The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Nine years after residents rejected light rail in a referendum, a chunk of federal money is about to be used to study the project, which proponents say has more support this time around.
The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional group, is expected to vote Wednesday to allocate $1.5 million in transportation money to partially fund a detailed study of light rail in Virginia Beach. The money had been reserved for a Newport News project that officials decided would not meet federal guidelines.
The study would answer many questions about what a Virginia Beach light-rail system would cost, how many people would use it and where it would run. It would also explore a spur line to Norfolk Naval Station.
The study is surfacing as Norfolk faces cost overruns on its own light-rail project, which supporters of the Beach project say isn't a big problem.
"The great thing about the Norfolk experience is that we'll have 2009 dollars for construction costs," said Bob Matthias, an assistant to City Manager Jim Spore. "We should have very accurate construction numbers."
City Councilman Bob Dyer was cautious about a Beach project, calling Norfolk's problems a "wake- up call."
"Given the state of the economy, the timing may be inappropriate at this point," he said.
Hampton Roads Transit, the agency that would oversee the study, hopes to hire a consultant to start it in March, said Jayne Whitney, HRT vice president.
The study, estimated to cost $3 million, would take 12 to 18 months. In addition to the federal funds, the city hopes to get money from the state to complete the study.
The City Council killed the idea of light rail after residents voted against it in a 1999 referendum. Many of today's council members say conditions have changed, citing the addition of Town Center, increased traffic and volatile gas prices.
Mayor-elect Will Sessoms, who supported light rail in 1999 when he was on the council, said he hopes the study will help build support.
"The key thing is we get all the information and the public can see it," he said. "Let's get the public behind it and get light rail in Virginia Beach."
While no council members were as enthusiastic as Sessoms, those reached Friday said they favored the study as a first step to see if they should move forward.
"Really, the taxpayers want us to do our due diligence to see if it's viable," Councilman Ron Villanueva said.
Meanwhile, the city is including possible light-rail routes and stops in neighborhood development plans, said Steve Herbert, an assistant city manger. For example, Oceanfront plans show stops at the convention center and the Dome site. Town Center would be another stop.
"We're leaning forward in terms of planning for light rail so that we can get on with this sooner rather than later," he said.
Councilman John Uhrin said light rail could help guide growth. "It's not just a way to move people but a way to create smart development as opposed to sprawling through the city," he said.
The line roughly parallels Interstate 264 between Newtown Road and the Oceanfront.
Even if the City Council backed the project and got the railroad right of way, the city would still have to get in line for federal money. Competition for such funding is fierce, HRT's Whitney said.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122. aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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Don, the CAFE rules were crippled
by auto lobbyists who insisted on a separate standard for light trucks, which they they upped to 8500 lbs and put $20K camper tops on to make SUV's.
Americans did not clamor for an SUV, the desire was created first by Detroit in very effective advertising. If the CAFE rules had applied across the board for all consumer vehicles, then the auto industry would probably be in much better shape. The auto industry twisted the law, and took the easy way out. If there were no CAFE standards at all, then we would not even have the few gas misers we do make today. Sorry, but the law of unintended consequences was made into the law of intended consequences by the management of our auto industry who could not see past the next quarter.
it about time
That might nice for cities like Portland- guess what We don't live there.My concern is for this city and city council that has sold this town out since I first came here in 1965 and continues. I objected to giving a convited felon money for the 31st hotel, giving a loan to a privite theater group ($500,000.00), and the new airport expansion in pungo. Ask any city employee where and what is happening to their benefits. Many people take these lower paying jobs for the security and the benefits, now the city can take these away for the benefit of privite (for profit)companies rather then honor their employees.Maybe they could take the light rail from Town Center to the oceanfront and then call someone for a ride to get where they need to go. Good luck in the job market, maybe you could get a job between the three major stops and make enough to pay for the remainder for the cab fare or get the city to give you money to buy a car. Get real... 18 months for the study-$3,000,000.00 Light Rail in Norfolk $40,000,000.00 a mile, City of VB Council reconzing they work for the people- Priceless....
We Need a Light Rail NOW
It's about time that Hampton Roads had a light rail system. As a Virginia Beach resident who doesn't drive, a light rail system is a necessity for me when I enter the job market. If the Virginia Beach City Council will approve of this plan as soon as possible, I will be really pleased with the results. Although the U.S. economy is suffering, it would be beneficial if the city of Virginia Beach can use the funds to start construction on the light rail immediately. That way, we will be able to get around the city without limitations.
the future
Transportation in HR is basically a nightmare. And twenty years from now, we will be packed to the brim (Water on all sides and the green line below). Not to mention gas will be 5 dollars/gallon + inflation. This is a reality not too far off for the average person to conceive. With most mid-size city building light rail. Understand that we will fall behind and business will retreat to diversified metro areas with integrated mass transit options. This will mean urban decay for our region. Mass transit and LRT is the infrastructure of the post-petroleum era, just as the interstate system was for the last 50 years. We do not have to build LRT, and we will live with those consequences. Look up Portland sometime to see a truely successful metro area. Its transit/transportation is what we should aim for!!
Study for...
anyone who has lived here long enough or tried to get to hampton from Va.Beach thru the navy traffic can inform you were the light rail needs to be placed, not downtown norfolk, not town center to the oceanfront...
And guess what we already have the right away (down the center of the expressway-overhead), Will I take the light rail to Norfolk, no... Will I take the light rail to the beach, no... Living here over forty years, I have been to the oceanfront a couple of times in the last decade... And Downtown Norfolk a few more then that.
Increase the bus service and save the money... The density for a light rail is not here, nor is the need to go from the oceanfront to downtown norfolk. Save the money and let norfolk explain how much money they spent on their study...
Marketplace at work? Hardly
Look up the Fallacy of Composition. You can't assume "Detroit didn't build cars Americans wanted." That presumes all Americans wanted one type of car. SOME Americans wanted cars that got much better mileage, and it is true Detroit failed to appeal to that segment of the market for too long.
But SOME Americans also wanted muscle cars, station wagons and luxury sedans and Detroit dominated that market. CAFE standards selectively destroyed the market segment in which Detroit excelled. This is something the changing market would have done in time, but the transition would have been less drastic.
Further, Detroit placed much of their hopes in protectionism, a promise government could not deliver upon, but that hope delayed their needed changes, one of those unintended consequences I keep warning about.
Is Detroit partly responsible for its own demise? Of course, but government interference in the market did much of the damage too.
DDS Tabor
Government interference caused the downfall of the auto industry? The auto industry is a perfect example of the marketplace at work: Detroit didn't build cars Americans wanted. Americans bought foreign models instead of what Detroit was offering. Management, not the unions or the government made those decisions. The management of the Big Three successfully lobbied time and time again to put off gas mileage and emissions. Better gas mileage is one of the selling points of most foreign cars, so guess what happened? The Big Three lost on the marketplace. Even when the companies were failing, management STILL got bonuses - for failure! The unions share some of the blame, yes, but no where near the share of management.
When it comes to creating new transportation methods, government has often taken the lead. From helping create the first transcontinental railroads to airports air routes and air traffic control, federal leadership has been key.
Len, its a big leap from 'subsidies cause evils'
to all planning being evil. Planning for the future is responsible government, trying to coerce a future contrary to the marketplace is not. Planners too often try to create a future, rather than accommodate change. If you do that, your assumptions had better be right or the unintended consequences will thwart your efforts.
You point to the ills of the auto industry. So do I. The demise of our auto industry is a result of interference by government contrary to the marketplace. First, labor laws forbid the industry from acting in unison, but allow unions to strike one company with support from members across the industry, resulting in union dominance in negotiations over decades. Then, the vehicle of choice of suburban families, the full sized station wagon, was CAFEd out of existence, driving families to SUV's which were then regulated as light trucks with higher CAFE limits. Left to the market, we would have seen incremental improvements in wagon mileage instead of the jump to SUV's. Unintended consequences always result from coercion.
"The onl reason some in VB don't want this"?
"Is a fear of what suburbia white VB does not want is people of different ethnicity."?
This is not the first time that phony claim has been brought up. Those same downtown black folks that supposedly are not wanted by VB are definitely not wanted by Norfolk State U. NSU even insisted that the light rail stop be relocated away from NSU campus.
The onl reason some in VB don't want this
Is a fear of what suburbia white VB does not want is people of different ethnicity. However, the face of VB is changing and in fact, so is the entire USA. With that being said, Lite rail is obviously going to be beneficial to transportation in the years to come. It is now certainly time to view this. The shame here is that it was not a regional project from the start because we all pay for what the federal government allocates money towards and I'm afraid there is already exploitation of those dollars by the council of Norfolk. We needed over site from the get go. When Citizens of Newport News were in a fuss because Paul Fraim appointed himself to the regional transportation board there was a reason for it and thank goodness they did