According to this Roanoke Times editorial, “If Virginia’s next governor gets it wrong on transportation, people will suffer.” The transportation plans of Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore “are as inspiring as sitting in traffic and choking on fumes during a hot August day.”
A transportation plan that will satisfy the Times is actually pretty simple–in fact, it sounds suspiciously like the outlines of the after Labor Day promised Russ Potts plan. Just raise the gasoline tax, “develop and stick to a unified plan to combat the diversified needs across the state,” and, most importantly, stop this talk of regional taxing authorities and regional referendums. Regions can “weigh in” on their needs and offer possible solutions, but anything more than that is off the table. Oh, and throw some “intermodal solutions” in there, too.
This is the ultimate straight talk plan, not an attempt to “appease” voters like the exhaust sniffing Kaine and Kilgore plans. A plan to develop a plan and stick to the plan is just the plan Virginia’s transportation system needs to avoid needless suffering.
