WITH TALK of the traffic
Local roads have failed to keep up with the phenomenal growth in our area, to the detriment of commerce and community. That's why Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, is proposing a regional transportation authority for this area similar to what may be constructed for Nova and Tidewater.
Mr. Houck suggests that any metropolitan area in Virginia that has an aggregate of at least 8.5 million daily vehicle miles traveled be allowed to assess an additional 1 percent sales tax (not applicable to food) to be used for local transportation needs. This would include Fredericksburg and Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
The General Assembly is struggling in special session to replace last year's transportation agreement, which ran afoul of the Virginia Supreme Court and the public. And, frankly, there are no easy solutions. While some legislators are all too quick to pick citizens' pockets, "'no-new-tax'-ers" scream like stuck pigs when any revenue-enhancing suggestions are made. The reality is, we need roads, and they're neither free nor cheap.
Mr. Houck's proposal could generate as much as $42 million a year for local roads; according to Senate finance committee staff research, this would cost a family with an income of $60,ooo about $133 per year.
How much are we willing to pay to get moving again? Matt Kelly, Fredericksburg City Councilman and a member of the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, says it's time we face the reality that "under the current funding formulas, we will never receive the funding necessary to get ahead of our transportation situation." Something has to be done.
Furthermore, he points out that while it's true that more VDOT projects are finished on time and on budget, we're not focusing on this question: How effective is a given project in moving traffic or easing congestion? That's where a regional group that has power to do more than just talk would help.
It's the commonwealth's job to serve the people. That includes building and maintaining roads. Ideology is a luxury we can no longer afford; it's time to shove dead shibboleths off to the shoulder--and get Virginia moving again.