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General Assembly does nothing
As this year's special session came to an end on Thursday morning, so did the Commonwealth's hopes of reaching a much-needed transportation funding solution.
When the General Assembly reconvened this week there were still two bills on the floor, but neither party was able to reach a compromise. So, as a result both bills have been voted down and the special session has been adjourned.
Now the Commonwealth's well-documented transportation funding needs have once again been passed on to the next year and our legislators have yet again not lived up to their commitment to the Commonwealth's transportation system.
In the past we have talked about the cost of doing nothing, but now we are going to experience it.
In the next year Virginians will now be faced with:
- Wasting another $260 million gallons of gas due to being stuck in traffic;
- Paying more than $900 in congestion costs;
- A decline of more than 44 percent in local road funding;
- The elimination or delay of 195 projects that were scheduled for construction by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT);
- Increased roadside casualties due to declining funding for safety improvements;
- A public transit system that is unable to meet increased ridership demands;
- The loss of much-needed jobs and dollars for Virginia's economy that would be generated from an increase in transportation funding.
With all of these facts stacked up against us, it is unbelievable that our General Assembly members were able to walk away from this year's special session with no solution.
As elected officials, they are supposed to represent the best interests of their constituents, but with a reeling economy, gas prices quickly surpassing the $4 mark and a 22-year transportation funding shortfall, it seems like they are still not getting the message – Virginia's transportation system is falling apart!
To learn more about Virginia's transportation funding crisis, click here.
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Elected officials urged General Assembly members to act
Local officials and transportation experts from around the Commonwealth gathered Wednesday to urge General Assembly members to fix Virginia's transportation funding crisis.
At a press conference in the Jefferson Room at the Virginia State Capitol, both Republican and Democratic officials spoke alongside GRTC Transit System (GRTC) CEO John Lewis; Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance Chairman Chris Zimmerman; and members of the Virginia Municipal League (VML) and the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo).
All parties insisted that Virginia's transportation system is nearing its breaking point and that the General Assembly must work together in a bi-partisan manner to reach a simple, sustainable and statewide transportation funding solution.
The group stressed that every locality across the state has been affected by the Commonwealth's stagnant transportation funding levels and with many towns, cities and counties now formulating their Six-Year Plans with less money than they had in 1997, it is clear that something has to change.
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Quotes from around the Commonwealth
- Washington Post: In an article summarizing the special session and the General Assembly's inability to fix the transportation funding crisis, House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry) said, "We should be ashamed of ourselves. Are we proud of what we are doing? This is silly. This is gamesmanship." To read the entire article, click here.
- Richmond-Times Dispatch: In an article addressing the General Assembly's failure to reach a solution for the Commonwealth's transportation funding crisis, Governor Tim Kaine said "The citizens of Virginia deserved better." To read the entire article, click here.
- Daily Press: In an article that addressed the end of this year's transportation special session Senator Janet Howell, D-Fairfax said, "Almost every proposal has crashed and burned, and it's a tragedy for Virginia, especially northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. I've been here 17 years, and this is just about the worst day." To read the entire article, 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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