Saturday, January 14, 2006
To strike transportation woes, swing for the fences
From the RoundTable blog
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Philip A. Shucet
Shucet, former commissioner of the Virginia Deparment of Transportation, is president of Dragas Management Corp. in Virginia Beach.
Tim Kaine will be a good governor.
Likewise, the women and men of our General Assembly are good lawmakers.
As we saw in 2004, powerful things happen when the governor and the General Assembly focus on matters of critical concern to the commonwealth.
That same leadership from the executive and legislative branches of government is required again in 2006.
The discipline to do the right thing -- to finish the task at hand -- is as vital now as it was two short years ago.
Transportation is the task at hand.
There's been a lot of talk about transportation since the election. That's good.
Kaine's town hall meetings have put the issue in front of the people, and the people in front of the governor-elect.
Citizens who pay for the transportation services government provides have an inalienable right to express themselves directly to those who spend the money.
But now the talk has to turn to action.
As the issues surrounding transportation are discussed, and different ways of efficiently delivering those services are debated, it is imperative to remember that we do indeed have to pay for the services we expect.
Transportation programs are expensive, and we are running out money to fund them.
In the time it takes a first-grader in 2006 to finish high school in 2018, Virginia will be well on the way to exhausting transportation funds available for anything other than maintenance.
Whether you favor bus, rail or roads, or bicycling, walking or boating, telecommuting, carpooling or slugging, it takes money to meet our growing mobility needs -- money that won't be there unless firm action is taken now.
And without action, a lock box for transportation takes on little meaning, because the box will be empty.
It's extremely difficult to expect elected officials to send a "we need more money" message to voters, especially on the heels of the courageous action of 2004.
Yet, that's exactly what we have to expect.
How can we in good conscience promise new or improved transportation services when we know they can't be delivered without sustainable revenue? We can't.
The cost of tolls, taxes or even the unwelcome and hideous burden of additional debt falls on the shoulders of taxpayers.
It doesn't matter whether the public or private sector is fronting the bill -- at the end of the day, citizens bear the cost of transportation.
That's the way it works. To think otherwise is turning an eye away from the truth.
Here's a sample of what's happening around us.
n Transportation construction costs in the last year rose between 20 percent and 30 percent, threatening programs in states across the country.
n In late December, a 45-year-old bridge across Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania collapsed under its own weight.
n Elected leaders in California are considering a massive debt program in excess of $50 billion to address a variety of needs, including growing frustration with an overcrowded transportation system. And they're talking about increasing "user fees" to pay for the debt.
Sidestepping transportation in 2006 is not an option.
While the lights may begin to dim slowly at first (many believe they are already dimming), the negative long-term economic results of failing to act decisively in 2006 will seriously jeopardize our future.
On the other hand, firm action in 2006 -- regardless of its popularity -- can assure a vibrant future.
Just imagine where Virginia would be today without the leadership elected officials displayed in 1986 -- the last time that additional sustainable funds for transportation were raised.
Now, it's time for the governor and General Assembly to step up to the plate again, bats firmly in hand, ready to swing at a fast ball crossing the plate.
There already are two strikes on the scoreboard for transportation in Virginia.
Strike three would be as lamentable as Casey's swing and miss in Mudville.
And a solid home run would be as powerful and celebrated as Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series game-winning, bottom-of-the-ninth home run.
