Don’t tax you don’t tax me, tax the guy behind the tree.Succinct summary of the discussion regarding transportation woes around the state. We all want something done, but very few are willing to pay for any improvements. We need leaders who are willing to do the right thing, whatever that may be. I like the Road to Ruin, and this discussion is one of the reasons.This is an informative APF link from the above discussion that may have some significance to our region in the near future.Everybody agrees that traffic is no fun, but so long as it’s “not as bad as in Northern VA, Richmond …
Browsing Category Transportation
Rail to C’Ville?
Virginia Railway Express may be coming to C’Ville …Charlottesville Podcasting Network has another outstanding and decidedly pertinent story – Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives … held its first organizational meeting last week at the Downtown Visitors’ Center, and consisted of a public presentation by Meredith Richards, former city councilwoman and candidate for Congress…. C-Ville and the HooK have been all over this story for the past few months -The two points of view – Pro – The Washington commute on the proposed Virginia Railway Express would take two-and-a-half hours each way, so unless the invading hordes are willing to commute five hours each day for their jobs, the “bedroom community†scenario is not likely. But by providing reliable daily passenger train service to D.C., the VRE would take hundreds of cars off the road every day, easing our congested traffic on 29 and putting significantly less toxic emissions in the air per passenger than the same trip by car— (from a letter to the Editor in C-Ville)Con – As one who fled the wretched excesses of Northern Virginia (too many people, too many strip malls, too much traffic, too many townhouses) for the sanctity of Albemarle County, I am greatly frightened to see that there are those within our wonderful community who are working hard to destroy this place in the name of progress, or under the dubious umbrella of pollution emissions controls.
Transportation Progress?
From today’s DP – With Old Trail coming, we should make sure that the roads in Crozet are usable,†Supervisor Sally H…. Wyant, whose White Hall district includes Crozet, said his mindset on road improvements has changed.“I’m almost at the point now where the roads are not what I think we should have an emphasis on, but it should be sidewalks and bike trails and maybe mass transit,†Wyant said…. My feeling is that mass transit may not be in the cards for three years, five years, ten years, maybe even twenty-five years; but I think that it must be considered when looking at the regional transportation needs. I hope that the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation folks see this and use it as a stepping stone to further this discussion.
Hurricane Katrina and the housing market
the nation’s premiere oil and gas support services facility–and right now it lies within 12 miles of Hurricane Katrina’s CAT-3 or CAT-4 bullseye…. …Put another way, there is no other dot on the map that is more important to the nation’s energy supply …I am not an economist, nor a fortune teller, but I know that if gas goes to $3 or $3.50 a gallon, we will see many significant changes in all aspects of our lives, not the least the housing market and how people work and live. The next few days, weeks and months will be fascinating and historical, if the blogs and news are right.Development may slow. There may be people unable to drive the 20 minutes to and 20 minutes from work, consolidating errands may not be sufficient.
Expanding our horizons
If nothing else, hopefully this proposed road will broaden the typically myopic Charlottesville/Albemarle discussion of transportation. From today’s DP – Recently retired Del. Mitchell Van Yahres and two other prominent Charlottesville residents are promoting an environmentally friendly parkway to parallel U.S. 29 to the west.Ruckersville Parkway, a “very conceptual†idea according to proponent Gary Okerlund, would repurpose parts of Route 606, Earlysville Road and Hydraulic Road to become a 35- to 40-mph, two-lane alternative to hectic U.S. 29 in Albemarle and Greene counties….Step one (or even step 1a or 1b) really ought to be speaking to those who actually represent Greene. This could be a free road, and if it proposed by outsiders/neighboring legislators, the reaction will be negative.But one elected body has been left out of the process: the Greene County Board of Supervisors.
Transportation/Infrastructure news
Transportation needs remains one of my most important issues, because (selfishly) I am directly affected every day and this is ultimately a quality of life issue for my clients, thereby once again directly affecting me and my business…. If he will be a man of honor and abide by his promises, he will be a rarity in the political profession.In the meantime, Kaine said he would consider spending surplus money and pursue public-private partnerships for new roads.Good man. He could also consider refunding said surplus money to the people.Discussion on the above issue.TJPDC’s Summer NewsletterThe Transportation Funding Options Working Group, comprising local business and civic leaders, was convened in November to prioritize outstanding transportation projects deemed necessary to keep traffic moving in the urban area and recommend ways to pay for them….A draft of the report lists nine projects as priorities for funding, including Hillsdale Drive Extended, the Meadowcreek Parkway, public transit improvements, the Southern Parkway and the Eastern Connector. Altogether these nine projects are about $100 million short of the requisite revenues for realizing them.Also on this list are improvements at the 29N/Hydraulic/250 area and a study for the Fontaine/Sunset area of the City/County.
A sign of the times?
One would think that one of the dozen or so workers putting this up would have noticed that something was out of sorts. Story in the DP. Might they be slowly preparing us for the inevitable?