Transit advocates will be closely watching an April 7
special election in Arlington, Virginia.
What would normally seem to be a pretty inconsequential election for a
vacant county board seat may determine the fate of the Columbia Pike streetcar
project. That project – a
potential East Coast showcase for using streetcar technology as the
transportation spine of a transit oriented development corridor – has been a
key element of Arlington’s future development plans. Now it is meeting with vigorous opposition from a
well-financed board candidate representing a rather hazy coalition of
anti-streetcar forces. True, the
candidate in question doesn’t present himself as anti-transit; he says he just
favors a much cheaper bus rapid transit option. (TV news account here.)
Since a special election
for a county board seat usually attracts only a tiny voter turnout, it may be
possible to read too much into the outcome. Nevertheless it is an election with a clear choice and may
have significant consequences.
Let’s see what happens.
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