RESTON 2020 COMMITTEE RESTON CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

Reston Bus Service: Good Work in Progress

May 22, 2013

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary of Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................4 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................9 I. II. A. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. C. III. IV. Express Commuter Bus Service to the Pentagon and Crystal City ............................................................................10 Wiehle Station Service ..............................................................................................................................................11 Background ..........................................................................................................................................................11 Weekday Service ..................................................................................................................................................13 Early Morning Service, Connections with First Metrorail Trains Departing Wiehle Station ............................14 Morning and Evening Peak (Rush Hour) Service............................................................................................16 Mid-Day and Late-Evening Circulator Service..................................................................................................18 Reston Town Center-Wiehle Station-Sunset Hills Corridor Service.................................................................21 Late-Night Service............................................................................................................................................23 Direct RIBS Service to Wiehle Station ..............................................................................................................24 Weekend Service..................................................................................................................................................26 Proposed Additional and Optional Services.........................................................................................................28 Related Station Access Issues .............................................................................................................................. 29

Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................................................30 Appendices........................................................................................................................................................................31 Tab 1..............................................................................................................................................................................32 Tab 2..............................................................................................................................................................................36 Tab 3..............................................................................................................................................................................40 Tab 4..............................................................................................................................................................................45 Tab 5..............................................................................................................................................................................48 Tab 6..............................................................................................................................................................................50 Useful Links .......................................................................................................................................................................51

RESTON BUS SERVICE: GOOD WORK IN PROGRESS

May 22, 2013

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Express Commuter Service to the Pentagon and Crystal City 1. Proposed Route 599 (replacing Routes 595 and 597) should be implemented. The county should consider whether the lower frequency (and service capacity) will meet the demand. Early Morning Weekday Service, Connections With First Metrorail Trains Departing Wiehle Station 2. Early morning peak service to Wiehle Station should be expanded, not contracted, and routes throughout Reston should begin running earlier (well before 5:00 a.m.) to ensure that riders from both North and South Reston can reach Wiehle Station by bus before the first Metrorail train departs towards Tysons, Arlington and Washington, D.C. between 5:00 and 5:03 a.m. on weekdays mornings. Morning and Evening Peak Weekday Service 3. Headways on feeder Routes 552, 553, 554 and 557 should be reduced to 15 minutes, as initially proposed in January and February. The headways on these routes should be reduced to 12 minutes as proposed by county staff, if additional funds are identified. Reducing these headways to 12 minutes should be a high priority. 4. Except for very early morning bus service, buses should not be scheduled on 18-, 12- or 6-minute headways during peak periods to match expected Silver Line train schedules. During off-peak periods when buses and trains run less frequently, however, bus schedules should more closely match train schedules to facilitate transfers between bus and train, and mirroring the intervals between trains might be appropriate. 5. Service hours generally should be the same across Reston for similar types of service (feeder or off-peak circulator), unless there are equipment, manpower or other issues that necessitate different hours. Disparities in current or proposed service hours for feeder and mid-day and evening circulator service in North and South Reston should be eliminated,
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and hours should be standardized. Morning peak service should end at uniform times. Evening peak service should also have uniform start and end times (4:00 to 7:30 p.m.) on Routes 552-554 and 557, as proposed in FCDOTs May 7th presentation to the Boards Transportation Committee. 6. Peak service should be extended into off-peak periods on a tapered schedule as previously requested. Also, peak service hours should be extended so they do not end until shortly before off-peak service begins. 7. Start times for the buses during changeover periods (peak to off-peak, and the reverse) should be coordinated so the relative headway (difference in start times for the last peak and first off-peak bus, for example) is no longer than the shortest headway on the off-peak route. Mid-Day and Late-Evening Weekday Circulator Service 8. The proposed new mid-day and evening circulator routes (Routes 558-559) should be implemented. 9. Service hours for proposed Routes 558-559 should be increased as suggested in the May 7th presentation, but those hours should be extended even further to eliminate gaps in service. 10. As above, start times for the buses during changeover periods (peak to off-peak, and the reverse) should be coordinated so the relative headway (difference in start times for the last peak and first off-peak bus, for example) is no longer than the shortest headway on the off-peak route. 11. Headways on the new circulators (Routes 558-559) should be reduced to 30-minutes or less, if possible. Reston Town Center-Wiehle Station-Sunset Hills Road Corridor Service 12. Additional buses (equipment) and trips should be added on Route 505 to further increase the frequency of service (lower headways) and ensure reliable scheduled service on this route. 13. The RIBS 4 route should be extended from Reston Town Center to Wiehle Station during peak periods to provide additional service on the Sunset Hills Corridor. 14. Fares for Connector service between Town Center and Wiehle Station should be reexamined, and efforts should be made to lower the bus fare on Route 505 (and other routes serving the Sunset Hills corridor) to encourage ridership. The fare for Route 505
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should be reduced to $1.10 (the current fare when transferring from Metrorail) in both directions. 15. FCDOT and Fairfax Connector staff should work with the Reston Town Center Association and others to further reduce the fare to an even lower amount that more accurately reflects the short distance between Town Center and Wiehle Station and maximizes use of public transit, if possible. Late-Night Weekday Service 16. The proposed hours for late-night weekday service should be implemented. 17. If possible, a few additional, even later Connector bus trips should be added on Friday nights, when Metrorail hours are extended until 3:00 a.m. At a minimum, local bus service should be added between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station to meet the last arriving and departing trains on Friday nights, and later connecting service should be provided on the RIBS routes. Direct RIBS Service to Wiehle Station 18. The morning and evening hours of weekday service for RIBS 4 should be extended, as proposed in April, to provide hours of service similar to those on other Reston RIBS routes. 19. RIBS 4 service beyond the North Point Village Center should not be eliminated without good justification, such as extending the same trip to Wiehle Station 20. RIBS 4 should be extended to Wiehle Station at all times, not just during peak weekday periods, to provide direct bus service without the necessity of transferring at the Town Center Transit Station. 21. All RIBS routes, including RIBS 1 and 3, should be extended into Wiehle Station, rather than board and discharge passengers outside on Wiehle Avenue. Weekend Service 22. Weekend service on Route 505 should be reinstated. This service should be restored to the base service plan or selected as one of the options to be financed from newly-identified funds. 23. Weekend headways on Route 505 should be reduced from 30-minutes to 20-minutes. 24. Sunday evening service on Route 505 should continue until 11:00 p.m., not ended at 9:00 p.m. as proposed.
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25. Route 574 should be rerouted to include a stop at Wiehle Station in both directions. Proposed Additional and Optional Services 26. Any newly-identified transportation funds should be used as follows: (a) First, to finance necessary improvements to weekday Connector service (including reversing proposed service reductions and remedying other problems discussed in this report), and to reinstate weekend service on Route 505: (b) Second, to reduce weekday headways on Routes 552-554 and 557 from 18 to 12 minutes; (c) Third, to extend the RIBS 4 route from Town Center to Wiehle Station at all times, including both off-peak periods and on weekends; and (d) Fourth, to add weekend service to Wiehle Station on Reston routes currently without weekend bus service. This could include adding weekend service on either current weekday feeder routes (Routes 552-554, 557) or the proposed off-peak circulator routes (Routes 558, 559). Care should be taken, however, to ensure all areas of Reston are served equally. Related Wiehle Station Access Issues 27. Better pedestrian and more convenient bus access should be provided on the South Side of Wiehle Station, and issues related to the Dulles Toll Road exit ramp should be resolved. Continuous Planning and Review 28. County transportation staff should closely monitor service and ridership after Silver Line Phase 1 service begins, and quickly adjust routes and schedules as necessary. Corrective Actions and Funding Issues 29. Care should be taken when addressing both problems with the countys proposals and problems identified after Phase 1 service begins to avoid reducing service or creating other problems. For example, rather than shifting start and/or end times, and spreading out a fixed number of bus trips over a longer time period to expand service hours, additional buses (equipment) and new trips should be added to routes instead. This would fill or reduce service gaps and deficiencies without reducing proposed service frequency (and increasing headways). 30. Additional funding should be requested and provided to finance needed Connector services, including optional services suggested by county staff, additional services recommended in this report, and any services that become necessary after Silver Line Phase 1 bus service begins. Specific service and funding requests should be presented to
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the Board of Supervisors for its consideration and prioritization as soon as possible, and approved quickly so county transportation staff may begin planning for implementation.

RESTON BUS SERVICE: GOOD WORK IN PROGRESS

May 22, 2013

INTRODUCTION
Four new Silver Line Metrorail stations, including the Wiehle-Reston East Station, will open later this year. Wiehle Station will serve as the end of the Silver Line for five years, serving Reston, Western Fairfax and Loudoun County until rail is extended to Dulles Airport and beyond. Station access at Wiehle will be difficult, particularly when the station first opens, and the garage likely will fill up early on weekdays. The importance of frequent, reliable local Reston bus service to Wiehle Station therefore cannot be over-emphasized.

In January, Fairfax County Department of Transportation released its initial plan for Fairfax Connector bus service along the Dulles corridor when Phase 1 Metrorail service begins. County staff conducted public meetings and accepted feedback during a February 2013 public comment period, reportedly receiving more than 300 written comments. (The Reston Citizens Associations Reston 2020 committee submitted a detailed report and recommendations.) In April, FCDOT released revised proposals for Phase 1 bus service, and held additional public meetings. On May 7, 2013, county staff presented updated options to the Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee. The countys Fairfax Connector April and May bus proposals are major steps forward, addressing several urgent concerns raised during the public comment periods. These proposals restore express rush-hour commuter service to the Pentagon and Crystal City, add new mid-day and evening circulator service between Restons residential neighborhoods and the new Wiehle Station, and utilize existing and extended routes to provide frequent weekday (and limited weekend) service between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station. Service hours and frequencies (headways) would change on most bus routes in Reston, generally providing improved service.
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Detailed schedules are not yet available for any of the new or modified routes. Indeed, draft schedules are not expected until after the Connectors proposals are reviewed by the Board of

Supervisors in June. Thus, it is difficult to determine how well the revised bus system would operate or perform detailed analysis, such as comparing the number of trips, travel times or connections between bus and rail at Wiehle Station, and transfers between buses at the Reston Town Center Transit Station. The recent proposals, however, for the first time include proposed hours of service for each route, listing start and end times during peak and off-peak periods, thus permitting limited analysis. Based upon these proposed hours of service (apparently used for budgeting purposes), there still appear to be gaps and reductions in Connector service in Reston. Some of the countys assumptions regarding scheduling also seem overly optimistic. The revised proposals, therefore, need further improvement.

These and other issues, discussed below, must be resolved before the new bus service begins in December. Service also must be closely monitored after Wiehle Station opens, and adjustments quickly made as needed. Additional funds should be provided to finance needed service enhancements.

I. EXPRESS COMMUTER BUS SERVICE TO THE PENTAGON AND CRYSTAL CITY

The April proposals restore express rush-hour commuter bus service to the Pentagon and Crystal City previously slated for elimination, although the existing routes (Routes 595, 597) would be combined into a new, slightly longer route serving both destinations (599) and the buses would run on 30-minute intervals (rather than 15 minutes). Thus, this express service (which reportedly operates without a subsidy) would be cut roughly in half.

This express bus service will be essential to many area workers given the planned reductions in Blue Line rail service in December (peak headways on the Blue Line will increase to 12 minutes, twice as long as those on the Orange and Silver Lines), and this new express bus route (Route 599) must be implemented. In view of the vocal constituency for this express service, the county should carefully consider whether the proposed lower frequency of service (and passenger capacity) will meet the demand, and add additional trips at the height of peak periods.

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II. A.

WIEHLE STATION SERVICE BACKGROUND

Fairfax Connector currently provides rush hour feeder bus service from Reston neighborhoods to West Falls Church Metro on Routes 551-554 and 557. Express peak service also is provided from the Interim Sunset Hills lot (near Town Center) on Route 555, and local all-day service is provided from the Reston Town Center Transit Station and the Reston South and Interim Sunset Hills lots on Routes 505, 585 and 950. The Reston Internal Bus Service (RIBS) provides separate, low-frequency circulator service all day between the Town Center Transit Station and the five village centers. Three of the five RIBS routes currently serve the Wiehle Station area. The neighborhood feeder routes (and the RIBS routes) typically run at 30-minute intervals on weekdays. Buses from Town Center and the commuter lots run more frequently.1 Under all the FCDOT proposals, all Fairfax Connector routes that currently provide service between Reston and West Falls Church Metro Station (Routes 505, 551-555, 557, 585) would terminate at the new Wiehle Station.2 Similarly, four Herndon routes between the HerndonMonroe garage and West Falls Church Metro that cross Reston (Routes 950, 951, 952, and 980) also would terminate at Wiehle Station.3 All Connector service between Wiehle and West Falls Church would be eliminated.
1

Odd-numbered 500-series Connector routes generally serve South Reston, and even-numbered routes serve North Reston. Routes 505 and 555 serve the Sunset Hills Road corridor.
2

Three tables summarizing the current, and initial (January-February) and revised (April-May) proposals for North Reston, South Reston, and along the Reston Town Center-Wiehle Station-Sunset Hills Road corridor, are found in the attached Appendix. See Tabs 1-3. The countys proposals changed after their initial release dates, and changes were made to the web pages and presentations, often without any indication (or revision dates). When consulting the proposals, it is important to compare the Fairfax Connector web pages, public meeting presentations (handouts), and transcripts of the Ask Fairfax! web chats.
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Routes 950 and 980 use the Dulles Toll Road between the Fairfax County Parkway and Wiehle Avenue, and thus do not provide local service in Reston. Routes 951 and 952 use Sunrise Valley and Sunset Hills, respectively. These latter two routes currently provide reverse commuter service during peak periods, but would be expanded to run all day, providing reverse service during peak periods (30-minute headways) and bidirectional service during the mid-day (40-minute headways). 11

Under the April proposals, two Herndon routes that previously terminated at the HerndonMonroe Garage (Routes 924, 926) would be extended to Wiehle Station via the Toll Road. (Westbound evening service on these two routes would use Sunrise Valley Drive, potentially providing additional local evening service in South Reston.) The May 7th presentation also extends a third Herndon route (Route 929) to Wiehle (using the Toll Road in both directions). Thus, almost all Connector bus service from Reston and Herndon would be refocused to serve Wiehle Station.4

In March, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins requested Board consideration of a $2.2 million increase in Connector funding for additional service hour recommendations when the Silver Line begins to operate, including hours to expand mid-day and late-night Connector bus service in Reston. This additional service, to be subsequently presented to the Board of Supervisors for its consideration and prioritization, would be funded with new revenues from H.B. 2313 and an increase in the countys commercial and industrial tax rate. (Supervisor Hudgins revenue and funding plan was included in the countys FY 2014 budget.)

The countys initial and revised proposals for Dulles Corridor bus service were designed to be cost-neutral, and the savings achieved by eliminating bus service to West Falls Church (and proposed reductions in service, including the elimination of weekend service on Route 505 to Town Center) will be used to fund improvements in both Reston and Tysons, which currently has limited Connector service. The revised (April) proposals therefore describe all of the costneutral services financed by reallocating existing equipment and funds as base service. The April proposals also included several possible optional services in Reston, these were increased frequency (reduced headways) on weekday feeder routes and new weekend services that could be implemented if additional funds are identified. The May 7, 2013 presentation selects several of these optional weekend services, including weekend service on Routes 505, 551 and 558-559 in Reston. Total estimated cost for these and optional service in Vienna, McLean and Herndon is $2 million.

Three new or newly reinstated Herndon routes (Routes 927, 928, 937) would not be extended to Wiehle, but the existing Connector routes discussed above would provide shuttle service between Herndon-Monroe and Wiehle on combined five-minute intervals during peak periods. RIBS 4, the only Reston route that currently does not serve the Wiehle area would be extended to Wiehle Station, but only during peak periods. At all other times, RIBS 4 riders would be required to change buses at the Reston Town Center Transit Station. Buses between Town Center Wiehle would run on 10-minute intervals during offpeak periods. 12

FCDOT recently recommended a package of fare adjustments for Connector buses, which were approved by the Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2013. These adjustments included elimination of the $5.35 premium express fare on Route 981 (Dulles Airport Express) effective July 1, 2013.5 All other Reston-area fares remain the same.

B.

WEEKDAY SERVICE

Bus service to Wiehle Station will be most important on weekdays, given the larger weekday ridership, and the need for public transit due to station access and parking issues.6

The initial (January-February) Connector proposals would have increased the frequency of the rush-hour neighborhood feeder service to Metro, reducing peak headways on Routes 551554, 557 and 585 from 30 to 15 minutes. Since the distance to Wiehle Station is much shorter than the distance to West Falls Church Metro, this was a sensible proposal, shifting resources to double peak service on these routes.

In February, several commenters, including RCAs Reston 2020 committee, suggested that weekday morning service on Reston routes should begin earlier, emphasizing that commuter buses should provide connecting service with the first (and last) weekday trains at Wiehle Station. Several commenters also requested that the high-frequency peak morning and evening commuter service be extended into the mid-day and evening periods to accommodate late commuters. Reston 2020 also suggested that new, lower frequency mid-day and evening circulator service should be added between residential neighborhoods and Wiehle Station during off-peak periods to provide a crucial safety net. The countys revised (April) proposals do not respond to these common-sense requests, except for the addition of the new mid-day circulator service (Routes 558-559). In fact, early morning service was reduced now just one bus would connect with the first weekday morning Metrorail train departing Wiehle Station and there were lengthy gaps between peak and off-peak service hours (up to 60-80 minutes or more). These gaps were reduced

The fare for Route 981, which will provide service between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station when it opens in December, will become the Connectors base fare, the same as other Reston routes ($1.60 with SmarTrip card, $1.80 if paying with cash). When transferring from rail to bus, the Connector fare is even less, just $1.10 if paying by SmarTrip (no discount if paying with cash).
6

As discussed below, weekend service to Wiehle also will be necessary, but to a lesser extent since many Metro users have vehicles, and garage parking will be available and apparently free on weekends. The RIBS routes (and any optional weekend routes implemented) could provide transportation for those without vehicles or who do not wish to drive and park at the Wiehle garage. 13

(but not eliminated) in the May 7th presentation, and none of the other February requests were addressed.

County staff and the Board of Supervisors should revisit the earlier public requests for earlymorning connecting service, as well as extended peak service that seamlessly transitions or tapers into off-peak service. In addition, proposed off-peak (mid-day and evening) service should be strengthened, and the proposed 40-minutes headways should be substantially reduced.

1. EARLY MORNING SERVICE, CONNECTIONS WITH FIRST METRORAIL TRAINS DEPARTING WIEHLE STATION

Morning Service Should Begin Earlier On All Routes; Connector Buses From North And South Reston Should Arrive At Wiehle Station Before the First Morning Train Departs Towards Washington Despite the February requests, the revised proposals suggest that early morning service on all three routes that currently connect with the first morning Metrorail train from West Falls Church towards Washington (Routes 505, 585, 950) would start later, and none would provide the same connectivity with Silver Line trains. Only one Reston route, an entirely different route (Route 551), would serve Wiehle Station before the first morning Metrorail train departs towards Washington.7

Today, four Reston routes (505, 551, 585, 950) start before 5:00 a.m. Route 950, the earliest route, currently begins service at 4:14 a.m. and three of those routes (505, 585, 950) deliver passengers to West Falls Church Metro by 5:00 a.m., several minutes before the first train to Washington, D.C. departs at 5:07 a.m. The first Route 551 trip, however, does not arrive at West Falls Church until 5:27 a.m. (A table summarizing current earlymorning and late-night Connector arrivals and departures at West Falls Church Metro Station is attached at Tab. 4.) Under the countys revised proposals, Fairfax Connector service from Reston Town Center, the HerndonMonroe garage and the Reston South commuter lot to Metrorail on Routes 505, 585, 950 would begin later than the current Connector schedule. While short 15-20 minute adjustments might be appropriate to reflect the new, shorter travel times to Wiehle Metro, the revised proposals indicate that service on Routes 505 and 950 now would begin at 5:00 a.m. (30-45 minutes later than the current schedule), and that service on Route 585 would begin at 6:00 a.m. (80 minutes later). All other Reston routes (with one exception) would start at 5:00 a.m. or later. None of these routes, therefore, will start before Metrorail opens, let alone deliver passengers to Wiehle Station before the first morning train departs towards Washington, D.C. a few minutes later. (According to WMATA, the first Silver Line train will leave 14

Early morning rush-hour bus service should be expanded, not contracted, and Connector service should begin earlier on more Reston routes (well before 5:00 a.m.) to ensure that riders from both North and South Reston can reach Wiehle Station by bus before the first Metrorail train departs.

In April, county transportation officials acknowledged this and many other service issues discussed in this report, and promised to improve bus service, including specifically providing more connecting service to early morning Metrorail trains.8 On several occasions, however, they cautioned that they cannot add any new buses or trips on Reston routes due to budget constraints, and therefore suggested adjusting start and end times, and spreading out existing trips to provide expanded hours of service. But these are not realistic solutions to any of the scheduling problems since they merely would increase the headways (time between buses) and reduce the service frequency, thereby creating different problems.

Instead of shifting start and end times for the fixed number of trips, new trips should be added on Reston routes during both peak and off-peak periods. This would fill service gaps and other deficiencies in the revised proposals, while preserving the proposed increased frequencies (lower headways). In particular, steps should be taken to ensure that at least some buses from both North and South Reston serve Wiehle before the first morning departs towards Washington. If necessary, additional funding should be requested and provided to finance these additional Connector services. According to county documents, the recent state transportation bill H.B. 2313 is expected to generate more than $150 million in revenue for transportation for Fairfax County in FY-2014 alone. Seventy percent will be transferred to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and the remaining thirty percent, an estimated $47 million, will be transferred directly to Fairfax County. As already mentioned, Supervisor Hudgins requested Board consideration of $2.2 million from the countys share for additional off-peak and weekend bus service when the Silver Line opens in Reston. If this is insufficient, additional fund should be requested. These specific requests should be presented to the Board of
Wiehle Station between 5:00 and 5:03 a.m. on weekdays.) Indeed, the first Connector buses on many of those routes might not arrive at Wiehle Station until several Silver Line trains have already departed. In fact, under all the revised proposals, only one Reston route (Route 551) would begin service before Metrorail opens. The starting time for that route would be changed from 4:50 to 4:30 a.m., (twenty minutes earlier). Route 551, which originates at Herndon-Monroe and serves South Reston (but not the Reston South commuter lot), thus is the only Reston route that could possibly deliver passengers to the Wiehle Station before the first Metrorail train departs for Washington, D.C. shortly after 5:00 a.m.
8

Early morning start times were not changed in the May 7th presentation. Hopefully, this will be rectified in the final proposals presented to the Board. 15

Supervisors for its consideration and prioritization as soon as possible, and approved quickly, so county transportation staff may begin planning for implementation.

2.

MORNING AND EVENING PEAK (RUSH HOUR) SERVICE

Peak Service Hours Should Be Extended, Not Reduced; Service Hours Should Be Similar In North And South Reston The Countys initial (January-February) bus proposals recommended reducing headways on Reston feeder Routes 551-554 and 557 from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. Surprisingly, the revised (April) proposals reversed this trend, and increased peak headways (reduced frequency) on most of these routes to 18 minutes, reportedly to match peak Silver Line trains, which are expected to arrive and depart Wiehle Station at six minute intervals. One optional service proposed by county staff in April was reducing the weekday peak headways on Routes 552, 553, 554 and 557 from 18 to 12 minutes, but this was not recommended in the May 7th presentation to the Transportation Committee.9

While frequency of weekday peak feeder service to Metro would increase under all three proposals (18, 15 or 12-minutes headways), headways definitely should be reduced from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, as initially proposed in January. Reducing headways to 15-minutes would double the number of hourly trips from two to four (and double passenger capacity) over current service. Operating buses on the quarter hour (or at least 15-minute intervals) also might be easier for riders to remember.10 Reducing the headways to 12 minutes would further increase frequency (from four to five trips per hour), and should be a high priority if additional funding is obtained. The revised (April) proposals also created other problems. In addition to the later morning start times and reduced early morning bus-train connectivity (discussed in the preceding
9

According to the May 7 presentation, peak headways on Route 551 would be would be 15 minutes. The April proposals specified that peak headways on Route 585 would increase to 20 minutes. Route 585 was not included th in the May 7 presentation, and the current status of this route is unclear.
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th

Coordinating buses and trains will be important during certain times (when Metrorail service begins and ends each day, and during off-peak periods when trains will run much less frequently), but such coordination is less important during peak periods when trains will run every six minutes. Scheduling buses to arrive and depart on sixtwelve- or eighteen-minute intervals during peak periods thus is not necessary, and therefore should not be the determining factor in setting bus schedules during the morning and evening peak hours. Obviously, buses and trains sometimes are late, therefore trying to achieve a perfect match might be counterproductive anyway. 16

section), peak morning and evening service hours would change dramatically on Restons feeder routes.

In the morning, for example, feeder Routes 552, 553, 554 and 557 all would begin at same time (5:40 a.m.). Under the April proposals, however, service on Routes 552 and 554 would end at 8:30 a.m. (nearly 30-45 minutes earlier than the current schedule). At the same time, however, service on Route 553 would be extended until 8:48 a.m. (nearly 30 minutes later), roughly the same time as existing service ends on Route 557.11 These changes would result in nearly a twenty-minute disparity between service in North and South Reston, the equivalent of one or two rush hour trips to Metro (and multiple Metrorail trains).

No explanation has been provided for these changes.12 Obviously, service hours should be the same across Reston, and the proposed morning hours on Routes 552 and 554 should be extended to match those on the South Reston routes (553, 557). The April proposals also include similar, unexplained changes to evening service hours on these routes, resulting in an even clearer disparity between North and South Reston service. Under the revised proposals, evening rush hour service on Routes 552 and 554 would run from 4:00-7:00 p.m., but service on Routes 551, 553 and 557 would run from 4:30 to 7:45-8:00 p.m.

The May 7th presentation does not change the start or end times for morning feeder service on these routes which negatively impacted North Reston residents, who only have two direct peak feeder routes to Metro. The presentation, however, does standardize evening service hours service would be provided from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. on all four feeder routes (552-554, 557). This change should be implemented. Finally, none of the countys proposals to date would extend peak service into off-peak periods, not even on a tapered schedule as previously requested. Thus, even if uniform service hours are implemented, further improvement is necessary. At a minimum, peak hours should be extended so that they do not end until very shortly before off-peak service begins.

11

A table summarizing current and proposed (April) hours of peak service for Routes 551-554 and 555 in North and South Reston is attached at Tab 5.
12

The initial (January-February) proposals suggested several alignment changes for South Reston routes, but the revised (April) proposals restored all these routes to their original alignments. The April proposals also slightly extended Route 552 from Ring Road to Lake Fairfax Drive (eliminating service on a small portion of Ring Road). There is no indication that these alignment changes are connected with any of the service hour changes. 17

Start times for the buses during changeover periods (peak to off-peak, and the reverse) should be coordinated so the relative headway (difference in start times for the last peak and first offpeak bus, for example) is no longer than the shortest headway on the off-peak route. As discussed previously, additional funds should be sought to fund these necessary additional services.
3. MID-DAY AND LATE-EVENING CIRCULATOR SERVICE

The Proposed New Mid-Day and Evening Circulator Routes 558-559 Should Be Implemented; Hours Should Be Expanded By Adding Additional Trips To Eliminate Gaps Between Peak And Non-Peak Service; Off-Peak Headways Should Be Significantly Reduced The proposed mid-day and evening circulator service (Routes 558-559) will replace existing service lost when the Interim Sunset Hills commuter lot is closed and Route 555 is eliminated. This new off-peak service should be implemented. Under the revised (April) proposals, however, the new mid-day and evening circulator service would have limited hours (and long 40-minute headways). Thus, there would have been long gaps between peak and off-peak service. Like the peak hours (discussed above), the hours for this new mid-day and evening off-peak service should be further expanded to reduce gaps between peak and off-peak service. The May 7th presentation extends peak and off-peak service hours, but additional improvements are necessary. Headways on the new circulators also should be reduced to 30-minutes or less.

Today, Reston commuters can drive and park at the Interim Sunset Hills commuter lot (near Town Center), where parking is abundant and bus service is available all day to and from West Falls Church Metro. Thus, when peak morning service ends on the neighborhood feeder routes (the last trips on Routes 553 and 557 both begin before 8:15 a.m.), local commuters currently can go to the nearby Sunset Hills lot and catch a commuter bus to Metro with little difficulty. Route 555 express buses run from the Sunset Hills lot to Metro until 9:15 a.m., and headways on this route range from 10 to 20 minutes. Frequent service to Metro therefore is available for nearly an hour into the off-peak period for South Reston commuters, although on a tapered schedule. Even after Route 555 service ends at 9:15 a.m., bus service continues from the Sunset Hills lot and the nearby Reston Town Center Transit Station on Route 505. A bus leaves the Sunset Hills lot at 9:14, has a 15-minute layover at the transit station (just a short walk from the Sunset Hills lot), then departs from Town Center to West Falls Church at 9:35 a.m. This

18

service continues all day (with much shorter layovers, just a few minutes at the Transit Center) until nearly 11:00 p.m. with 30-minute headways.13

When the Wiehle Station opens in December, however, the Sunset Hills lot will close, and Route 555 express service will be discontinued. Although Route 505 service will continue, commuter parking at Town Center will be limited or, more likely, prohibited. Commuters, therefore, will need alternative off-peak public transportation from their neighborhoods to Wiehle Station and Metrorail.

Fortunately, the countys revised (April) proposals add new mid-day and evening circulator service between Restons neighborhoods and Wiehle Station (new Routes 558, 559). This new service would run until 10:30 p.m., but with long 40-minute headways all day. Evening (and reverse) commuters arriving by train at Wiehle who just miss a bus would have very long waits (up to 35-40 minutes), and then long trips to their destinations, particularly at the end of the new routes.

These new circulator routes will provide critical transit service during off-peak periods for commuters who miss their regular bus, have flexible or alternative work schedules, or simply must travel outside peak hours for child care or other reasons. The routes also will provide an important safety net for anyone who must travel unexpectedly during off-peak periods. These circulator routes, therefore, should be implemented. But further improvements are necessary. As proposed in April, the proposed circulator routes had serious limitations. The service hours for the new mid-day and evening service, designed to provide a safety net for commuters, were very limited, and created several major gaps that would leave riders stranded for an hour or more during the changeover periods between peak and off-peak service. The frequency of the new circulators (Routes 558, 559) also was far too low buses would run on 40-minute intervals and these buses should run much more frequently.14

13

In the opposite (Westbound) direction, Route 555 operates from West Falls Church Metro from 3:50-7:20 p.m. (last bus arriving at the new Sunset Hills commuter lot at 7:39 p.m.). Commuters who miss the last Route 555 bus can take Route 505 until 11:50 p.m., which also serves the Sunset Hills lot. Route 950 to the HerndonMonroe garage and Reston Town Center runs even later.
14

As discussed in the previous section, under the April proposals peak morning and evening feeder service ended early on some commuter Reston routes. In addition, the newly proposed circulator routes (558, 559) did not begin immediately, or even within a reasonable time after rush hour service ends. Thus, there would have been lengthy gaps between peak and non-peak service periods (morning rush, mid-day, evening rush and nighttime service). A table illustrating the gaps in the April proposals is attached at Tab 6. 19

As noted previously, the May 7th presentation suggests that the proposed hours for peak feeder service in Reston will be expanded and standardized throughout Reston. In addition, hours for mid-day and evening service on Routes 558-559 also will be expanded and standardized. The two circulators would run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m... Thus, the gaps between peak and off-peak service therefore would be reduced to 30 minutes.

According to county transportation staff, however, the time ranges in the countys proposals (or at least the initial and revised proposals) represent the beginning and end of service on each route, and the second time is when the last bus will be off the road. If this still is correct, the last trip on each route in the proposals (peak and non-peak) actually would begin 1530 minutes earlier, perhaps more depending upon the length of the route. Thus, the gaps between peak and off-peak service still could be up to an hour or more.15 Service hours on Routes 558 and 559 should be extended to close these gaps. Additional trips should be added at both the beginning and the end of these two circulator routes to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the proposed gaps in service without reducing headways. In addition to adding additional trips on the two circulator routes, the headways on these routes also should be reduced to 30 minutes or less. The proposed 40-minute headways simply are too long, particularly given the long and circuitous routes the circulator buses would take, combining segments from multiple feeder routes to maximize the service area. Indeed, total wait and travel times could routinely exceed an hour for even the shortest trips. If the 40-minute headways on these and other mid-day and evening routes (507, 591, and 592) are not reduced, the long intervals between buses very likely would discourage

Some of these gaps were relatively short (30, 35 and 42 minutes, respectively), but even these were significantly longer than the intervals during current transitional service on current Routes 555 (10 to 20 minutes), and two were longer than off-peak headways on Route 505 (thirty minutes throughout the entire midday and evening periods). Astonishingly, there would have been two sixty (60) minute gaps and one eighty (80) minute gap between peak and off-peak service. These gaps, which are longer than even the proposed 40-minute headways on the two new circulator routes, would have left many commuters without direct bus service to Metro at perhaps the worst possible time, immediately after the end of peak rush-hour service. The new circulator routes, therefore, did not provide much of a safety net, at least as proposed in April.
15

In South Reston, modified Routes 551 and 585, which now both would run all day, will provide some stop-gap coverage (although Route 585 will have a 60-minute headway during off-peak periods). There is no similar alternative in North Reston between the end of rush-hour service and the beginning of mid-day and nighttime service (60- and 80-minute gaps, respectively) since no other Connector routes will serve the Wiehle Avenue corridor (after the RIBS 4 route is shortened). 20

potential ridership except by the most dedicated or transit-dependent users, and the routes ultimately could fail.

As discussed previously, additional funds should be sought to fund these necessary additional services.

4. RESTON TOWN CENTER-WIEHLE STATION-SUNSET HILLS CORRIDOR SERVICE

Connector Service Between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station on Sunset Hills Road Should Be Increased

Bus service between the Wiehle Station and Reston Town Center is important if Town Center is to remain the vibrant heart of Reston and this portion of Fairfax County. Many restaurant patrons, and service and other workers will be using Metro. They need a robust local bus system to get to Town Center until Metrorail reaches Town Center in five years.

The countys latest proposals would continue weekday service between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station using several existing and modified routes, but the combined average peak headways would range from 7-8 minutes (slower than the times projected by the county), and increase to 10 minutes during off-peak periods. In addition, there are concerns regarding the Connectors ability to provide consistent, 20-minute round-trip service on one of those routes (Route 505) between Town Center and Wiehle using a single bus, as the county apparently plans. Under the revised (April) proposals, weekend service on Route 505 also would be dropped, resulting in higher 20-minute headways between Town Center and Wiehle. The May 7th presentation suggests that this weekend service be restored if additional funds are identified.

Currently, Route 505 runs between Town Center and the Wiehle area on Sunset Hills Road (headways typically are 30-minutes), before continuing to West Falls Church Metro.16 Route 981 (Dulles Airport Express) also provides express service from Dulles Airport to the Herndon-Monroe garage, the Reston Town Center and Tysons Westpark transit stations. Route 981 uses the Dulles Toll Road east of Reston Parkway (25-minute headways), and does not serve Sunset Hills Road. Route 950 provides indirect service from Town Center to Metro via the Herndon-Monroe garage (10-38 minute headways).
16

Prior to 2009, headways on Route 505 were 15 minutes during mid-day periods, but those increased to 30 minutes when funding was lost. 21

Under the countys revised (April) proposals, Route 505 would operate between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station on reduced, 20-minute headways, providing local weekday service along Sunset Hills Road.17 In addition, Route 981 would provide express service between Town Center and Wiehle operating daily, including weekends, on reduced 20-minute headways and utilizing the Dulles Toll Road. Service on these two routes would be synchronized and, according to county officials, provide combined 10-minute headways between Town Center and Wiehle on weekdays, at least until Route 981 service ends 11:00 p.m. While the proposed combined 10-minute headways between Town Center and Wiehle Station are an improvement over current service between these two points, these headways still are twice as long as the headways between the Herndon-Monroe garage and Wiehle Station. Additional buses (equipment) and trips therefore should be added on Route 505 to further increase the frequency of service and lower headways.18 Indeed, all service on routes between Town Center and Wiehle could be subject to traffic delays, but Route 505 might be impacted the most. At last report, the county was planning to use a single bus on Route 505, and expected this bus to complete the round-trip (including boarding and discharging passengers at interim stops) within 15-20 minutes, thus maintaining the promised 10 and 20-minute headways. Unfortunately, current service between Town Center and the future station area often already takes 10-minutes each way (without projected Wiehle Station-related traffic delays), due to local stops, customers paying cash and recharging SmarTrip cards, and weekday traffic on Sunset Hills Road. This raises doubts about the feasibility of using a single bus to provide Route 505 service.19 The county should consider adding a second bus to Route 505, particularly during weekday periods with the highest congestion, to ensure reliable scheduled service on this route. Another step that has already been proposed is extending the RIBS 4 route to Wiehle Station, but only during morning and evening peak periods. This additional service would increase the number of hourly trips each way from Town Center to Wiehle from six to eight during
17

The initial (February) proposals renumbered Route 505 (and suggested several alternatives or replacements). The revised (April) proposals restore the original route numbering and alignment (but now terminating at Wiehle Station). As already noted, under the April proposals weekend service on Route 505 would be eliminated unless additional funds are identified.
18

Newly modified Route 952 (reverse peak service between Herndon-Monroe and Wiehle Station, bidirectional during mid-day periods)) will serve Sunset Hills Road, but not serve the Town Center Transit Station.
19

Route 981, which would utilize the Dulles Toll Road (not Sunset Hills Road), would not experience the same local traffic issues except approaching Wiehle Station. 22

peak periods, and reduce average headways to 7-8 minutes (not the 5-minute headways stated during the April public meetings). As discussed below, this proposal should be implemented. In addition, the RIBS 4 route should be extended to Wiehle throughout the entire day (and on weekends) to provide additional service on the Sunset Hills corridor.

Finally, the fares for Connector service between Town Center and Wiehle Station should be reexamined. At present, fares on Connector buses from Town Center to Wiehle Station will be $1.60 with a SmarTrip card ($1.80 cash). Traveling in the opposite direction, the bus fare would be $1.10 with SmarTrip when transferring from Metrorail to bus.

Some have questioned whether there should be any charge for the slightly more than a mile trip from Wiehle Station to the Town Center Transit Station. After all, when Metrorail reaches Town Center the cost for that extra mile probably will be small. County officials therefore should attempt to lower the bus fare to encourage ridership in the Sunset Hills Corridor. One option would be reducing the fare to $1.10 in both directions. Indeed, when FCDOT recently recommended reducing the fare on Route 981 as part of a package of Connector fare adjustments on express routes (all significant reductions), one rationale was increasing ridership in advance of the opening of the Silver Line. FCDOT staff stated that while there may be a short-term drop in farebox revenue, over time FCDOT staff expects to see a ridership increase that will result in the same amount of farebox revenue currently collected on those routes or more. While not an express route, the same rationale (increasing ridership in the corridor) applies here to Route 505, and the fare between Town Center and Wiehle Stations should be reduced to $1.10 both ways.

Fairfax Connector should work with the Reston Town Center Association and others to further reduce the bus fare between Wiehle Station and Town Center to an even lower amount that more accurately reflects the short distance between Town Center and Wiehle Station and maximizes use of public transit, if possible.

5.

LATE-NIGHT SERVICE

Late-Night Service Should Be Extended On Friday Nights, When Metrorail Has Extended Hours Evening (post-peak) service on weekdays would be limited. All the neighborhood feeder routes would end after the evening rush-hour, except for South Reston Route 551 which would continue until 10:30 p.m. Service on Route 585 (Reston South commuter lot) and the new mid-day and evening circulators (Routes 558, 559) would continue until 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively.
23

After 10:30 p.m., only a few Connector routes would operate in Reston: Route 981 (Dulles Airport Express, with stops at Reston Town Center and Wiehle, 20-minute headways) would continue until 11:00 p.m.; Route 950 (Reston Town Center to Wiehle Station via HerndonMonroe, 30-minute headways) would operate until midnight; and Route 505, the four Reston RIBS routes, and new Route 507 (the all-day Sunset Hills-Sunrise Valley circulator between Hunter Mill and Wiehle) would continue until 1:00 a.m.20

The proposed hours for late-night weekday service include some schedule changes, including some service reductions.21 On balance, however, the revised proposals would provide relatively good late-night service and should be implemented.

If possible, a few additional, even later Connector bus trips should be added on Friday nights, when Metrorail hours are extended until 3:00 a.m. At a minimum, local bus service should be added between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station to meet the last arriving and departing trains on Friday nights, and later connecting service should be provided on the RIBS routes. This would provide transit for patrons and employees at Reston Town Center businesses traveling by Metrorail, and would provide transportation for passengers arriving from Washington or Tysons, particularly anyone who has consumed alcohol and does not wish to drive. Thus, later connector service to meet the last arriving and departing Metro trains would be an asset.

6.

DIRECT RIBS SERVICE TO WIEHLE STATION

20

The latter three evening services (Routes 505, RIBS 1-4 and Route 507) would have 20-, 30- and 40-minute headways, respectively. As noted previously, since the proposed hours of service on routes reportedly lists the time the last bus will be off the road, the last trip on all these routes actually would start at least 15-30 minutes earlier. Until 11:00 p.m., when Route 981 would end, the combination of Routes 505 and 981 would provide service between Town Center and Wiehle on 10-minute intervals. Of course, since Route 981 uses the Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills, local service at stops between the two points would have higher 20-minute headways.
21

Under the revised proposals, Route 950, which previously ran until 1:24 a.m., now would end at midnight, 80 minutes earlier. Similarly, Route 981, which ran until 11:55 p.m., would end at 11:00 p.m., nearly an hour earlier. On the other hand, Route 505 would run 45 minutes later (service would be extended from 12:12 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.), and the RIBS routes (RIBS 4 previously ended at 10:30 p.m., the others ended between 12:44 and 12:50 a.m.) all would be extended to 1:00 a.m. on weekdays. 24

The Proposed New RIBS 4 Hours Of Service Should Be Implemented; The RIBS 4 Route Should Be Extended To Wiehle Station At All Times, Not Just During Peak Weekday Periods, and All RIBS Routes Should Provide Direct Service to the Station Bus Bays Three RIBS routes (RIBS 1, 2, 3) currently serve the Wiehle area. Under the revised (April) proposals, all three routes would serve the new station. According to the route maps, however, only RIBS 2 would pull into the station from Sunset Hills Road. Apparently, RIBS 1 and 3 would not enter the station. Instead, they would pick up and discharge passengers on Wiehle Avenue. These latter routes should be extended into Wiehle Station, rather than board and discharge passengers outside on Wiehle Avenue. The countys revised proposals would extend both morning and evening hours on the RIBS 4 route, to provide hours of service similar to those on other Reston RIBS routes, and these new hours should be implemented. Unfortunately, the proposals would eliminate all service, both weekday and weekend, on the RIBS 4 route beyond the North Point Village Center (trip segments on Center Harbor, Wiehle Avenue and Reston Parkway, currently 30-minute headways).22 While RIBS 4 service from the Center Harbor-Wiehle-Reston Parkway area to Reston Town Center would cease, Route 554 would provide weekday feeder service from these areas to Wiehle Station during peak periods (18-minute headways) and new Route 558 would provide less frequent, 40-minute weekday circulator service to Wiehle during the mid-day and evening periods (until 10:30 p.m.).23 However, there would be no bus service from the Center Harbor area directly to Town Center, and no bus service to either Wiehle Station or Town Center after 10:30 p.m. or on weekends when Route 558 would stop service.

The countys initial and revised proposals recommended several route extensions, but this RIBS 4 change appears to be the only significant route reduction in Reston. Loss of direct RIBS 4 bus service from this Center Harbor-Wiehle-Reston Parkway area to Town Center, and loss of all Connector bus service to and from this area after 10:30 p.m. and on weekends, would be a significant reduction in North Reston, which has less bus service than other comparable areas, and should not be undertaken without good justification. Although the county is proposing shortening the RIBS 4 route, the revised proposals simultaneously recommend extending the RIBS 4 route from Town Center to Wiehle Station
22

This proposed alignment change is shown on the Connectors maps, but was not highlighted in FCDOTs written materials, and thus may not be well known to many current or potential future RIBS 4 users.
23

RIBS 4 service between North Point Village Center and Town Center would continue until 1:00 a.m. on weekdays, until midnight on Saturdays and until 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. 25

during peak weekday periods (morning and evening rush) to provide additional service along the Sunset Hills Road corridor. The extended RIBS 4 route would be similar to service on old Route 505/556, which operated from Center Harbor to Town Center, then continued to the former Wiehle Reston East commuter lot and ultimately to West Falls Church Metro during peak periods. When Route 556 was eliminated in 2006, some lost segments were incorporated in the RIBS 4 route. The countys proposal to extend the RIBS 4 route to Wiehle is a good idea. It will restore direct peak service to Metro from the Lake Newport Road and Bennington Woods areas not served by any feeder route (since the elimination of Route 556), and would simultaneously increase service along the Sunset Hills corridor. According to the route maps, RIBS 4 buses also would pull into the station, like other buses connecting Town Center and Wiehle Station (Routes 505, 981). This extension, therefore, should be implemented.

In fact, the RIBS 4 route should be extended to Wiehle Station at all times, including both offpeak weekday periods and on weekends.

Under the revised (April) proposals, RIBS 4 is the only Reston RIBS route that will not directly serve the Wiehle Station during off-peak hours and on weekends. Mid-day and weekend Metro riders, therefore, would be required to transfer twice (once at the Reston Town Center Transit Center and again at Wiehle Station) to travel by rail. Transferring buses at Town Center was less objectionable when the second bus leg (Town Center to West Falls Church) took longer (nearly 25 minutes) and the full trip from the North Point area to West Falls Church took 40 minutes. When Wiehle Station opens however, both Reston legs will be much shorter. Requiring riders take two buses to complete the short, 20-25 minute combined trip between North Point Village Center and Wiehle Station, and then transfer again to Metrorail would be extremely burdensome, and likely would discourage use of public transit. Obviously, adding new off-peak and weekend RIBS 4 trips between Town Center and Wiehle Station also would increase bus service along the Sunset Hills corridor. Thus, this would be a win-win situation for RIBS 4 riders and travelers between Town Center and Wiehle and on Sunset Hills generally. This countys sensible recommendation to extend the RIBS 4 route should be expanded to include off-peak weekday hours and weekend service.

C.

WEEKEND SERVICE

Weekend Service Should Be Restored on Route 505; Recommended Lower Weekend Headways Should Be Implemented In addition to the weekday service discussed above, the Fairfax Connector currently provides limited weekend service on Reston Routes 505, 950 and 981 between Reston Town Center and West Falls Church Metro. The countys revised (April) proposals, however, would shift
26

the current weekend service on Route 505 into the optional category, listing it as one of the additional services that would be provided only if new funding is identified. The May 7th presentation suggests that this weekend service would be restored if additional funds are identified.

Weekend service on Route 505 is very important, since it provides the only direct local service between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station along Sunset Hills Road.24 This weekend service on Route 505, therefore, should be restored to the base service plan or, as discussed below, selected as one of the options to be financed from newly-identified funds. The countys revised (April) proposal for optional Route 505 service also reduces weekend headways on this route from 30-minutes to 20-minutes, and this improvement also should be implemented.25 One low cost way to provide additional service on both weekdays and weekends would be to reroute Route 574, which provides service between Reston Town Center and Tysons via Leesburg Pike (Virginia Route 7), to include a stop both directions at Wiehle Station. This is one of the few bus routes in Reston that has not been integrated into the new Wiehle Station service. Including a stop at Wiehle would add another, albeit indirect, connection between Town Center and Wiehle and would benefit Route 574 riders.

24

Routes 950 and 981 would connect these two points, but would utilize the Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road, and therefore not provide serve local bus service along the corridor. Similarly, under the recent proposals the RIBS 4 route would only be extended to Wiehle Station on weekdays (and even then only during morning and evening peak periods). Thus, RIBS 4 would not provide weekend service between Town Center and Wiehle (unless RIBS 4 is extended, as recommended above).
25

The Countys proposal for optional weekend service on Route 505 suggests that Sunday service, which current runs until 11:32 p.m., would end at 9:00 p.m. Given the importance of this route to the community and Reston Town Center businesses or their patrons and employees, Sunday night service on this route should continue until 11:00 p.m. 27

III.

PROPOSED ADDITIONAL AND OPTIONAL SERVICES

Additional Transportation Funds, If Any, Should Be Used To Finance Necessary Improvements On Weekdays, To Restore Route 505 Service On Weekends, To Reduce Weekday Headways on Routes 552-554, 557, and To Extend RIBS 4 To Wiehle During Off-Peak Periods And On Weekends, All Before New Weekend Service Is Added To Other Routes The revised (April) proposals list numerous optional services, which could be implemented if additional funding is identified. This apparently refers to proceeds from the recently-enacted regional transportation bill to be administered by Fairfax County and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The county identified several optional services and has asked for public input to help prioritize where the additional transportation funds should be expended (a) As already shown, the countys revised proposals would reduce some existing Connector services and leave time periods without service between residential neighborhoods and Wiehle Station on weekdays. Existing weekend service on Route 505 also would be eliminated, absent a new funding source. For the reasons discussed previously, any new transportation funds that become available should first be used to remedy these problems. (b) The options listed in the countys revised proposal also include reducing weekday headways on Routes 552-554 and 557 from 18 to 12 minutes. These reductions would significantly improve weekday service to Wiehle Station and strengthen the entire local transportation system, and also should be prioritized.

(c) Next, the county should consider an option not on its list extending the RIBS 4 route from Town Center to Wiehle Station during both off-peak periods and on weekends. As discussed above, extending this route to Wiehle would be beneficial for many reasons. Extending the RIBS 4 route to Wiehle during off-peak periods and on weekends also would be essential to maintain parity if new optional weekend service is provided on any of the Wiehle feeder and circulator routes (Routes 552-554, 557, or 558-559) since RIBS 4 serves areas not served by any of those routes.

(d) After all the foregoing additional services and options (paragraphs (a)-(c) above) have been implemented to plug gaps, reduce headways, etc., then any remaining available funds should be used to add weekend service to Wiehle Station on Reston routes currently without weekend service. This could include adding weekend service on either current weekday feeder routes (Routes 552-554, 557) or the proposed off-peak circulator routes (Routes 558, 559). The total dollar amount of funds available and the costs of adding service on particular likely will determine where these funds can be best utilized, and the county should use its
28

discretion. Care should be taken, however, to ensure all areas of Reston are served equally. In this regard, FCDOTs suggestion to added weekend service on Routes 558-559 appears to be a reasonable choice, would serve North and South Reston equally, and therefore should be implemented.

IV.

RELATED STATION ACCESS ISSUES

Better Pedestrian and More Convenient Bus Access Should Be Provided on the South Side of Wiehle Station, And Issues Related To The Dulles Toll Road Exit Ramp Should Be Resolved Bus riding should be easy, fast and convenient to attract greater ridership. The overall situation around Wiehle Station, however, indicates that Connector buses will have considerable difficulty navigating the traffic congestion anticipated in the area.26 The Fairfax Connector planning staff has only limited control over many of these issues; they should bring them to the attention of more senior county officials. One important issue is the absence of adequate bus access to the South side of the Wiehle Station for bus riders from south Reston. This means a congested trip on the Wiehle Avenue bridge crossing the Dulles Toll Road. The county is working with the property owners on the South side of Wiehle Station for pedestrian access but we think it important that south Reston buses be able to discharge passengers near the south side entrance. Another issue making bus travel less attractive is uncertainty about use of the five bus slip ramps on the Toll Road exit ramp on the South side of the station. Indeed, Connector bus routes maps indicate that most Reston-Herndon Connector buses including those using the Toll Road to approach the station (Routes 585, 924, 926, 950, 980, 981, 985) will go to the North side COMSTOCK station.

Reston Citizens Association has also suggested that buses approaching from the North on Wiehle be able to by-pass the congested Wiehle/Sunset Hills intersection by using Isaac Newton Square to reach the new Metro Access Drive. No action has apparently been taken on this suggestion to create a new grid of streets. The earlier RCA paper on bus issues noted the current public interest in better bus information and improvements to bus stops. These issues were again raised at the April Reston bus meetings. What is needed is paving or other ground cover to reduce puddles of
26

See Wiehle Metro Station Access: Congestion Ahead (Reston Citizens Association Feb. 4, 2013), available at http://www.reston2020.blogspot.com/2013/02/rca-white-paper-wiehle-metro-station.html, for additional details. 29

water and mud, better lighting, shelters and benches at frequently used bus stops, information on bus routes and schedules at all stops. The county has a program of bus stop improvements but with 4,000 bus stops progress is slow. We suggest that groups like the Reston Association Transportation Advisory Committee (RA-TAC) and Pedestrian and Biking Advisory Committee (RA-PBAC), working with groups like Reston for a Lifetime, prioritize a list of Reston bus stops that should be improved. In addition, Fairfax Connector needs to work on technical improvements that will make bus riding easier. For example, provision of GPS equipment on Connector buses and displays at Wiehle Station (and the Reston Town Center Transit Station) can help passengers tell when buses will arrive. The county has promised that signs at the COMSTOCK Wiehle Metro station will enable riders to tell when buses will depart; we hope they follow up on this.

CONCLUSION
The service improvements recommended in this report are essential to provide frequent, reliable and easy to use public transit to the Wiehle Station. This service will be critical for several years, when Wiehle Station is the terminus of the Silver Line. These recommendations build on Restons transit tradition, and will make the difference in providing Reston with good transit service. They should be included in the Fairfax Connectors Silver Line Phase 1 service plan approved by the Board of Supervisors in June and implemented when Silver Line service begins in December.

30

APPENDICES
Tab 1 North Reston to/from Wiehle Station (Weekdays) Tab 2 South Reston to/from Wiehle Station (Weekdays) Tab 3 Reston Town Center to/from Wiehle Station, Sunset Hills Corridor (Weekdays)

Tab 4 Fairfax Connector Arrivals and Departures, West Falls Church Metro Station (Current Service, Weekdays) Tab 5 Current and Proposed Hours of Service, Feeder Routes, North and South Reston (Weekdays) Tab 6 Gaps Between Proposed Peak and Off-Peak Service (Weekdays)

31

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

TAB 1

Routes to/from Wiehle Station, North Reston, Weekdays

(May 7, 2013 Presentation in red) Metrorail hours: 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on MondayThursday: 5:00 a.m.3:00 a.m. on Friday; 7:00 a.m.3:00 a.m. on Saturday; 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 (midnight) on Sunday.

Morning Peak: Route New 507 (SV-SH Circulator east of Wiehle Station) 552 (Reston NorthNorth Shore Dr.) 554 (Reston North-Wiehle) RIBS 4

Current Service -7 trips a.m.; 28-30 min. / 5:449:12 a.m. (a.m. Southbound) 7 trips a.m.; 21-32 min. / 5:408:56 a.m. (a.m. Southbound) 33 trips daily; 26-34 min. / 6:11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, all-day seven-days)

Initial (Jan-Feb) Proposal -15 min. / rush hour (a.m. Southbound) 15 min. / rush hour (a.m. Southbound) no changes

Revised (April) Proposal 20 min. / 5:00-9:30 a.m. (Clockwise) 18 min / 5:40-8:30 a.m. (a.m. Southbound) (extended to Lake Fairfax Dr.) 18 min. / 5:40-8:30 a.m. (a.m. Southbound) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop, all-day seven days) (extended to Wiehle Station peak service only)
40 min. / 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Clockwise) 40 min. / 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Clockwise) (9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)

Optional +Sat +Sun 12 min. 12 min. --

Mid-Day: New 507 (SV-SH Circulator east of Wiehle Station) New 558 (Reston North Mid-day) (portions of 552/554 routes) RIBS 4

--33 trips daily; 26-34 min. / 6:11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, all-day seven-days)

--no changes

+Sat +Sun +Sat +Sun --

30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop, all-day seven days) (extended to Wiehle Station peak service only) See the Reston Town Center to/from Wiehle Station chart for connecting service along the Sunset Hills Road corridor.

32

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

EVENING PEAK: Route New 507 (SVSH Circulator east of Wiehle Station) 552 (Reston North North Shore Dr.) 554 (Reston NorthWiehle) RIBS 4

Current Service

Initial (JanFeb) Proposal 15 min. / rush hour (p.m. Northbound) 15 min. / rush hour (p.m. Northbound) no changes

Revised (April) Proposal 20 min. / 3:307:30 p.m. (Clockwise)

Optional +Sat +Sun

10 trips p.m.; 2634 min. / 3:129:08 p.m. (p.m. Northbound) 7 trips p.m.; 30 min. / 4:017:30 p.m. (p.m. Northbound) 33 trips daily; 2634 min. / 6:11 a.m.10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, allday sevendays )

18 min / 4:007:00 p.m. 12 min. (4:007:30 p.m.) (p.m. Northbound) (extended to Lake Fairfax Dr.) 18 min. / 4:007:00 p.m. 12 min. (4:00 7:30 p.m.) (p.m. Northbound) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop, allday seven days) (extended to Wiehle Station peak service only)

NIGHT: New 507 (SVSH Circulator east of Wiehle Station) New 558 (Reston North Midday) (portions of 552/554 routes) RIBS 4

33 trips daily; 2634 min. / 6:11 a.m.10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, allday sevendays)

no changes

40 min. / 7:30 p.m.1:00 a.m. (Clockwise) 40 min. / 8:201 10:30 p.m. (Clockwise) 8:00 ( 0 10:30 p.m.) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop, allday seven days) (extended to Wiehle Station peak service only)

+Sat +Sun +Sat +Sun

See the Reston Town Center to/from Wiehle Station chart for connecting service along the Sunset Hills Road corridor.

33

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

ALLDAY RIBS ROUTES: Revised (April) Proposal 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 am. (Clockwise) RIBS 2 no change 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (Clockwise) RIBS 3 no change 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (Counterclockwise) RIBS 4 no change 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop, allday seven days) (Route begins/ends at Reston Town Center, but is extended to Wiehle Station peak service only. No direct RIBS 4 service between North Reston and Wiehle Station during off peak hours. Riders must transfer buses at Reston Town Center.) See the Reston Town Center to/from Wiehle Station chart for connecting service along the Sunset Hills Road corridor. Route RIBS 1 Current 34 trips daily; Service 2535 min. / 5:08 a.m.12:50 a.m. 34 trips daily; 2535 min. / 5:11 a.m.12:47 a.m. 34 trips daily; 27 33 min. / 5:15 a.m.12:44 a.m. 33 trips daily; 2634 min. / 6:11 a.m.10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, allday sevendays ) Initial (JanFeb) Proposal no change Optional

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35

TAB 2
ROUTES TO/FROM WIEHLE STATION SOUTH RESTON, WEEKDAYS (May 7, 2013 Presentation in red) Metrorail hours: 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on Monday-Thursday: 5:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m. on Friday; 7:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m. on Saturday; 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 (midnight) on Sunday.

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39

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

TAB 3 Reston Town Center to/from Wiehle Station, Sunset Hills Road Corridor, Weekdays
(No changes in May 7, 2013 Presentation) Metrorail hours: 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on MondayThursday: 5:00 a.m.3:00 a.m. on Friday; 7:00 a.m.3:00 a.m. on Saturday; 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 (midnight) on Sunday.

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MID-DAY Route 505 (RTC) (serves Sunset Hills Road) Current Service Route 505: 76 one-way trips daily; 2046,75 min. / 4:30 a.m.-12:12 a.m. (bidirectional) Initial (Jan-Feb) Proposal Substitute Route 959: 20 min during rush / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 min. service) (Option 2) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) -Revised (April) Proposal Route 505: 20 min. (all day) / 5:00-1:00 a.m. (bidirectional) (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 minute service)

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

Optional +Sat +Sun

950 (RTC) (via Herndon-Monroe P&R) (uses Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road) 952r (Sunset Hills Road only) (does not serve RTC) 981 (Dulles Airport) (Express on Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road)

116 one-way trips daily; 10-38 min. / 4:14 a.m.-1:24 a.m. (bidirectional) --

30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) 40 min. all other times / 5:00 a.m-10:00 p.m. (a.m. Westbound, p.m. Eastbound) 20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. (bidirectional) (regional express fare $5.35/$4.85) (fare reduced by Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2013 to $1.60 SmarTrip, $1.80 cash effective July 1, 2013)

--

+Sat +Sun

88 one-way trips daily, 25 min. / 6:05 a.m.-11:55 p.m. (times at RTC) (bidirectional) (regional express fare $4.85)

20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. (bidirectional) (regional express fare $4.85)

--

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EVENING PEAK Route 505 (RTC) (serves Sunset Hills Road) Current Service Route 505: 76 one-way trips daily; 20-46,75 min. / 4:30 a.m.-12:12 a.m. (bidirectional) Initial (Jan-Feb) Proposal Substitute Route 959: 20 min. during rush / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 min. service) (Option 2) Eliminated Revised (April) Proposal Route 505: 20 min. (all day) / 5:00-1:00 a.m. (bidirectional) (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 minute service)

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

Optional +Sat +Sun

555 (Sunset Hills P&R) (Express on Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road) 950 (RTC) (via Herndon-Monroe P&R) (uses Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road) 952r (Sunset Hills Road only) (does not serve RTC) 981 (Dulles Airport) (Express on Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road)

18 trips p.m.; 8-15,20,25 min. / 3:50-7:39 p.m. (p.m. Westbound) 116 one-way trips daily; 10-38 min. / 4:14 a.m.-1:24 a.m. (bidirectional)

Eliminated

n/a

30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) 15 min. rush hour / (p.m. Eastbound) (Option 2) 20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. (bidirectional) (regional express fare $4.85) no change

30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) 30 min. during rush hour / 5:00 a.m-10:00 p.m. (p.m. Eastbound) 20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. (bidirectional) (regional express fare $5.35/$4.85) (fare reduced by Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2013 to $1.60 SmarTrip, $1.80 cash effective July 1, 2013) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop) extended to Wiehle Station peak service only)

--

9 trips p.m.; 30 min. / 3:03-7:42 p.m. (p.m. Eastbound) 88 one-way trips daily, 25 min. / 6:05 a.m.-11:55 p.m. (from RTC) (bidirectional) (regional express fare $4.85)

+Sat +Sun

--

RIBS 4

33 trips daily; 26-34 min. / 6:11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, all-day seven-days)

--

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NIGHT: Route 505 (RTC) (serves Sunset Hills Road) Current RouteService 505: 76 oneway trips daily; 2046,75 min. / 4:30 a.m.12:12 a.m. (bidirectional) Initial (JanFeb) Proposal Substitute Route 959: 20 min during rush / 5:00 a.m.12:00 a.m. (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 min. service) (Option 2) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) Revised (April) Proposal Route 505: 20 min. (all day) / 5:001:00 a.m. (bidirectional) (coordinates with Route 981 to provide 10 minute service) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.12:00 a.m. (bidirectional) 40 min. all other times / 5:00 a.m10:00 p.m. (p.m. Eastbound) 20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.11:00 p.m. (bidirectional) (regional express fare $5.25/$4.85) (fare reduced by Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2013 to $1.60 SmarTrip, $1.80 cash effective July 1, 2013)

v.040 (May 20, 2013)

Optional +Sat +Sun

950 (RTC) (via HerndonMonroe P&R) (uses Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road) 952r (Sunset Hills Road only) (does not serve RTC) 981 (Dulles Airport) (Express on Dulles Toll Road, not Sunset Hills Road)

116 oneway trips daily; 1038 min. / 4:14 a.m.1:24 a.m. (bidirectional)

+Sat +Sun

88 one way trips daily, 25 min. / 6:05 a.m.11:55 p.m. (times at RTC) (bidirectional) (regional express fare $4.85)

20 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.11:00 p.m. (regional express fare $4.85)

Note: No RIBS 4 service between Reston Town Center and Wiehle Station during midday and night hours. Peak periods only. ALLDAY RIBS ROUTES: RIBS 1 RIBS 2 RIBS 3 RIBS 4 34 trips; 2535 min. / 5:08 a.m.12:50 a.m. 34 trips; 2535 min. / 5:11 a.m.12:47 a.m. 34 trips; 2733 min. / 33 trips daily; 2634 min. / 12:44 a.m. 5:15 6:11 a.m. a.m.10:30 p.m. (Service to Reston Town Center only, allday sevendays ) no change no change no change no change 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 am. (Clockwise) 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (Clockwise) 30 min. (all day) / 30 min. (all day) / 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (Counterclockwise) 5:00 a.m.1:00 a.m. (eliminated North Point loop,) (Route begins/ends at Reston Town Center, but is extended to Wiehle Station peak service only. No direct RIBS 4 service between North Reston and Wiehle Station during off peak hours. Riders must transfer buses at Reston Town Center.)

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v.008 (May 6, 2013)

TAB 4

Fairfax Connector Arrivals and Departures West Falls Church Metro Station Current Service, Weekdays First Metrorail train (to Washington) departs from West Falls Church Metro at 5:07 a.m. on Monday Friday morning. Last Metrorail train (from Washington) arrives at WFC Metro Station between 12:2012:35 a.m. on Monday Thursday evening, and arrives at WFC Metro between 3:203:35 a.m. on Friday evening. First A.M. Bus First A.M. Bus Last P.M. Bus Last P.M. Bus Arrival at WFC Departure from WFC Arrival at WFC Departure from WFC Route Service Hours 500 Series: 505 4:30 a.m.12:12 a.m. *4:59 a.m. 5:07 a.m. 11:28 p.m. 11:50 p.m. 551 4:509:47 a.m. 5:27 a.m. 9:40 p.m. p.m. 3:0510:15 551r 6:279:05 a.m. 6:27 a.m. 7:02 p.m. 4:257:02 p.m. 552 5:449:12 a.m. 6:12 a.m. 8:35 p.m. 3:129:08 p.m. 553 5:498:24 a.m. 6:19 a.m. 7:00 p.m. 4:357:40 p.m. 554 5:408:56 a.m. 6:06 a.m. 7:01 p.m. 4:017:01 p.m. 555 5:159:40 a.m. 5:35 a.m. 7:20 p.m. 3:357:39 p.m. 557 5:538:50 a.m. 6:23 a.m. 6:54 p.m. 3:547:20 p.m. 585 4:4010:04 a.m. *5:00 a.m. 8:10 p.m. 3:258:30 p.m. * Designates bus meets first train towards Washington, D.C. on MondayFriday morning, or last train from Washington on Monday Thursday evening.
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v.008 (May 6, 2013)

First A.M. Route Service Hours Arrival at WFC

First A.M. Departure from WFC

Last P.M. Arrival at WFC

Last P.M. Departure from WFC *12:40 a.m.

900 Series: 950 4:14 a.m.1:24 *4:57 a.m. 5:10 a.m. 12:16 10:01 a.m. a.m. a.m. 951r 5:01 5:31 7:35 p.m. a.m. 3:077:35 p.m. 952r 5:079:26 a.m. 5:26 7:42 p.m. a.m. 3:037:42 p.m. * Designates bus meets first train towards Washington, D.C. on MondayFriday morning, or last train from Washington on MondayThursday evening.

Sources: Current Fairfax Connector schedules (visited April 23, 2013) Metrorail Train Tables, Weekday Evening (Dec. 27, 2009)

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TAB 5

Current and Proposed Hours of Service, Feeder Routes North and South Reston, Weekdays April 2013 Proposals (May 7, 2013 Presentation in red) Current Proposed A.M. Peak A.M. Peak Route Start Times Start Times North Reston: 552 5:44 a.m. 5:40 a.m. to 554 5:40 a.m. 5:40 a.m. 4:30 a.m. RIBS 2 starts at 5:00 a.m. 5:40 a.m. 5:40 a.m. to to to to to Current A.M. Peak End Times 9:12 a.m. 8:56 a.m. 9:47 a.m. 9:05 a.m. 8:24 a.m. 8:50 a.m. Proposed A.M. Peak End Times 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. RIBS 2 runs all-day 8:48 a.m. 8:48 a.m. Current P.M. Peak Start Times 3:12 p.m. 4:01 p.m. 3:05 p.m. 4:25 p.m. 4:35 p.m. 3:54 p.m. Proposed P.M. Peak Start Times 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. ? 4:30 p.m. (4:00 p.m.) 4:30 p.m. (4:00 p.m.) all-day to to to to to to to Current P.M. Peak End Times 9:08 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 10:15 p.m. 7:02 p.m. 7:40 p.m. 7:20 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Proposed P.M. Peak End Times 7:00 p.m. (7:30 p.m.) 7:00 p.m. (7:30 p.m.) 8:00 p.m. ? 7:45 p.m. (7:30 p.m.) 7:45 p.m. (7:30 p.m.) 10:00 p.m.

South Reston: 551 4:50 a.m. 551r 6:27 a.m. 553 557 585 5:49 a.m. 5:53 a.m.

4:40 a.m. 6:00 a.m. to 10:04 a.m. all-day 3:25 p.m. Sources: Current Fairfax Connector schedules (visited April 23, 2013) Revised (April 2013) Proposals (visited April 23, 2013) Proposed Fairfax Connector Silver Line Bus Plan (May 7, 2013 presentation)
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TAB 6

Gaps between Proposed Peak and Off-Peak Service, Weekdays April 2013 Proposals
(May 7, 2013 Presentation in red)

*According to FCDOT staff, the time ranges for hours of service in the Connectors proposals represent the beginning and end of service on each route, and the second time lists when the last bus will be off the road. If this is correct, the last trip necessarily would begin 1530 minutes earlier, perhaps more depending upon the length of the route. Thus, the proposed gaps may be even greater. Sources: Revised (April 2013) proposals (visited April 23, 2013) Proposed Fairfax Connector Silver Line Bus Plan (May 7, 2013 presentation)

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USEFUL LINKS
Silver Line Phase 1 Bus Plan (FCDOT presentation from February 2013 public meetings), http://www.slideshare.net/fairfaxcounty/silver-linebusserviceplan

Reston 2020, Building on Restons Transit Tradition: Enhancing Bus Service with the Arrival of Metro (Feb. 28, 2013), http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2013/02/building-on-restons-transittradition.html

[Revised] Silver Line Phase 1 Proposed Bus Plan (FCDOT web pages first posted on April 1, 2013, but with subsequent revisions), http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/dullesrail/ [Revised] Silver Line Phase 1 Bus Plan, Second Round Public Meetings, (FCDOT presentation from April 2013 public meetings), http://www.slideshare.net/fairfaxcounty/round2-silver-linebusservice

Proposed Fairfax Connector Silver Line Bus Plan (FCDOT Presentation to the Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee) (May 7, 2013), http://www.scribd.com/doc/140285368/FCDOT-Presentation-to-BOSTransportation-Committee-May-7-2013

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