The event is scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Westover Branch Library (1644 N. McKinley Road). Randal O’Toole, a transportation expert at the libertarian CATO Institute, will “speak about current transportation policy issues, including the Columbia Pike streetcar.”

O’Toole wrote the book The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths: How Smart Growth Will Harm American Cities in 2001, and published a policy analysis entitled “The Great Streetcar Conspiracy” last year. The analysis says municipal streetcar systems are being encouraged by the federal government and by “engineering firms that stand to earn millions of dollars planning, designing, and building streetcar lines.”

“Streetcars are the latest urban planning fad, stimulated partly by the Obama administration’s preference for funding transportation projects that promote ‘livability’ (meaning living without automobiles) rather than mobility or cost-effective transportation,” O’Toole wrote.

“Based on 19th-century technology, the streetcar has no place in American cities today except when it functions as part of a completely self-supporting tourist line. Instead of subsidizing streetcars, cities should concentrate on basic — and modern — services such as fixing streets, coordinating traffic signals, and improving roadway safety.”

(Supporters argue that a modern streetcar system is a clean and efficient transportation solution that reduces traffic congestion and promotes economic development.)

Tuesday’s event is free and open to the public. “Extensive free parking in the evening is available at the rear of the adjacent elementary school,” according to the event invitation.

Photo via CATO Institute

The intoxicated man was sitting on a wall and fell backwards, according to Arlington County Fire Battalion Chief Daniel Fitch. He became wedged between the platform wall and the station wall.

About a dozen firefighters and medics are attempting to render assistance to the man. Due to his large size, however, the man has thus far been unable to get back up to the platform, Fitch said.

So far, no disruptions to Metro service have been reported as a result of the incident.

(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) An Arlington Transit bus suffered an apparent brake malfunction and rolled down a steep hill on N. Barton Street this morning, coming to a stop half-way down the hill after it ran into a car.

The crash closed N. Barton Street between Fairfax Drive and 14th Street N. in the Courthouse area for more than an hour, as a heavy-duty tow truck was brought in to haul away the bus.

According the driver of one of the vehicles damaged in the crash, the natural gas-powered ART 45 bus started rolling back toward Fairfax Drive as it neared the crest of the hill. It rolled at least 10 feet before slamming into a black Lexus, which in turn rolled back into a Volkswagen minivan and a Reston Limousine bus.

The driver of the Lexus was transported to the hospital for evaluation, we’re told. The driver of the ART bus was shaken but not hurt. So far, no other injuries have been reported.

The crash may have prevented an even more catastrophic incident; had the other vehicles not stopped it, the bus could have gained speed as it rolled all the way down the steep hill.

Arlington County said late Monday afternoon that the bus “experienced a braking systems failure” and that it would pull three all three natural gas-powered ART buses from service while it investigates the cause of the malfunction. The county press release about the wreck, after the jump.

This morning, an Arlington Transit (ART) CNG electric hybrid bus experienced a braking systems failure while in service on the northbound 45 line, resulting in a three-vehicle accident. The bus was proceeding on a moderate-to-sharp incline on North Barton Street when all its braking systems failed, causing the bus to drift backward into other vehicles.

The driver of one of the vehicles was transported to Virginia Hospital for observation as a precautionary measure. No passengers on the bus were injured. Arlington County Police investigators described the damage to the vehicles as minor.

Safety is our priority. At this time, the cause of these failures has not been determined; therefore, Arlington County has removed all three of our CNG electric hybrid buses from service pending a complete and thorough investigation of the incident and the vehicle.

A representative of the vehicle manufacturer, DesignLine, is onsite, and Arlington has requested that a detailed forensic analysis be conducted in cooperation with Arlington County and our ART operations and maintenance contractor, National Express, to determine the cause and possible remedies.

The ART fleet consists of 44 vehicles, including 35 heavy-duty transit buses manufactured by North American Bus Industries (NABI), six smaller buses manufactured by the Arboc Corporation, and three electric hybrid buses from DesignLine USA, all powered by compressed natural gas. The bus involved in today’s incident is one of the three new DesignLine buses placed into service in September 2012. The bus is a serial-hybrid powered by electricity from batteries. The routes currently served by the CNG electric hybrid buses will continue to be served by our NABI buses.

ART takes the safety of our riders and others on the road very seriously. The ART program has one of the safest operating bus systems in an urban environment in the United States. ART operators are focused on safety with each operator undergoing annual recertification training to ensure they are performing at high safety performance levels.

In May 2011, ART received the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Gold Safety Award for outstanding safety record and reduction of customer safety complaints over the prior two years. In 2012, Arlington Transit (ART) was recognized by the state of Virginia with the Virginia Governor’s Safety Award for a pedestrian safety training program for bus operators.

Arlington Transit (ART) operates within Arlington County, Virginia, supplementing Metrobus with cross-County routes as well as neighborhood connections to Metrorail.

Fiscal Year 2014 — which starts on July 1 and ends on June 30, 2014 – will be busy for the county’s procurement office. While residents are still debating the merits of the Crystal City and Columbia Pike streetcar systems, and while county officials regroup after being initially denied federal funding for the Pike streetcar, Arlington is moving forward with the projects by soliciting bids for engineering and construction.

Among the anticipated procurements in FY 2014, according to a presentation given to transportation industry representatives earlier this month:

• Construction of Columbia Pike multimodal project segment from S. Jefferson Street to Four Mile Run
• Program management for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar systems
• Engineering services for the Columbia Pike streetcar
• Construction of phase 3 of the Crystal Drive two-way project, from 26th Street to 27th Street
• Construction of 15th Street extension in Crystal City
• Construction of reconfigured Clark/Bell Street in Crystal City
• General contractor for construction of the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway
• Construction of a Crystal City Multimodal Transit Center (“Improved and expanded bus bays at Crystal City Metrorail Station; Facilities for longer distance commuter buses, local shuttles, and kiss-and-ride”)
• Design/build contract for a second elevator at the Pentagon City Metro Station

One longer-range project mentioned during the briefing but not included in the procurement list was a second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station. The entrance would be located near the intersection of Crystal Drive and 18th Street, and would, among other benefits, offer easier access to the Crystal City VRE station.

County procurement and transportation officials told industry reps that they would seek to keep the procurement process as transparent as possible, while avoiding conflicts of interest.

“We aim to be transparent,” said Arlington County Transportation Director Dennis Leach. “We want to [stimulate] competition and we want good bids for these projects.”

In response to a question from the audience, Leach noted that the county still has not settled on which type of streetcar vehicle it will use – a key decision that could impact how the streetcar system is designed and built. He said there was no time frame for making that decision.

The Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, and East Falls Church stations will all be closed from 10:00 p.m. Friday to system closing on Monday (Memorial Day). The closures will allow crews to perform switch replacements, rail joint eliminations and tie and insulator renewal, Metro said.

Orange Line trains will operate between Ballston and New Carrollton at normal weekend intervals.

Free shuttle buses will replace trains between Ballston and Vienna. Express buses will run directly from Ballston to Vienna and back, while local buses will stop at all the stations in between. Metro says those taking local buses should add up to 40 minutes to their travel time, while those taking the express bus should add 25 minutes.

In September, the county is expected to award a design/build contract for a new elevator that will run directly into the station from the southwestern corner of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street, near the Pentagon City mall.

The elevator will complement an existing elevator on the southeast corner of the intersection.

About 95 percent of the $5 million project will be funded with state and federal funds. The county is hoping that the elevator will be open by Nov. 2014.

Also this year, the county is hoping to award a contract to refurbish and reopen an abandoned pedestrian tunnel that connects the northeast corner of the Hayes/12th intersection to the Metro station’s mezzanine.

The county is hoping to finalize the design of the refurbished tunnel — the design process has been on-going for nearly a decade — and to put the project out for bid by the end of the year.

The tunnel could reopen by the winter of 2014.

Arlington County Transportation Director Dennis Leach suggested that the project has been made more complicated thanks to the tunnel’s proximity to the headquarters of the Transportation Security Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We’re still working through a few remaining design issues and we have to conclude some property-related negotiations,” he said. “It is a very complicated small project. That tunnel was built as part of a site plan development. We have to work with the adjacent property owner and the adjacent tenants.”

With nearly 35,000 combined entries and exits on an average weekday, the Pentagon City Metro station is the second-busiest Metro station in Arlington — second only to Rosslyn.

The closures begin at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, and run through closing on Sunday, May 19. Trains are expected to operate at normal weekend intervals even though service will be split into two segments — between Vienna and East Falls Church and between Clarendon and New Carrollton.

Free shuttle buses will replace trains between East Falls Church and Clarendon. Customers using shuttle bus service should add up to 25 minutes to their travel time.

The last trains of the night from Vienna to East Falls Church will depart 28 minutes earlier than normal — at 1:57 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and at 10:57 p.m. on Sunday.

The Orange Line closures are to allow for track circuit module replacement. There will also be work on the Red and Green lines this weekend. Information regarding those closures can be found on WMATA’s website.

The Ballston Business Improvement District expressed concern about the timing of the Ballston Metro station closure, considering the Taste of Arlington festival is expected to bring around 20,000 people to that area on Sunday.

Members of the BID have worked out a deal with WMATA. The station closures will remain in effect and passengers will still need to take shuttles between East Falls Church and Clarendon. However, starting around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, additional shuttles will be put into service to accommodate the heavier flow of passengers expected to travel to Taste of Arlington, which begins at noon.

“They will add a whole crew of buses to the schedule for Sunday so they can ensure that nobody is waiting too long and can get to their destination in a timely fashion,” said Ballston BID CEO Tina Leone. “We’re not the first group this has happened to. They’ve assured us they will monitor the buses in making sure they’re arriving and leaving at a rapid rate. We’re just thrilled they were so responsive and so accommodating.”

Leone added that the bus trip is only about 10 minutes, so hopefully festival attendees won’t experience too many delays. Those who prefer to drive to the event should note that the cost is only one dollar for three hours to park at the Ballston garage.

Disclosure: Ballston BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

The incident happened just before 9:00 a.m. Police responded to the station for a report of suspicious activity — a man seen walking around on the track bed. Power was briefly taken down to the station’s “third rail” as a precaution. The man eventually climbed back up to the platform.

Police questioned the man and it turned out that that he had hopped down to the tracks to retrieve a farecard he accidentally dropped, according to WMATA spokesman Dan Stesssel. The man was not injured and there was no malicious intent. Power was restored and trains were not delayed.

Stessel said the man’s actions were “incredibly ill advised.” If you drop something on the tracks, he said, don’t take matters into your own hands — contact a station manager.

“If you drop something on the tracks, the station manager can help you,” said Stessel. “The station managers have special equipment that can be used to safely retrieve an item without leaving the platform. Entering the track bed puts you at risk of electrocution (you don’t even have to touch the third rail for power to transfer) or getting struck by a train.”

Flickr photo by John Pastor

The agency says this weekend is a “working weekend” in its $5.5 billion maintenance initiative. Work is taking place on the Blue, Orange, Yellow and Red lines.

On the Orange Line, East Falls Church is among four Virginia stations that will be closed to allow for work on the Silver Line and rail infrastructure improvements.

“Shuttle buses will operate between Vienna and Ballston on two routes: Express buses will operate non-stop between Vienna and Ballston stations. Customers using express buses should add about 25 minutes to their travel time,” WMATA said on its website. “Local buses will operate between Vienna and Ballston, with intermediate stops at Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations. Customers using local buses should add up to 40 minutes to their travel time.”

On the Blue and Yellow lines, rail infrastructure improvements will result in single-tracking between Braddock Road and Pentagon City.

“Throughout the weekend, both Blue and Yellow Line trains will operate every 30 minutes,” said WMATA. “During daytime hours, additional Yellow Line trips will operate between Pentagon City and Mt. Vernon Square stations, resulting in service every 15 to 20 minutes between those stations.”

The Red Line work will result in trains running every 28 minutes. The service changes will be in place until system closing on Sunday night.

The incident happened at 2:52 p.m., when the man intentionally climbed down to the tracks and stood there, about 15 seconds prior to a train entering the station, according to WMATA spokesman Dan Stessel.

“The train operator saw the man and stopped the train in time,” Stessel told ARLnow.com. “Third rail power was taken down, and the man climbed back onto the platform under the supervision of the train operator and the station manager.”

“The man was not injured,” Stessel continued. “He was transported to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.”

Orange Line delays from the incident have since been cleared, according to WMATA.

Photo via @mikekap3