Bus travel in Norfolk could get faster

NORFOLK — The city is aiming to redesign its public transportation system to provide more frequent service to more areas.

Norfolk officials released a draft of the new plan this week and are giving the public a final chance to weigh in through an online survey.

Amy Inman, director of the Department of Transit, said they hope to implement the redesign by next fall.

She said the current proposal would improve many people’s commutes. While only 31% of jobs are currently near a frequent route, defined as one where waits are no more than 15 minutes, the redesign would put 76% of jobs near one.

She said their goal isn’t to completely change the bus system, but instead to make it more efficient given the same budget and revenue hours.

Although the riders of popular routes will likely experience shorter waiting times, there are some downsides to the new plan. A higher percentage of people will be further from their bus stop. Currently, only about 1% of residents are more than a quarter mile from a stop, a number that would be 4% under the proposed changes.

Inman said t his is because the public’s responses to an initial s ur ve y this s ummer showed residents preferred more frequent service over having bus stops closer together.

“There will be points at which people will have to walk a slightly longer distance,” she said. “But we’re being very careful to make sure that, where those instances do occur, they have a walkable path to get to their new transit stop.”

The plan is not yet finalized, and the public can still express any concerns through a final survey, available both online at tinyurl.com/transitproposal or in the Downtown Norfolk Transit Center. If you have questions about the plan, the redesign team is also holding two virtual public meetings on Dec. 10 and 15, which you can register for at tinyurl.com/transitmeetings.

Inman said her department is eager to hear the public’s thoughts.

“This is a very, very important critical time in this process,” she said. “And we are very committed to listening to what the public wants.”