With the announcement of transportation plans by Governor Kaine and the Virginia Senate, reactions are starting to pour in. Personally, I'm a strong advocate of "Smart Growth" and also a strong environmentalist. With that in mind, here are highlights from a statement issued about 2 hours ago by Virginia's Coalition for Smarter Growth:
Voters have made it clear that they want something done about poorly planned growth because they know it causes their ever-growing commutes.More important than new money and where it will come from is the plan for using it.
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Without a plan and unless communities have the power to control their futures, more transportation money won?t solve their traffic problems. The Governor and the Senate have taken a step in the right direction with one or two land use powers in their packages, but these are no substitute for a much more comprehensive approach to land use which is still missing from the plans. Moreover, there is no sign that the existing long and still unaffordable list of transportation projects will be reexamined.
Kaine tapped voter sentiment when telling voters, ?We can?t let runaway development clog our roads and ruin our beautiful landscapes.?
Voters will want to know how this increased spending will ensure runaway development doesn?t keep clogging their roads and ruining Virginia?s beautiful landscapes.
We believe that the Governor and General Assembly must come up with stronger land use and transportation planning reforms before writing more checks.
I couldn't agree more with the Coalition for Smarter Growth. When I look at Governor Kaine's plan, for instance, I see the majority of the nearly $4 billion going towards road building, with very little towards managing demand (e.g, significant smart growth initiatives). I also can't say I'm overjoyed to see $339 million taken from the state's general fund - which funds everything from health care to Chesapeake Bay cleanup to public safety to education (e.g., Kaine's pre-K program) - going towards transportation. Isn't this exactly what we blasted Jerry Kilgore for during the campaign?
On the positive side, I DO like the fact that the Governor's plan recognizes, at least rhetorically, "that asphalt isn?t the only solution, doubling the amount of money spent on mass transit options." However, I want to see a lot more than rhetoric. Overall, I've got to say that this proposal doesn't knock my socks off.
The Senate plan's not ideal either, but at least it relies on gas taxes over general fund revenues, recognizes that "scattered development of homes and businesses impacts both cities and suburbs," and pushes rail solutions (the TransDominion Express, the I-81 Rail Corridor, the Heartland Corridor, and high speed passenger rail from Richmond to DC).
Anyway, I'm sure there will be a lot of horse trading and changes before this is all over. There's a lot at stake here; I just hope that everyone rises to the occasion.