VIRGINIA – “Look beyond the deal specifics and look at the real implications of the announced deal on HB2313, and you’ll see a bill that represents bad fiscal policy and bad transportation policy,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “It’s a bad deal for Virginia. Without reforming VDOT spending the statewide component of the funding will be wasted, and all Virginians will have to pay for this waste. On the same day that the conference committee announced a deal proposing about $850 million per year in additional transportation funding, we learned that VDOT is wasting yet more of the $3 billion in funds approved by the General Assembly in 2011,” said Chris Miller, President of the Piedmont Environmental Council. “Yesterday, in a presentation to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, VDOT said it would allocate $869 million in borrowed federal funds to Route 460 and the Coalfields Expressway, two of the most wasteful projects to ever be proposed in Virginia. Then there is the $1.25 billion or so they propose to waste on the Charlottesville Bypass and the NoVA Outer Beltway. ”
Category: Press Releases
Montgomery Planners Propose 78-Mile Rapid Transit system
Today, Montgomery County planning staff present to the Planning Board a 78-mile version of the proposed Rapid Transit System, based on several months of data-driven modeling and analysis. The Rapid Transit System would be a premium, reliable transit service using dedicated lanes as much as possible to bypass traffic, running frequently throughout the day, and stopping at enhanced stations featuring real time arrival information and efficient boarding like that found on Metro.
Get Maryland Moving: Newly Unified Groups from Baltimore to Washington Call on Governor and General Assembly to Make Transportation Funding a Top Priority This Session
A new coalition uniting groups from Baltimore to Washington announced today a joint campaign with a strong message to Annapolis: increased funding for transportation, with a particular focus on transit, must be a top priority for Governor O’Malley and the General Assembly this year. Leaders of the new coalition “Get Maryland Moving” warned that without a source of new revenue, critical transit projects like the Washington area’s Purple Line, Baltimore’s Red Line, Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway, MARC modernization and expansion, and Metro rehabilitation could miss out on federal funding and be delayed for years. Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, said in a statement, “Maryland’s economic competitiveness…
STATEMENT: Coalition for Smarter Growth Statement on COG Population Projections for Metro Region
In response to the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) release today of population projections for the region through 2040, Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz issued the following statement: “The best and perhaps only way we can manage this growth and traffic is through compact walkable development linked to transit. People are already seeking out these neighborhoods and demand is rising.”
PRESS STATEMENT: Washington D.C. Region Number One for Congestion? That’s Not News. What is News Are the Solutions.
Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz issued the following statement today on the Texas Transportation Institute’s congestion report: “Our congestion is a direct result of poor land use planning including the dispersal of corporate employers, the separation of homes from work, schools, stores and other services, and communities where the only option is to drive. The real news is that the Washington DC region now offers more and more residents options to avoid congestion and more and more people are choosing those options. The District of Columbia is experiencing booming growth and people are flocking to transit-oriented neighborhoods in D.C., Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Hyattsville. Changing demographics and market demand are playing a big role as millennial and downsizing empty nesters are seeking these more convenient places where they can live closer to jobs and use transit, walk and bicycle…”
No Tax on Gasoline? A Terrible Policy for Transportation and our Economic Competitiveness
RICHMOND, VA — Governor McDonnell said yesterday, “That’s right, no more gas tax at the pump. No sales tax at the pump either.” “The Governor’s proposal to eliminate all state taxes on gasoline isn’t bold, it’s terrible policy,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “It would send exactly the wrong market signal.
Hospital design case studies showcase benefits of urban design and community connections for new Prince George’s Regional Medical Center
new set of case studies [PDF] highlights how important urban design, community connections, and transit access could ultimately be to the long-term success of a new Regional Medical Center in Prince George’s County. The hospital design examples are from leading national and international architectural firms, including AECOM, Cannon Designs, ZGF, and Smithgroup JJR. Local organizations the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Potomac Valley, Coalition for Smarter Growth, and Envision Prince George’s Community Action Team for Transit-Oriented Development compiled the examples to illustrate the benefits that innovative urban planning, connectivity, and accessibility to transit resources would add to the healthcare and economic opportunity that the new medical center represents for the county.
Statement on VA Congressman regarding Route 460
VIRGINIA – Just last night Congressmen Scott, Moran and Connolly sent a joint letter to Governor McDonnell, the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers, requesting information about the Route 460 project and the wetlands impacts and questioning the value of the project given the very low traffic projections and other needs in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. Yet, Governor McDonnell just announced today that his administration has signed the $1.4 billion contract for the project
VDOT Plays the Grinch for Northern Virginia Residents
With less than two weeks notice, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) scheduled two public meetings this week on their “North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance,” a revival of the long-controversial Outer Beltway. Not only are the meetings set amid the busy holiday season when it’s hard for local residents to attend, but the comment period is scheduled to close on January 2nd, the day after the long holiday week — a time guaranteed to ensure that few people will have the time to comment.
Moreover, the meeting notice cannot be found on the main VDOT website, but is instead on a little known VTRANS website and the meetings will not be conducted in an open public hearing format.
Virginia Transportation Program is Off-Track as Virginia Governor’s Transportation Conference Convenes This Week in Tysons
The Virginia “Governor’s Transportation Conference” convenes in Tysons on December 5th, but we don’t expect this conference to address the very real problems with this administration’s transportation program.