Norfolk’s Tide light-rail line rolls for real starting today

Trains began running this morning on the first 7.4-mile spur of what will someday be a robust 60-mile transit line from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Not far in the future, Tide will cross a new Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and stop on the Naval Base and at ODU and in Newport News and Hampton and at Busch Gardens and in Town Center, with spurs to Portsmouth, Suffolk, Poquoson, and Yorktown. Mark my words.

Pic | Downtown Norfolk Council

For 18 months I’ve been doing my part to defend HRT and the Tide against naysayers who rub their hands in anticipatory glee at the chance to crow their correctness at the very moment light-rail starts. While I haven’t been out yet into the smog and haze to talk to them today, I imagine they’re doing it already. Only x number of riders! Didn’t we tell you light rail would be a failure?

I never once argued that the Tide as-is would be smart on its own. The line that exists this morning is a bold first step toward a future where Hampton Roads boasts a user-friendly, progressive, functional, and helpful transit system that makes us want to leave our cars home and ride to work. Gas isn’t getting cheaper. The roads aren’t getting safer. Over thirty thousand people die in car crashes per year. The average household spent $5500 on gas in 2010. Light rail costs next to nothing in comparison.

The rail right-of-way from Newtown Road to the Oceanfront exists already. Some sort of new bridge-tunnel will almost certainly be built to ease HRBT and MMMBT traffic. To add light-rail to what we’re constructing anyway will cost next to nothing. All it will take to accomplish these things is some courage, pragmatism, and political will. The outcome may even be almost arbitrary, dependent on whether gas costs more than $5/gallon at the time of the next relevant votes.

I’m not a reporter, only a fiction writer with opinions, so this is all I’ll say. There’s plenty of real reporting on today’s opening, however; click the link above to read a Pilot account so detailed that it includes such facets as “[at 8:25] a person wearing a Curious George costume boarded a train at the York Street station.” In other words, if you’ve ever wanted to be mentioned in the newspaper, today’s your chance.

Also, I believe in being conciliatory, so I’ll throw this bone to anti-light-railers: the Tide’s no-drinks policy almost changes my mind about the whole project. HRT hopes we’ll commute by light rail, yet they’re telling us not to bring our morning tea and coffee on the trains? If I lived anywhere along the route, this rule would drive me right back into my car. Imagine the MTA trying to tell New Yorkers not to take coffee on the subway. Rise up, Norfolk, and demand that your transit authority rethink this daft rule.

The riders of Seville. (Pic | goinggoingbike)

Seville’s transformation

In only five years, Seville, Spain, has increased its number of cyclists from 6,000 to 600,000. Seven percent of all journeys in that city are made by bikes now. How has Seville achieved this feat? Easy: they’ve built 80 miles of segregated cycle tracks and created a public bike hire system with 2500 bikes that can be found at 250 different points around the city.

At the bottom of this article, one learns that in March “Seville will host the annual international cycling planning conference Velo City, organised by the European Cyclists Federation.” Someone in our city government should attend.

Federal grant to complete Eastern Shore bike trail

Virginia is getting $5.6 million in federal grant money to construct an Eastern Shore bike-pedestrian trail and other projects. The first and only comment below this story when I read it: “$5.6 million to go from one island to the other? Just widen the roadway by 6 feet or better yet swim like the ponies! Federal grants for crap has got to stop!”

I support the goal of swimming like ponies, but I disagree that “federal grants for crap has got to stop.” On the contrary, federal grants for crap is how we’ll decrease unemployment and stave off a double-dip recession. More federal grants for crap!

Rep. Bobby Scott: No need for deep cuts in debt crisis

Like I just said, more federal grants for crap!

This is an ad.

Rapist and killer of Williamsburg widow put to death

Last night at 9 PM every man, woman, and child in Virginia committed murder by means of a three-drug cocktail whose primary agent is pentobarbital.

Ken Cuccinelli to campaign for Ky. AG candidate

The Republican candidate for Kentucky attorney general, Todd P’Pool, will enjoy the company of Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli next month. Cuccinelli says he’ll stay in contact with us by email and phone. He’s preparing for his trip by rewatching Harlan County U.S.A., cheering for the scabs, cursing at the miners.

I’ve spent copious time making fun of Cuccinelli’s last name. Since I hate it when anyone feels left out, I’ll note that it’s hard to imagine what some Kentuckian counterpart of mine might call a musical about Todd P’Pool

Va. board extends time for comment on gay adoption

The State Board of Social Services has extended the period for comment on proposed adoption standards “that lack protection against discrimination against gays.” Gay-rights advocates call the extension a victory, but it also means zealous monomaniacs will have thirty more days during which to screech their odious extremist dogma against decency and basic human rights.

Pat Robertson: It’s okay to be friends with gays if you can convert them

Falwell is alive and hoarding $2/gallon gas. (Art |falwellinhell.com)

If you click on this link, you’ll learn that the headline really reads “It’s okay to be friends with homosexuals if you can convert them.” I’d almost be willing to compromise with the bigots: you promise to quit using homosexual as a noun, and we’ll stop pleading with you to let us have any rights.

Santorum, Gingrich blame economic downturn on gay marriage

The same thing happened in the Weimar Republic in the early 1930s: German society grew so tolerant of gay people that the economy collapsed, and then some right-wing politicians offered to help.

Bachmann meets Falwell during Lynchburg stop

When I saw this headline, I became afraid that Jerry Falwell was alive again. With all our other troubles, a plague of bigot zombies is all we need. Some Googling confirms that he’s still dead and that this Falwell is his son. In other news, being the son of an infamous demagogue makes it newsworthy when you talk to insane people.

Examiner local editorial: Where are Ken Cuccinelli’s critics now?

Yes, where could they be?

Enterprise gets a new captain after brouhaha

It’s not every day brouhaha shows up in a headline.

Newport News gets low-cost Allegiant Air carrier

Lest you hope this might be useful, Allegiant flies only to Florida resort cities.

Baby giraffe dies at Norfolk zoo

I can’t even joke about this.