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The Cost of Doing Nothing Will Cost Us a Lot
The one thing that all Virginians should keep in mind when it comes to funding the Commonwealth's transportation system is that doing nothing will cost us all a lot.
If the General Assembly doesn't address the transportation funding crisis, this is what we will have to look forward to in the next year–
- Virginians will waste another 260 million gallons of gas due to being stuck in traffic.
- The average Virginian will again pay more than $900 in congestion costs.
- Due to inflation, the cost to repair our 1,746 structurally deficient bridges will increase by more than $200 million.
- Northern Virginians will waste another two weeks stuck in congestion.
- Local governments will see their funding for urban and secondary roads decline by more than 44%.
- At a time when Virginia's roadways claimed the lives of 1,026 people last year (which was triple the Commonwealth's murder rate), we will have declining funding for safety improvements.
- Hampton Roads residents will still live with the fact that if a natural disaster hits, they are looking at an estimated evacuation time of more than 24 hours.
- VDOT will eliminate or delay 195 projects that were scheduled for construction.
Facts like these truly help put the Commonwealth's transportation funding needs into perspective. We simply cannot afford to wait any longer for a long-term, dedicated, statewide, sustainable, multi-modal transportation funding solution.
With our population, miles traveled on our roadways and the cost of building transportation projects increasing every year, it will never be cheaper than it is right now to make an investment in the future of Virginia's continually aging infrastructure.
In fact, Virginia hasn't seen a significant increase in transportation funding since 1986. Can you think of anything else that has such a major impact on every Virginian's life that hasn't been updated in more than 20 years? Why do we let our transportation system continue to decline without any new revenues?
We all need to take a step back and look at the needs of our state and the fact that our transportation system is crumbling around us. Even though it may be unpopular, we have to address this issue before it is too late.
It is absolutely critical that we reach out to our local legislators, the Governor and members of the media to let them know that we are in favor of a statewide transportation solution. After all, our transportation system is not going to fix itself.
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Northern Virginia Business Community Submits Transportation Funding Resolution
Prior to the beginning of the June 23 Transportation Special Session, 18 of Northern Virginia's most prominent business organizations have submitted a resolution calling transportation a statewide responsibility and demanding that the Governor and legislators take immediate action on both the statewide and regional levels.
On the regional level, the resolution calls for a statewide funding package that provides a new, sustainable and dedicated annual revenue stream that generates an additional $400 million to address transportation construction funding needs for Northern Virginia.
To meet the Commonwealth's statewide needs, the group also urges elected officials to make an annual investment of at least $1 billion, which must be made to sustain statewide maintenance and construction programs.
To read the entire resolution, click here.
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Quotes from Around the Commonwealth
- From the News Virginian: Riverheads District Supervisor Nancy Sorrells said her district needs VDOT to repair potholes, shoulders and perform other needed maintenance. Sorrells said she thinks adding two cents to the state gas tax could speed up the repairs in Augusta County. To read the entire article, click here.
- From the Washington Post: "I don't mind paying more taxes," said Greta Houston, 62, of Occoquan. "The taxes you (Gov. Kaine) are suggesting are not that much, and I'm proud to pay them if they'll keep our transportation system going." to read the entire article, click here.
- From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Sharon Pandak, Kaine's appointee to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, said Kaine's proposed tax increases were small compared with the time and money spent sitting in traffic. "When you talk about a tax, we're already being taxed. Emergency vehicles can't respond in a timely manner to help people. People need to look at these things," said Pandak. To read the entire article, click here.
- From Leesburg Today: "Long-term, one of the biggest drags on our economy is traffic congestion," said Robert Chase, of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. "The sooner we invest more in transportation, the sooner we're not only going to come out of this downturn, but the sooner we'll be able to address that traffic congestion.” To read the entire article, click here.
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Transportation Town Hall Meeting Reminder
VBT would like to urge all of our supporters to attend Gov. Kaine's Transportation Town Hall meetings, which are currently taking place throughout the state. To see a complete list of these meetings, click here.
For more information about the transportation funding crisis or Virginians for Better Transportation, call 804-237-1399 or click here. to visit the It's Time Web site.
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