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Five points for all legislators to consider

Over the past few months, VBT has been stressing the importance of the General Assembly reaching a simple, sustainable and statewide transportation funding solution during the transportation special session.

So, as the General Assembly is set to reconvene July 9 for the conclusion of the special session, we would like to provide our legislators with a few key points to consider:

  1. We can't have an above average system with below average revenues.

    • We haven't had a sustainable increase in transportation funding in more than 20 years and yet our population, miles traveled on our roadways and the cost to build transportation projects have all increased. How do we expect a funding package from 1986 to provide adequate funding for 2008 and beyond?


  2. There is a tremendous cost for doing nothing.

    • If the General Assembly doesn't address the transportation funding crisis during this session, Virginians can continue to expect to lose thousands of lives on our roadways, waste millions of gallons of gas per year due to congestion and the condition of our bridges and highways to continue to worsen and become more dangerous.


  3. We must provide additional funding for alternate modes of transportation.

    • With rising gas prices and increasing congestion, many Virginians are now riding transit and rail more than ever and our current funding levels simply cannot keep up with the demand.


  4. We must address the Commonwealth's statewide maintenance need.

    • VDOT will have to take out more than $350 million a year from the statewide construction program just to cover basic maintenance. This means that as our population increases and as more cars are on our roads, we will not be able to work on new projects that alleviate congestion and safety concerns, but instead we will be patching up our deteriorating infrastructure with the hopes of making it another year.


  5. Increased transportation funding will help stimulate the Commonwealth's economy.

    • A billion dollars in transportation construction spending would create more than 35,000 jobs and generate more than $2.6 billion in economic activity in Virginia.


The members of General Assembly are elected to represent the Commonwealth's best interests, but given their past in regard to transportation funding it has left a huge question mark in the minds of many concerned Virginians.

We simply cannot afford to let another special session go by without a simple, sustainable and statewide funding solution.

So, click on the following link to send your local legislators an e-mail urging them to be a part of a solution - click here.

To read more about the transportation funding shortfall, click here.


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Virginia's localities take action

With many of Virginia's legislators not willing to admit that the Commonwealth's transportation funding crisis is affecting their constituents, nearly 70 of Virginia's cities, counties and towns along with four organizations are saying otherwise.

These localities and organizations have signed resolutions calling for Gov. Tim Kaine and the Virginia General Assembly to enact a significant transportation funding package in order to provide a solution to the Commonwealth's well-documented transportation infrastructure needs.

The following is a list of the adoptive localities and organizations:

Cities
Alexandria
Bristol
Buena Vista
Charlottesville
Falls Church
Galax
Hampton
Harrisonburg
Hopewell
Newport News
Portsmouth
Richmond
Roanoke
Williamsburg

Counties
Accomack
Albemarle
Alleghany
Amelia
Arlington
Augusta
Bath
Botetourt
Buchanan
Buckingham
Caroline
 Chesterfield
Clarke
Cumberland
Essex
Fairfax
Floyd
Gloucester
Greene
Greensville
Halifax
Henry
Isle of Wight
King George
Lee
Loudoun
Mecklenburg
Montgomery
Nelson
Northumberland
Orange
Page
Powhatan
Prince George
Prince William
Roanoke
Rockbridge
Rockingham
Shenandoah
 Spotsylvania
Washington
Wise
Wythe
York

Towns
Blackstone
Christiansburg
Farmville
Gordonsville
Leesburg
Marion
Middleburg
Vienna
Warrenton
Wytheville
Yorktown

Organizations
Virginia Municipal League
Virginia Association of Counties
Virginia First Cities
Virginia AARP


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Quotes from around the Commonwealth

  • The News & Advance: In an opinion piece that addresses the dismissal of Governor Kaine's transportation funding plan during the special session and the overall state of the Commonwealth's transportation funding crisis, the author said, "Well now we know who the problem-solvers and the problem-avoiders are in the Virginia General Assembly." To read the entire opinion piece, click here.


  • The Virginian-Pilot: In an article that addresses safety issues on Dominion Boulevard in Chesapeake, the author wrote, "The city has $38 million to design the Dominion improvements and will be ready to advertise for construction by 2010. But funding the construction could be difficult. The Dominion Boulevard project was one of the projects to be funded by the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority, which was struck down earlier this year by the Virginia Supreme Court." To read the entire article, click here.


  • Leesburg Today: In an article that addresses the funding reductions to Virginia's local roads, Director of the Office of Transportation Services Terrie Laycock said "There could be more funding if the General Assembly comes through," referencing the special session on transportation funding that began in Richmond last Monday. 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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