Roads forum winds along, inevitably, to tax talk

CHESAPEAKE

As a new resident of Hickory, Leigh Ann Woisard wondered Tuesday why it has taken so long for Virginia to address its transportation problems.

Many of the roads her fellow employees at Cox Communications use are congested, she said. Time that should be spent in productive work is often lost sitting in traffic jams, she said.

"We need to arrive at a meaningful solution and press forward with the work," she said.

Woisard was one of a dozen local residents to speak at a public forum held at City Council chambers on Virginia's ongoing discussion about transportation.

Organized by Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, it was the latest in a series of forums that lawmakers are hosting as they prepare for the General Assembly's special session on transportation funding this summer.

Cosgrove said the idea was to hear what citizens want - and don't want.

The forum began with several comments from officials who are confronting the reality of Virginia's declining transportation money.

Chesapeake City Engineer Eric Martin spoke of his city's constant battle to keep its structurally deficient and obsolete bridges safe for use. He said the city will devote $14 million this year to fixing bad bridges, but it's not enough for the worst ones.

"Those are beyond the reach of the city," he said.

Philip Shucet, former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation, cited numerous statistics that warn of a worsening state of transportation in Virginia.

He said half of all local trips are now thought to involve a driver confronting congestion, while a national study recently showed that Hampton Roads drivers lose about 25 million hours a year in congestion.

As at other forums, many speakers talked about how Virginia now spends more on road maintenance than it does on road construction, despite growing traffic congestion.

In Hampton Roads, backups at bridges and tunnels are daily events.

After an hour of mostly polite conversation that leaned toward support of higher taxes, Cosgrove, chairman of the Hampton Roads legislative caucus, said he was impressed by the civility of the meeting.

John Hill, another Chesapeake resident, urged the lawmakers to be patient and press forward with a statewide gasoline tax increase.

"I hope you have the courage of your convictions and pass the increase," he said.

Others were not so sure. "I'm taxed enough," said Phil Noel, of Deep Creek. "I can't afford any more."

Del. Kenneth R. Melvin, D-Portsmouth, said lawmakers face a tough decision.

"There will be tax increases," he said. "There is no way around it. The question is: What will be taxed and by how much, and will it be equitable and make sense?"

Tom Holden, (757) 446-2331, tom.holden@pilotonline.com