http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/10/19/what-the-virginia-campaign-can-teach-us-about-transportation-policy/ Your daily source for national transportation policy news and analysis. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/10/19/what-the-virginia-campaign-can-teach-us-about-transportation-policy/comment-page-1/#comment-85981 Emily Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:02:01 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=38701#comment-85981 Good article, and it is a shame that we don't have politicians willing to practice tough love and tell it like it is: There can be no transportation improvements without new taxes. Your point of the need to connect the dots between new taxes and solid benefits is well made. My issue w/ toll roads is that it that they are a regressive tax, and, on 95, would infringe upon a successful HOV system. Getting cars off the road is a huge part of the equation and the slug/HOA system helps accomplish this. Would love to see more tele-work incentives as well. An increase in the gas tax is long overdue. I realize this is also regressive, but it is easier and more desireable to reduce gas useage (smaller cars, inflate tires, walk more) than possibly push cars on to secondary roads to avoid tolls. Good article, and it is a shame that we don’t have politicians willing to practice tough love and tell it like it is: There can be no transportation improvements without new taxes. Your point of the need to connect the dots between new taxes and solid benefits is well made. My issue w/ toll roads is that it that they are a regressive tax, and, on 95, would infringe upon a successful HOV system. Getting cars off the road is a huge part of the equation and the slug/HOA system helps accomplish this. Would love to see more tele-work incentives as well. An increase in the gas tax is long overdue. I realize this is also regressive, but it is easier and more desireable to reduce gas useage (smaller cars, inflate tires, walk more) than possibly push cars on to secondary roads to avoid tolls.

]]> http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/10/19/what-the-virginia-campaign-can-teach-us-about-transportation-policy/comment-page-1/#comment-85921 Douglas Stewart Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:54:05 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=38701#comment-85921 This is a great article. The Virginia transportation debate is currently all about money. The only groups that really have a "product" (that gleaming HDTV) are the sprawl-friendly business groups like the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. I'm not yet sure how much of the solution lies in congestion pricing. I would like to see more focus on efficient land use, although that too is a tough product to package. This is a great article. The Virginia transportation debate is currently all about money. The only groups that really have a “product” (that gleaming HDTV) are the sprawl-friendly business groups like the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. I’m not yet sure how much of the solution lies in congestion pricing. I would like to see more focus on efficient land use, although that too is a tough product to package.

]]>