HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2010-07-06 safe-t-ride signs
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kathleen Leidich, AICP
Assistant to the Town Manager
kleidich@leesburgva.gov
703-771-2709
Michael Socha, General Manager
Virginia Regional Transit
mike@vatransit.org
877-777-2708
Real Time Next Bus Arrival Indicator Signs Installed At
Leesburg Safe-T-Ride Bus Stops
Ribbon cutting for grant-funded project scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at
10:00 a.m. at the Shenandoah Building bus stop
Leesburg, VA (July 6, 2010) – Town of
Leesburg and Virginia Regional Transit
officials will celebrate the installation of
real-time transit information signs at four
bus stops on the Leesburg Safe-T-Ride
shuttle route with a ribbon cutting on
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. The
ribbon cutting will take place at the bus
stop by the Shenandoah Building at 102
Heritage Way NE.
The new signs, which are solar-powered,
have been installed at bus stops at the
Evans Ridge Apartments, Leesburg Corner
Premium Outlets, Heritage Way at Adams
Drive, and the Shenandoah Building. A
fifth sign will be installed near the Shoppers Food Warehouse in Battlefield Shopping Center in
the near future. The signs will give passengers at these stops an accurate arrival time for the
next bus. The Safe-T-Ride shuttle runs on a continuous loop, taking approximately 30 minutes
for each complete circuit of the route.
TOL PR 2010-07-06 Safe-T-Ride Signs
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“Because the Safe-T-Ride is a continuous-loop service, there are
no specific times for the shuttle to be at certain stops,”
explained Michael Socha, general manager for Virginia Regional
Transit. “Not knowing when the next shuttle will arrive,
sometimes potential passengers will opt to cross the bypass on
foot, which is dangerous. Our hope is that the new signs will
encourage people to wait for the next bus.”
The Leesburg Safe-T-Ride is a free shuttle service, funded by the
Town of Leesburg and operated by Virginia Regional Transit
(VRT), providing pedestrians with a safe alternative to crossing
the Route 15 Bypass on foot in the vicinity of Fort Evans and
Edwards Ferry Roads. The shuttle route operates seven days a
week. During the summer months and during the holiday
shopping season, the Safe-T-Ride operates from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
At other times, the shuttle operates from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. On
Saturdays and Sundays, the shuttle service runs from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the entire
year.
The new real time transit information signs were funded with a Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) through Loudoun County. In late 2008, Town staff included the signs among a list
of potential CDBG projects and the Council selected the signs for a grant application in
December 2008. The application was submitted to Loudoun County in January 2009. The Town
received notification that the project had received grant funding in July 2009. The total cost for
the installation of the five signs will be $26,890. The grant provided $24,201 and the remaining
$2,689 (a 10% match) was provided jointly by Virginia Regional Transit and the Town of
Leesburg. The Town’s contribution was an in-kind donation of staff time to install the solar
panel poles, valued at $1,344.50. Town
staff worked with Virginia Regional
Transit and the vendor, Home2Phone, a
Great Falls-based company, on the
implementation of the project.
At the ribbon cutting on Tuesday, VRT
will also unveil the new Safe-T-Ride
shuttle bus, featuring a graphic wrap
with the new Safe-T-Ride logo. VRT and
Town officials hope that the new shuttle
bus will increase ridership by attracting
more attention to the free service.
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