The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
A resident's effort to put the question of light rail to a referendum in November has failed.
Wally Erb submitted 1,083 of the 25,000 signatures he needed to get the measure on the ballot, said Pat Harrington, voter registrar.
Erb, who is running for the City Council, said he wasn't able to create a large enough organization to collect the needed signatures. The deadline was the end of the day on Wednesday.
"You got to have the soldiers to do it," he said. "I just didn't have the organization to do it."
The City Council is waiting for the results of an ongoing study before deciding if the city will pursue a 10.6-mile light-rail project to connect to the Norfolk Tide line under construction. That study is scheduled to be finished next year. Some council members have called for a referendum after it's completed. Others say it's unnecessary.
In 1999, Beach voters opposed light rail in a referendum.
"Frankly, I didn't think there was any chance of him getting the signatures because there's not enough information yet for people to make an educated decision, so putting it on the ballot is premature," said Councilman Jim Wood, a board member of Hampton Roads Transit, the agency that would manage a Beach light-rail project.
Erb, who is running for an at-large seat on the City Council, said a referendum will be central to his campaign. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2000 and Circuit Court clerk in 2003.
"My campaign issue is going to be, 'No means no until we have a referendum and say yes,' " he said.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
THE CHOO CHOO TROLLEY IS COMING....
So lets ask HRT for vouchers so we can take the low rider transit.....
That's the ticket, get it! lol....
Here's the question...
Ok, assuming that LRT will happen. We will be using the old Norfolk Southern rails, does anyone know how many intersections the line will cross throughout the city? Each stop requires stopping the vehicle traffic at each crossing. So just how effective could this possibly be? While a well planned transportation program can be beneficial for everyone, we don't have the options to keep this mass transit option out of the way of what is already an overflowing tangle of roads and vehicles.
New rails
Actually, new rails will be installed side by side so trains can pass. The study has looked at ten possible grade separations, and apparently will recommend that the following intersections will need to be separated; Witchduck, Independence, Rosemont, Lynnhaven, and First Colonial/London Bridge. This will increase cost slightly, but will enhance convenience and reduce any potential disruption.
Sure Mike. It will increase
Sure Mike. It will increase the cost to bankrupcy of VB taxpayers. Since we now have a new weenie as chairman in this mismanaged boondoggle, heaven knows what what it will cost. If Riddick throws a ham Mike, be sure to duck.
went to the public meeting on Wednesday
They identified 5 overhead crossings planned at the major road intersections.
LRT is not the answer
I keep hearing that LRT will help mobility, reduce traffic heck even improve water quality. The simple fact is that LRT does not have the capacity to make a dent in or current traffic problems. I find it interesting that the Newtown SGA only includes property north of the tracks and not south. And that it runs well past Greenwich Road where coincidentally developers own property and where idiotic plans such as a Greenwich to Cleveland Street flyover are discussed to the tune of 40 million or more. No, LRT will benefit one group and one group only. The developers that dream of building mini urban utopias along the tracks. And meanwhile the current HRT buses will still run at minimal occupancy and traffic will still be as bad or worse than ever. I have no issue building the LRT in a good economy. It is a neat way for tourists to run back and forth from the beach into Norfolk. And true some people will find it useful. But in a near depression where tax dollars are limited now is not the time.
Russ you are not listening to the people
Russ, you are just not listening to the many groups whose members want the mobility afforded by light rail. Groups that have indicated support for light rail include environmental groups, those representing the elderly and the handicapped, those who look forward to bicycle and multi purpose trails connected to and coordinated with light rail, employers who want reliable and inexpensive publci transit service for their employees, universities who will gain students because of the convenience of the stops near major universities, and yes, real estate developers, and the tenants who see business opportunity from the residents who will choose to live in these urban towns that will replace old light industrial uses with multi use residental and town centers. Fact is, just about everybody wins, and light rail is the low cost alternative compared to widening interstate in urban areas. $40 M for the entire LRT ROW would buy about 1/2 mile of interstate lane, and the state does not have money for roads. Get aboard the light rail.
Listen to the people?
Oh I listen to the people. The business I operate sits on the tracks and I can see the Newtown Road station being built from our building. I live 1/2 mile from the tracks a bit farther down. I have lived in the community for 50 years. The majority of people I know and speak to are not against LRT but they have no plans to use it and really view it as nothing more than a novelty and tourist attraction. Most do believe now is not the time to spend our limited funds on this.
LRT as designed does not have the capacity to alter traffic flow. Unless you live within a mile or less of the tracks you will still have to rely on either private vehicles or HRT to get you to the stations. Once off the train again unless you work right at a station you will have to rely on HRT or some other form of transportation to get you somewhere. The trains have little capacity and the station parking areas have little capacity. The overall cost to operate long term is an unknown. Current HRT transportation is under utilized and has the reputation of being un reliable. So why would LRT under the same management be any better?
I know people who had no
I know people who had no plans on staying in their current home or being foreclosed upon. I know a lot of people who planned on driving their SUV freely before gas increased(note it has hardly dropped via percentage).
Funny how money changed things aye?
Well, no one with knowledge
Well, no one with knowledge says that Light Rail will alter traffic flow; fact is, light rail will simply augment the automobile, but it will alter development patterns to reduce sprawl and incent new multi use developement within a half mile or so of the stations. Many of the stations will have parking for commuters, but many will be more neighborhood oriented. Capacity on the system can be increased easily with the addition of more trains and more cabs on each train. Further, with the planned extensions to the Naval Base, the airport, and perhaps to other cities, it does provide a low cost alternative to new interstate highways. Perhaps in older subdivisions, citizens with no experience with light rail may think they will not use it, but I bet they will in certain circumstances.