The cost of not acting to solve Virginia's transportation funding crisis is taking a toll on the region's workers, the president of Virginia Beach Vision argued Wednesday in an address to local lawmakers.
"People have the illusion that doing nothing costs nothing," said Stephen R. Davis, president of the nonpartisan group of business and civic leaders.
"It isn't true," he said. "Not unlike the proverbial 'death by a thousand cuts,' the cost of congestion shows up in a thousand different ways and costs everyone."
Charges from service workers that once ranged from $50 to $75 now cost $100 or more because of lost time in traffic, he said.
Davis spoke at the Virginia Beach City Council chambers as part of a third public forum on transportation that local lawmakers have been hosting to gather public input for fixing the problem.
Eight delegates and senators representing South Hampton Roads sat and listened as people urged them to act now, while others cautioned them to think carefully before making assumptions about what road projects will serve the most people.
Not everyone agreed on what should be done.
Some argued the region was heading in the wrong direction by pushing megaprojects that will do little to address everyday concerns.
But unlike previous forums that were heavy with numbers detailing how much less Virginia has to spend on roads than in the past, Wednesday's forum was largely one of public comment.
Jenni McFarland, executive director of the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Volunteers, said the city's all-volunteer force responds to about 100 calls a day - and roughly 30 of them require advanced life support for patients.
Yet travel times are increasing, she said, as many key congested roads, such as First Colonial Road, are not wide enough to allow drivers to pull over and out of the way of ambulances.
The typical time it takes for an ambulance to be dispatched to a home and transport a patient back to the hospital is now about 15 minutes, she said.
That's five minutes longer than it should be, McFarland said.
"We are seeing an increase in response times because of congestion," she said.
David Amble, director of operations at Papco Inc., said his company is paying higher labor costs to deliver fuel to the region because drivers are spending too much time in traffic.
"There are times when we can't go out to make deliveries because the congestion is so bad," he said.
Reid Greenmum, of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, called for the elimination of the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority because, he said, it was not needed.
"That was a mistake," he said.
While he sai d transportation is a serious problem, he took issue with the list of projects that regional leaders have advanced as the most important.
He said lawmakers should force Virginia to pay for rebuilding U.S. 460 and the proposed third bridge-tunnel linking South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula. Those projects are economic development initiatives and as such the state should fully finance them - not the region, he said.
He also called for reforms of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which sets regional transportation policy, and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, which advises the MPO.
Tom Holden, (757) 446-2331, tom.holden@pilotonline.com
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Greenmun is so stuck in the
Greenmun is so stuck in the past that he fails to understand and then acknowledge in his comment below that there are two components to our traffic misery; the first is how to get into and out of Hampton Roads, and the second is the failure of the Commonwealth to provide the state's share of the cost of local roads. The Taxpayers association, for whom Greenmun speaks, has led a campaign for years to cut, cut, cut, and the effects of these cuts in the funding of local roads is what the fire, police, and EMS personnel were speaking about. Greenmun's confusion is totally fake; he knows the distinction, but his ideology and political strategy is designed to confuse most voters, but his disingenuousness is clear to those who have repeatedly witnessed and commented upon his campaign of denial, delay, and obfuscation. What was clear at the Town Hall Meeting was that the Delegates will no longer be swayed by his tactics of deceit and trickery.
2 Cents
Extra lanes on Princess Anne Rd between the courthouse and Dam Neck Rd are WAY overdue. And will somebody PLEASE fix the traffic problem westbound on Dam Neck Rd between Holland Rd and Drakesmile Rd? It's a parking lot everyday! Yes, we do need the SE Expressway. Thousands of people drive from southern VB to Norfolk everyday. Half the time driving is spent GETTING TO the interstate. Another tunnel out in the middle of nowhere? No thanks! And VDOT knows this. That's why they got caught inflating the posted wait times on the electronic signs in order to get more people to drive way out to BFE to the M&M. Put 2 more tubes at the HRBT and add bridges to put more lanes in too. If I'm coming from VB to the Naval Base, why should I be late because I'm stuck waiting in tunnel traffic when I'm not going anywhere near the tunnel? OK, I can't be ALL negative. Thanks for FINALLY widening Lynnhaven Pkwy and Birdneck Rd.
Excellent article
If there ever was a discouraging article for people who are planning to move here or even visit, this is it. It clearly goes to show how the infrastructure of Virginia Beach, or for that matter, all of Hampton Roads, is not keeping up with the growing communities. Traffic problems are getting stifling in the region and unless they are addressed, will lead to its downfall.
Traffic and ambulance response.....
While it may have worked excellently in the past, the planning and recruitment has not matched the growth of the city and 10 ambulances cannot effectively cover 460 thousand people and still have units on reserve if needed.
Hilariously, this is the very same issue I wrote the Council about almost three YEARS ago and it's only gotten worse....
More ambulances placed strategically around the City..... It was a GREAT idea three years ago and an even better one now!
HB 3202 and 6 projects do not reduce traffic congestion
Good article Mr. Holden, it captures the event fairly well. I'd just like to add that many speakers from EMS, police, and others government folks told the members of the General Assembly how bad traffic is across Va Beach - but folks, nothing in HB 3202 and the 6 MPO projects would help the congestion problems they spoke of! This is one of the biggest problems with what is going on right now; the folks in Richmond are focued on raising taxes when they need to be developing a set of road improvements that will reduce traffic congestion. We also need to reform the MPO so that it is accountable to citizens. What should be obvious to anyone that studies the 6 MPO mega-projects that they are designed for economic development and not traffic congestion relief.
Light rail anyone?
Maybe its finally time people tell the short sited 'never travel and see how well the rest of the world works with mass transit' crowd to quiet down.
Changes needed
First of all, VB rescue responds to ALOT more than 100 calls in a 24 hour day. In the summer we respond to that many calls in one shift.
The problem with response times isn't the traffic, it's that we are regularly having to send ambulances far out of their first due areas due to depleted resources. This town is WAY too big for an all volunteer rescue force. While it may have worked excellently in the past, the planning and recruitment has not matched the growth of the city and 10 ambulances cannot effectively cover 460 thousand people and still have units on reserve if needed.
It's time to join the rest of the world and create a professional rescue service.
dumb moves
I would like to know how they are going to make Princess Anne into four lanes. Princess Anne and Holland is terrible, you are stuck at a green light because PA is clogged all the way pass the court house!?!? Plus when you turn right on PA-there is no place to go if a emergency vehicle tries to pass-just a giant hole to your right or the homes to the left?? The ones that their backyard is Princess Anne!?!?So where are these lanes going to go?? VB needed to think this out before they built more homes, oh that’s right our city can’t think!!! Vote in November!! Bye bye OrbenDORF and the most of the council!
Over built
The City Council is to blame for congestion in Virginia Beach. All they want to do is build on any available land.
Independence/Virginia Beach Blvd. was already congested, but the city decided to build the "New Downtown Virginia Beach" area. More condos and businesses to add to the traffic congestion. They want to do the same with the Princess Anne/Witchduck Rd. intersection. They plan on building strip shops with condos above them. How will that ease congestion in that area? They'll be adding to it! The four lane won't even continue on to meet at Centerville Turnpike or Virginia Beach Blvd. in the other direction. When will it ever stop? Not until the citizens vote for a whole new city council and mayor.
We need to staff MORE ambulances to overcome traffic
"Jenni McFarland, executive director of the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Volunteers, said the city's all-volunteer force responds to about 100 calls a day - and roughly 30 of them require advanced life support for patients.
Yet travel times are increasing, she said, as many key congested roads, such as First Colonial Road, are not wide enough to allow drivers to pull over and out of the way of ambulances.
The typical time it takes for an ambulance to be dispatched to a home and transport a patient back to the hospital is now about 15 minutes, she said.
That's five minutes longer than it should be, McFarland said."
"We are seeing an increase in response times because of congestion," she said. Hence the need for the city career/volunteers force to staff additional ambulances everyday to overcome traffic!!!
Idea
When it doubt build more houses around Oceana
No Priorities
Hampton Roads, especially Virginia Beach would rather build another office building, new houses, new shopping center or erect a new statue than figure out how someone is to get from A to B to C!
Now what?
This should be an interesting day. Apparently over development has created congestion, and the infrastructure has not keep up. So what do we do? Build more roads to create more over development, or fix what we have? Any road plan that does not address the HRBT is flawed. As stated 460 and the third crossing do nothing to fix the local problems. What good is another tunnel going to do to speed an ambulance to the hospital? The SE expressway is nothimg more than a roadway into undeveloped real estate. Few short years from now the SE expressway will be as congested as other roads in the beach. Hopefully the legislature will shy away from the politicial MPO and HRPDC and accept opinion, suggestions, and alternatives from citizens and experts, not politicians.