Your Piece of the Planet

Palm Beach County in Florida has used most of its local gas tax money for road construction.  The county has sprawling suburbs with residents claiming they are entitled to new-and-improved roads.

After all, developers built houses where the roads could not handle the increased traffic, so the county has to expand infrastructure, right?  But look at what Palm Beach just did… Read the rest of this entry »

Across the country, local officials in expanding communities have been trapped in a never-ending game.  Every time roads are widened, traffic jams are reduced… until new houses are built at the periphery of the road system, creating more congestion. 

Look at I-66.  After widening it to Gainesville, we just moved the traffic jam west from the “old” Route 234/Sudley Road interchange to the ”new” Route 234 interchange, and then again to the Route 29 interchange.

Where does it stop?  There’s an answer staring us in the face.

Read the rest of this entry »

While people in Northern Virginia were watching the events in Washington DC, the Virginia Secretary of Transportation revealed today that the VDOT budget for Fiscal Year 2010 will stop funding construction for new roads.   

In his Transportation Budget Update, Pierce Homer tried once again to alert elected officials that “budgeting as usual” won’t work.  That means “planning as usual” won’t work either. 

If you hear local officials tell you that Prince Wiliam can find $3 billion to build 700 new lanemiles of primary, secondary and urban roads by 2030… ask them to do a reality check.   Read the rest of this entry »

…Prince William County is just faking it.

Both communities have identified a specific location for a government-sponsored “town center.”  Only one community is doing what it takes – and taking some financial risks – to make it really happen. Read the rest of this entry »

Judge Dillon established a rule that towns, cities, and counties lacked authority to act, unless that authority was clearly granted by the state legislature.  (In his experience, the state legislature was less corrupt that local governments.) 

That’s why local Virginia politicians blame Richmond and the constraints of the Dillon Rule – “hey, I’d solve the problem locally, but we can’t do anything…” 

For transportation in particular, blame allocation includes “the state gets the money for roads, so blame VDOT.  Blame the Commonwealth Transportation Board.  Blame the General Assembly.  Blame anyone but your local official.”

Don’t believe it. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re running out of money for new roads and transit construction in Virginia, and the bank account is draining faster than expected.

If you want to suggest what transportation projects the Commonwealth Transportation Board should cut from the proposed Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2009-2014,  the last public hearing is tomorrow –  January 13, 7:00pm at the Fairfax Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway). Read the rest of this entry »