Transportation Referendum
You
and I have been watching our transportation crisis grow for several years. We have seen how congestion has snarled our roads and kept us
sitting in traffic when we could have been spending time with our families or
doing something else that�s enjoyable. Traffic congestion affects the
competitiveness of our business and threatens our quality of life.
On
November 5th, Northern Virginia voters will be able to decide the fate of our
transportation future. We can vote
�yes� for the proposed half-cent sales tax increase for road and transit
investments, or we can vote �no� and maintain the status quo. The status quo
isn�t working. It�s a disaster. And
there is no alternate solution in sight coming from Richmond.
Our growing transportation crisis is not a partisan issue.
It is a quality of life issue that only we, as voters, can address.
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The transportation referendum is about solving our traffic
congestion problem. Northern
Virginia has the nation�s third worst congestion and on average,
commuters spend 84 hours a year stuck in traffic.[i]
This is equivalent to a two-week vacation lost.
Unless, we act quickly, conditions will become much worse. |
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It is time Northern Virginia made its own transportation decisions
and stopped depending on Richmond for money and direction.
The referendum will place transportation decisions in the hands of
Northern Virginians, not in Richmond�s or VDOT�s.
All of the money produced by the half cent on the sales tax will be
put in a separate fund controlled by elected and appointed officials from
Northern Virginia. |
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The law makes it clear that 100% of the money raised will stay here
in Northern Virginia for our transportation priorities.
The law also prohibits Richmond from reducing the transportation
dollars that Northern Virginia would otherwise be entitled to. |
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The transportation referendum helps working families. Families pay
an incredibly high price for sitting in congestion. Traffic jams cost the
entire region $2.3 billion in wasted time and fuel.
These costs amount to $1595 per year for each Northern Virginian in
additional costs for fuel, vehicle maintenance, health care and time
wasted in traffic.[ii]
Lower income people pay an even higher price in terms of lost time and
inadequate public transit. |
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The referendum costs will be modest � about 25 cents a day per
household. The �-cent tax
increase does not apply to food, prescription or non-prescription drugs. |
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The
referendum is pro-environment, providing an unprecedented opportunity for
new transit projects and upgrading and rehabilitating older Metro
facilities as well as for expansion of the Virginia Railway Express.
It will also provide more convenient bus service to serve our
region�s diverse lifestyles. |
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The transportation referendum is important to more intelligent land
use planning and decisions. By investing primarily in service improvements
in existing transportation corridors, the transportation referendum will
help to focus and manage land use and get a greater return from previous
transportation investments. Each
of the projects to be funded by the bonds to be issued is on the Northern
Virginia 2020 Transportation Plan adopted by the region�s local elected
officials. |
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The transportation referendum is important to our economy and
overall quality of life. Our livelihoods depend upon a strong regional
economy. Northern Virginia�s economy has no �economic islands.�
There is not an Arlington economy, a Fairfax economy or a Loudoun or
Prince William economy. The region�s communities are inter-related and
inter-dependent. Northern Virginia�s prosperity and ability to provide
good-paying jobs depends on and requires a well-inter-connected
transportation network. |
[i] 2001 Urban Mobility Study, Texas Transportation Institute. Report date June 22, 2002.
[ii] Ibid.
