THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050463
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 67 lines
Oceanfront visitors may get their first taste of free or reduced-fare trolley rides this summer, along with more reliable and stepped-up service in the resort area.
While City Manager James K. Spore recommended a trial run of an expanded and improved resort transit system in three months, the City Council didn't vote on the concept Tuesday.
In an informal session, however, members did show enthusiasm for the idea. Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf and Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. even suggested putting trolleys or trams on the Boardwalk. That way the elderly and couples with children could treat themselves to a view of the beach while riding up and down the Oceanfront. The service would be provided by Tidewater Regional Transit and would be subsidized by the city or Oceanfront businesses.
Councilwomen Louisa M. Strayhorn and Reba S. McClanan suggested putting elderly volunteers aboard to provide riders with a running commentary on sites of interest to Oceanfront visitors.
Not a council member blinked when consultant Mark Niles, of BRW Inc. of Orlando, Fla., said the plan would cost an estimated $135,830.
The proposal, several years in the making, was recommended last month by the Resort Area Advisory Commission, a citizens' panel appointed by the council to oversee resort improvements and activities.
Basically, the first year of the plan calls for:
Using 10-cent tokens instead of money for trolley service - or offering free trolley service to municipal parking lot patrons or resort hotel guests.
Extending the trolley route from 42nd Street to the Virginia Marine Science Museum on General Booth Boulevard, south of Rudee Inlet bridge.
Increasing the frequency of trolley service along Atlantic and Pacific avenues to the Virginia Marine Science Museum from every 30 minutes to every 10 or five minutes.
Dedicating one or two traffic lanes on Atlantic Avenue - possibly alternating with Pacific Avenue - from 14th to 25th streets exclusively for trolleys on peak summer weekend nights.
Hiring supervisors and providing them with two-way radios to maintain trolley service consistency and frequency.
Providing customer service training for trolley drivers.
Giving trolley drivers pay raises, over and above the $5.50 an hour they now make, plus bonuses or other cash incentives.
Increasing trolley service visibility by sprucing up the vehicles with bright colors or logos, improved street signs and colorful driver uniforms.
BRW recommends that the city instate the improvements in May as part of the first phase of a three-phase program.
The second phase calls for eliminating trolley fares, building trolley-related street improvements and extending service to the Pavilion Convention Center on 19th Street. The estimated tab: $920,520 over several years.
The third phase, which would require buying more trolleys and increasing trolley frequency would produce the heaviest cash jolt: an estimated $10 million.
While the plan sounds good, McClanan found the long-range forecast less appealing. ``It's not in our best interests to make a long-term commitment, based on what this study shows,'' she said.
Spore said the best bet is to initiate a demonstration version of the improved trolley service - complete with dedicated street lanes - this summer. Funds could be extracted from year-end municipal surplus funds and factored into the new budget, which takes effect July 1, he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
[Trolley]
KEYWORDS: TROLLEY TRT