. From this, the study concludes that the people who need to use public transit the most are the ones being limited by the new system.

“On an individual level, public transportation provides choices and enables people to seek economic opportunities throughout the region,” the study says. “The latter is particularly true for economically disadvantaged residents.”

UPDATE: GRTC responds with a 2017 study of their own, which predicted different outcomes than VCU’s study now suggests have taken place.

Photos: GRTC/via Facebook

First Crash Involving GRTC Pulse Bus

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One of the newly-launched GRTC Pulse buses was in a collision with a pickup truck that was making a left-hand turn through the dedicated bus lane on West Broad Street, around 5:50 this evening, at the intersection of Broad and N Allen Ave.

According to Carrie Rose Pace, GRTC Director of Communications, five passengers claimed injury and requested medical services. Several of these passengers were seen being taken from the bus on stretchers. Pace said “The other passengers boarded the next Pulse bus and proceeded. There were no disruption to service.”

Neighbors who witnessed the aftermath called the intersection dangerous. Among them were Kim Washington and Renada Harris, co-owners of Silk Hair Studio at the corner of Allen and Broad, who said accidents happen regularly in the intersection. When asked how often, Harris said accidents happen “Once a week.” Washington had her own estimate. “No, every two weeks. Maybe once a month,” she said.

Harris conceded that her business partner could be right, but added, “Potential accidents? Every five minutes!”

Larkin Garbee, owner of 804RVA, a co-working space in the same building, agreed with Washington and Harris. “It happens on a regular basis,” Garbee said. She said the intersection has been dangerous long before the Pulse, which she described as popular with her community of co-workers. “This intersection has always had safety issues, long before the bus, and we hope those can be addressed.”

Washington said she’s contacted the city several times about the intersection in the past, but no one has ever followed up with her. She and Harris pointed to the unusual layout of the street to explain the frequent accidents. Allen doesn’t run directly across Broad; it’s separated by about 75-feet of asphalt, and left-hand turns are barred from Allen next to their hair salon. Harris said it’s a confusing intersection, especially for people who aren’t used to the area, and agreed with Washington that it needed some safety improvement. “It should be a right turn only from this side, and a right turn or straight from the other side,” Harris said. “It already is,” Washington added. Both women agreed that the intersection could use a redesign to improve safety.

Even a redesign might not have prevented this crash, though. The two vehicles were travelling parallel on Broad before the collision. “Looks like automobile attempted to turn left in front of the bus and hit the front right of the bus. Minor bumper damage to Pulse bus on front right with some scratches,” Pace said, describing the accident over text. She said she didn’t have a police report yet, but noted, “If the automobile didn’t have the green left, then they were making an illegal movement.”

GRTC Pulse: Bus Riders Sound Off on New Lines Ahead of Rollout

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The surprisingly contentious GRTC Pulse bus line is finally opening, and while it still has critics, it’s also building support among the people who actually ride it.

You can’t miss the new Pulse stations all over Broad Street, and they’ve inspired some controversy in the surrounding communities. Until this assignment, I too was critical, but had never ridden the bus. I didn’t realize how many people depended on it, or how it shaped the way they spent their days. On my first-ever ride, I noticed how the frequent stops pushed what could have been a 9-12 minute trip into almost 25 minutes.

For riders, this is a big part of the appeal of the Pulse. Fewer stops make for faster service, and it seems to answer many of the complaints bus riders had. Still, at least one rider wasn’t looking forward to changes. On my ride, coordinated with GRTC, a man in his mid-60s saw the logo-emblazoned bag they’d given me, full of brochures, and gave me a strange look. When our eyes clicked again for the second time, he began to vent his frustrations with the bus service, detailing years of complaints.

He said he’s been riding the bus since the 70s and claimed nothing had changed in that time. He was angry about the lack of bathrooms, which said was not fair, especially for elderly riders. He was also angry about long wait times at bus stops, and thought the Pulse would be a waste of time and money because he thinks nothing is going to change.

Others were more optimistic, including Lena Waite, who I also met on the bus. She said, “I think the new bus system would be good, especially if we have more buses and could get to places on time.” She’s had bad experiences with the current system, she said, detailing a recent incident. “I was on a bus home from work when it broke down on a hill. I had to get off and walk because I didn’t feel safe, plus it was getting dark and I couldn’t wait for another bus.”

Lena Waite

The Pulse will free up existing buses for other routes, according to Carrie Rose Pace, Director of Communications for the GRTC, which will address Waite’s problems with her existing commute. For riders on the new 7.6-mile line, linking Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn, they won’t have bathrooms, but they’ll receive lower wait-times on a faster, high-capacity system designed to get them where they’re going quicker.

“BRT service stops less often, operates faster, uses design and technology features like Bus Only lanes and Transit Signal Priority,” Pace said, describing the upgrades. “It has off-board fare collection (at Ticket Vending Machines), and has platform-level boarding and alighting. All of this saves time, making the customer’s experience faster and easier.”

She said she’s a bus rider, too, who sometimes uses the current system to go to and from her home in downtown Richmond. The changes will benefit her and her neighbors, she said, by letting them use the bus over private automobiles or driving services like Lyft.

“Once the Pulse and the new City routes launch, I’ll be able to get from my home with a bus coming every 15 minutes,” she said. From the normal bus, she can, “quickly connect to a Pulse bus coming every 15 minutes, and get either east or west to my destination much faster than I’m used to. I will be able to ride beyond just downtown on the Pulse and quickly get to my appointments at Willow Lawn, or take a ride to enjoy the East Riverfront area.”

GRTC estimates that some 3,500 people will ride the Pulse daily, which could also benefit people driving cars, too: Every person on the bus is one less car on the road, easing congestion and freeing up parking spots at destinations.

“Each individual Pulse bus seats about 36 passengers,” Pace said. “But with fully-loaded standing room, we can safely accommodate 55 passengers.” That includes space for two individuals using mobility devices like wheelchairs, and bike storage on the front of each bus for up to three bicycles.

While most bus users will see a slightly different and faster route on launch day, different routes will operate differently. GRTC has updated their website with a detailed system map to help riders plan their trips ahead of launch.

Pace was positive about the long-term changes. She said, “Ultimately, the Pulse, coupled with the city redesign will lead to a shorter trip experience for most customers from point A to point B, with easier connections.” Even outside of the city, service will be improved. She added, “Henrico County is also making adjustments to several of their routes that connect to the Pulse, also ensuring a convenient connection.”

She listed, as an example, “connecting Route 19 with Willow Lawn,” which lets Henrico run buses “every 30 minutes all day.”

In our hyper-connected modern era, there were other benefits to public transit that I saw on my bus ride. It’s time to read a newspaper or stare at your phone; catch up on work; listen to music; or simply ponder the issue of the day, without having to watch the road. All of which will be even easier on the Pulse, which is launching with free Wi-Fi. 

Ultimately, Pace stressed that the goal was to consider the safety and efficient use of the corridor for all people, regardless of their mode of transportation. The new signals, lanes, crosswalks, and overall design were all reached through a process that prioritized safety for all.

If, like me, you’re curious about the Pulse, you’ll be able to hop on for free for the first week, June 24 to 30. After June 30, tickets are $1.50, with a reduced fare of $0.75. The system accepts the unlimited ride passes used on the rest of the GRTC network, and paratransit customers have unlimited free access. Operation is 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekends. During peak hours, 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., buses run every 10 minutes. Off-peak, every 15 minutes.