ART 62 Changes
December 5, 2011 -- Route and schedule changes will go into effect for ART 62 on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Instead of traveling along Lee Highway to N. Veitch St., ART 62 will be rerouted down Kirkwood Rd. and travel through Clarendon.
A community meeting was held in November to discuss the changes with residents. Feedback was mainly positive and it was decided to implement the changes in the beginning of 2012.
The revised route will connect residents living in Waverly Hills, Cherrydale and along Lorcom Lane to Clarendon where they can visit shops, restaurants and several grocery stores including Whole Foods and the newly opened Trader Joe's. Riders will also be able to get to the Ballston, Clarendon and Court House Metro stations.
The schedule will still provide service every 30 minutes during weekday rush hours. The route along N. Utah St. will continue to be a "flag stop zone" where riders can flag down the bus anywhere along that part of the route.
View the new ART 62 route and schedule (PDF) effective January 3, 2012
The following ART 62 bus stops will no longer be in service as of Tuesday, January 3, 2012:
- N. Stafford St & 13th St. N (east & westbound)
- Lee Highway & N. Highland St. (east & westbound)
- Lee Highway & N. Cleveland St. (eastbound)
- Lee Highway & N. Calvert St. (westbound)
- Lee Highway & N. Adams St. (east & westbound)
- N. Veitch St. & Key Blvd. (east & westbound)
Alternate Transit Options for Lee Hwy & N. Veitch
The Metrobus 3 -- Lee Highway line will continue to serve stops along Lee Highway between Spout Run and N. Veitch St. ART 61 will also continue to serve N. Veitch St.
Riders along Lee Highway and N. Veitch can also use the ART 62 stops located at Spout Run Parkway & Lee Highway and Wilson Blvd. & N. Veitch St. The bus stop on N. Stafford St. will be moved to N. Stafford St. & 15th St. N.
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User Comments
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Comments
- Debbie
- December 12, 2011, 3:48 PM
I rode the 62 this morning and there was not a sign on the bus indicating these major changes. I only knew about this because I happened to see the sign at the bus stop between Veitch and Adams on Lee Highway.
I will not be walking to Wilson & Veitch to catch an ART bus with the Metro just across the street from that stop.
I am concerned about the vast number of seniors that live along the Lee Highway portion of the old route. Walking down to Spout Run or Wilson will be difficult for many.
I did not attend the November meeting because I was under the impression that the change in question was the loop that was being considered on either end of the route. Had the new route been posted prior to the meeting, I believe there may have been much more negative feedback.
If you want to make it convenient for people to get to Clarendon shops, you should have service when the shops are actually open. Most don't open until 10 a.m. but the last bus in the a.m. runs at 9:10 and unless one wants to hang around all day (3:10 p.m. service)they will have to find another mode of transportation home.
- Mike
- January 3, 2012, 10:30 AM
I regret not being able to attend the community meeting. This is a commuter bus route that operates only during rush hour on weekdays. Perhaps I'm missing something, but given that, this route change makes no sense to me. Why change a commuter line to primarily add access to shops? This route change will increase commuting time for those that continue to use ride bus for most of it's route.
I see very little value added in the stop at Clarendon, an adjacent metro rail stop to Court House, for which there are already many other public transportation options. There are numerous ART and Metro buses along the Wilson/Clarendon corridor, not to mention the obvious metro rail option.
Even though there are many buses serving the Metro 3 bus line, it is extremely unpredictable and over-crowded during rush hour. I switched to ART 62 from that bus because ART was ALWAYS on time, less crowded and a faster and more pleasant option to the Orange line. This new route is longer and goes through a much more unpredictable path of lights and turns, which knocks down two of the three benefits. The ride this morning did take longer and that's even with the driver accelerating sharply through out to try to make up the difference.
- Arlington County Transit
- January 3, 2012, 4:36 PM
Thank you for contacting us regarding ART 62. I shared your comment with the Transit Services Manager, who oversees the ART program.
He provided me with the following information. ART 62 as it was before often failed to meet our productivity standards, so it needed to be rerouted in the hopes of attracting additional riders. We expect some business in the PM peak attracting riders who will buy carryout at Whole Foods or Trader Joes' on the way home, also people attending after school programs at the YMCA and some new riders from neighborhoods along Kirkwood.
By adding additional ridership markets for the ART 62, we expect that ridership will consistently meet and exceed productivity standards, making this a mid-performing route.
As for the Metrobuses, WMATA is responsible for on-time performance on the Lee Highway buses - the 3-line to Rosslyn and the 3-Y to the District of Columbia. Arlington County will continue to work with WMATA staff to improve on-time performance.
Glad to hear that the ART has been reliable for you in the past and I hope you find the new schedule to work just as well. I do apologize for the inconvenience. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional concerns.
