Posted: 29 Jun 2011 07:08 AM PDT
by Cleve Bryan
WVEC.com
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 4:04 PM
Updated today at 8:00 AM
NORFOLK – Light rail is coming soon to Norfolk. But are drivers and pedestrians prepared?
The Tide officially starts August 19, although tests are being run now. Hampton Roads Transit spokesman Tom Holden says the dangers of light rail should not be taken lightly.
“Accidents will happen. It’s our responsibility to do the most that we can to make sure that they don’t,” said Holden.
Officials say it’s important to obey traffic lights especially where the roadway and track cross together.
“The signs for traffic and for trains are coordinated so that the trains and traffic can co-exist without trouble,” added Holden.
There is apparently great concern about drivers exiting from parking garages near the rail line like the one at Plume Street and also intersections where drivers turn left across tracks like Freemason Street.
Officials say pedestrians really need to pay attention to avoid disaster. The train is relatively quiet when it’s not ringing its bell. It’s something to keep in mind for walkers who might wear headphones or talk on the phone.
Rail traffic will continue to increase as opening day approaches.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
UPDATE
Silverleaf Transit Center: Closed Thursday
Posted: 22 Jun 2011 01:36 PM PDT
The Silverleaf Transit Center will be closed beginning Thursday, June 23, 2011 due to technical difficulties. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you during our closure. We look forward to reopening the transit facility as soon as the issue has been resolved.
Please contact our customer service department at (757) 222-6100 for any additional assistance.
Light Rail: THE TIDE
Norfolk officials take a spin on light rail
Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:15 AM PDT
By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© June 22, 2011
NORFOLK
City Council members who took their first ride on The Tide light rail Tuesday said they liked what they saw.
“It has a big-city feel,” Andy Protogyrou said. “And the views are unparalleled.”
“I’ve been on trains in other cities, and I think this is fabulous,” Angelia Williams said.
For many, their enjoyment quickly turned to worry as they wondered whether the public will see it the same way once it opens Aug. 19 and use it enough to make it successful.
Hampton Roads Transit estimates 2,900 riders will use The Tide daily the first year and 7,200 in 20 years.
“Of course, I’m nervous about not meeting the ridership projections, especially because this is coming on line in my watch,” Protogyrou said.
Tommy Smigiel said: “It’s here, so we have to find a way to make it work. I don’t want light rail to be a failure, because we’ve invested so much in it.”
Construction is costing $338 million. About $196 million comes from federal sources, $71 million each from the state and the city. The city also will pay $6 million to $9 million annually to operate the trains and feeder buses.
Protogyrou said that as soon as he opened a feeder bus schedule for The Tide at Tuesday’s council meeting, he mapped out his route for getting from his home to the rail without using a car.
“My natural thought process was to find ways to use it,” he said, adding that he’s not so sure others will.
Smigiel agreed: “How do I get someone in Bayview, the side of the city I represent, to ride? How will they know about bus connections?”
Protogyrou noted that a monthly rail pass costs $50 while monthly parking rates downtown are nearly double that.
The city and HRT are working on campaigns promoting The Tide. Advertisements already run before movies at the MacArthur Center; other ads will start rolling out later this month. Officials are working with businesses and colleges served by the line to develop group discount programs so that employees or students ride free. Partnerships will be formed with entertainment venues to promote rail use.
“We need to make sure everyone knows why it makes sense to use the light rail,” Mayor Paul Fraim said. “I’m confident we’ll meet the ridership numbers within a reasonable amount of time. And I think the numbers will grow.”
Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:15 AM PDT
By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© June 22, 2011
NORFOLK
City Council members who took their first ride on The Tide light rail Tuesday said they liked what they saw.
“It has a big-city feel,” Andy Protogyrou said. “And the views are unparalleled.”
“I’ve been on trains in other cities, and I think this is fabulous,” Angelia Williams said.
For many, their enjoyment quickly turned to worry as they wondered whether the public will see it the same way once it opens Aug. 19 and use it enough to make it successful.
Hampton Roads Transit estimates 2,900 riders will use The Tide daily the first year and 7,200 in 20 years.
“Of course, I’m nervous about not meeting the ridership projections, especially because this is coming on line in my watch,” Protogyrou said.
Tommy Smigiel said: “It’s here, so we have to find a way to make it work. I don’t want light rail to be a failure, because we’ve invested so much in it.”
Construction is costing $338 million. About $196 million comes from federal sources, $71 million each from the state and the city. The city also will pay $6 million to $9 million annually to operate the trains and feeder buses.
Protogyrou said that as soon as he opened a feeder bus schedule for The Tide at Tuesday’s council meeting, he mapped out his route for getting from his home to the rail without using a car.
“My natural thought process was to find ways to use it,” he said, adding that he’s not so sure others will.
Smigiel agreed: “How do I get someone in Bayview, the side of the city I represent, to ride? How will they know about bus connections?”
Protogyrou noted that a monthly rail pass costs $50 while monthly parking rates downtown are nearly double that.
The city and HRT are working on campaigns promoting The Tide. Advertisements already run before movies at the MacArthur Center; other ads will start rolling out later this month. Officials are working with businesses and colleges served by the line to develop group discount programs so that employees or students ride free. Partnerships will be formed with entertainment venues to promote rail use.
“We need to make sure everyone knows why it makes sense to use the light rail,” Mayor Paul Fraim said. “I’m confident we’ll meet the ridership numbers within a reasonable amount of time. And I think the numbers will grow.”
Monday, February 21, 2011
Hampton Roads could benefit from Obama high speed rail plan
February 08, 2011|By Jon Cawley, jcawley@dailypress.com | 757-247-4635
Hampton Roads officials involved with efforts to bring high speed train service to the region were encouraged Tuesday by an announcement that the Obama Administration is proposing a $53 billion program to build new networks and improve existing infrastructure.
Vice President Joe Biden announced the plan that calls for $8 billion to be included in the fiscal year 2012 budget and the rest allocated over a six year period, according to a White House statement.
The money would allow the Department of Transportation to choose corridors for new projects and increase use of passenger rail systems, the Reuters news agency reported.
Daniel Plaugher, executive director of the non-profit Virginians For High Speed Rail, said the program would create a long-term and sustainable program so the state can better plan for high speed rail projects and secure matching funds.
“As long as there is a continued funding stream, Hampton Roads is in a better position than it was yesterday,” Plaugher said.
Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Executive Director Dwight Farmer said he believed Hampton Roads would qualify under the “emerging corridors” funding category.
“This breathes some life back into the possibility of Hampton Roads — no pun intended — staying on track,” Farmer said.
E. Dana Dickens III, president of the public/private non-profit Hampton Roads Partnership, said he thinks there are “definite implications for Hampton Roads” due to the existence of a large potential passenger base.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Phaedra Parks: Colorblind
Phaedra addresses all the race issues that have played out on the Housewives of Atlanta/Bravo Blog...
Hello! I hope everyone's January has been productive and indicative of their New Year's Resolutions wish list. While Sunday's episode edited our four day excursion into a 45 minute fiasco, it did not fully encompass how tense and uncomfortable this girls' getaway truly was. The trip was planned in Cynthia's honor but as the old adage says, "Things don't always work out as planned."
After watching the episode, several possible topics came to mind; the importance of financial planning as it relates to Cynthia and her wedding woes, house guest etiquette and NeNe's lack thereof, Kim and Sweetie's relationship or better yet, NeNe's slave barrage targeted at Sweetie. In the shadow of Martin Luther King's birthday and in the wake of black history month, I decided race relations was the most poignant issue since last two episodes have flirted with this very sensitive topic. Is Kim a racist? Is Sweetie a modern day slave? Is NeNe being a bully as usual, or is she really concerned about Sweetie's well being?
While everyone will have their opinion, as they are rightfully entitled to; personally, I do not think Kim is a racist, nor do I think Sweetie is a modern day slave. However, I do believe that NeNe is a bully and couldn't care less about Sweetie's well being. In this era of political correctness we often skirt around the hard topics, because we are afraid of offending others and do not want to be accused of being a racist. But avoiding sensitive issues does not change our country's history, which is fraught with the mistreatment of people of color. Admittedly, race relations have improved drastically over the past 40 years, but improvement does not heal the wounds caused by the aggregation of disparate treatment. As a person of color, I understand the ramifications of being denied rights, excluded and rejected. A modern day racist doesn't dress in white sheets or burn crosses, they are much more subtle and covert. Unlike Kim, a racist would not employ you or treat you like a family member, as she has with Sweetie. I had the opportunity to have several long conversations with Sweetie and Kim in Miami, and during those chats I realized that Kim and Sweetie have a sibling like relationship that spans well over a decade. My heart went out to Sweetie because as a woman of color, I know comments that evoke historical hatred can make you doubt what you know in your heart is true.
Here's a thought, instead of taking the easy road under the guise of being politically correct and making hasty judgments about matters as serious as racism, we should face the issue and attempt to have transparent dialogue in the direction of resolve. Every culture is different and it's easy to adopt perspectives depicted via various mediums. Opinions do not constitute racism, nor does the way you treat a friend make you a racist. Racism says a whole group of people are inferior because of their skin color and they should not be treated equally. Being politically correct does not change the existence of poor race relations; it just gives us an acceptable mask to hide behind rather than address any real issues. In the words of Pierre Berton, "Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out."
Friday, January 28, 2011
Va Port Authority board OKs new director contract
Check out the following article on the latest in transportation news in Hampton Roads:
 NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- The Virginia Port Authority's governing board has approved a new contract for its executive director that includes a 16 percent pay increase. The Virginian-Pilot reports that Jerry Bridges' pay will increase from $301,600 to $350,000 under the six-year contract approved Tuesday by the authority's Board of Commissioners. The new contract also increases incentive pay if certain benchmarks are met from $90,480 to $175,000. The contract is effective Feb. 5 and runs through Feb. 4, 2017, with a one-year extension. |
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Don't Get Before Before You Get Started
Jan 18th, 2010
by Dale Kobelsky.
A wise man once said, “Sometimes it’s not about being better, it’s about sucking less.” In the world of marketing, often it is not the smartest one who wins - it’s the one who screws up the least. Here are five mistakes to avoid so you don’t get beat before you start.
1) Don’t assume your customers buy your brand in the same way you sell it. In fact, it is safe to assume they don’t. To bridge the gap, start by studying your customers’ buying habits. Look at what they buy, why they buy and when they buy. Then study your brand with your customers in mind and look for the best place to intersect on their terms, not yours. This will uncover new insights that will allow you to alter tactics to suit the customer buying process.
2) Don’t try to appeal to everyone, appeal directly to someone. Your new HR software won’t appeal to all CEOs, your new minimum tillage corn planter won’t appeal to all farmers and your new Barbie won’t appeal to all young girls. A strategy that appeals to every prospect is impossible to build. Take the time to fully understand your market. This might require profiling and segmenting techniques but it will identify who your best targets are within your larger audience. It will also give you the background to determine what drives their purchase decisions.
3) Anchor your brand position to one thing, not everything. Customers only need one good reason to buy something, not 10 little reasons. Find out what that reason is and anchor your brand to it.
4) Don’t focus on what your brand does, focus on what your brand means. Think of your brand touch point as the first impression of someone you meet at a party. If you like what you sense, perhaps you will invest the time to get to know this person better. If you don’t like what you sense, you will probably smile politely and move on. Make sure your brand touch points leave prospects with a reason to move past that first impression. You only have a short time to appeal to your target audience to get to know your brand. Make sure they know what your brand could mean for them. If they are interested, then tell them what it does.
5) Don’t go head-to-head with your competition. If your brand is 99% the same as the competitor’s brand, do yourself a favor and focus on the 1% that’s different. Focusing on this 1% will save your sales force painful discussions about why your brand is better at doing the same thing as your competitor’s. It will also keep you from promoting your competition by bringing them front and center in head-to-head comparisons.
by Dale Kobelsky.
A wise man once said, “Sometimes it’s not about being better, it’s about sucking less.” In the world of marketing, often it is not the smartest one who wins - it’s the one who screws up the least. Here are five mistakes to avoid so you don’t get beat before you start.
1) Don’t assume your customers buy your brand in the same way you sell it. In fact, it is safe to assume they don’t. To bridge the gap, start by studying your customers’ buying habits. Look at what they buy, why they buy and when they buy. Then study your brand with your customers in mind and look for the best place to intersect on their terms, not yours. This will uncover new insights that will allow you to alter tactics to suit the customer buying process.
2) Don’t try to appeal to everyone, appeal directly to someone. Your new HR software won’t appeal to all CEOs, your new minimum tillage corn planter won’t appeal to all farmers and your new Barbie won’t appeal to all young girls. A strategy that appeals to every prospect is impossible to build. Take the time to fully understand your market. This might require profiling and segmenting techniques but it will identify who your best targets are within your larger audience. It will also give you the background to determine what drives their purchase decisions.
3) Anchor your brand position to one thing, not everything. Customers only need one good reason to buy something, not 10 little reasons. Find out what that reason is and anchor your brand to it.
4) Don’t focus on what your brand does, focus on what your brand means. Think of your brand touch point as the first impression of someone you meet at a party. If you like what you sense, perhaps you will invest the time to get to know this person better. If you don’t like what you sense, you will probably smile politely and move on. Make sure your brand touch points leave prospects with a reason to move past that first impression. You only have a short time to appeal to your target audience to get to know your brand. Make sure they know what your brand could mean for them. If they are interested, then tell them what it does.
5) Don’t go head-to-head with your competition. If your brand is 99% the same as the competitor’s brand, do yourself a favor and focus on the 1% that’s different. Focusing on this 1% will save your sales force painful discussions about why your brand is better at doing the same thing as your competitor’s. It will also keep you from promoting your competition by bringing them front and center in head-to-head comparisons.
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