Yesterday I posted about the idea to use tolls from roads to fund rail and asked you, dear reader to tell me what you thought. The email I have received has generally been supportive of the idea. Says one reader:
"Don't these people realize that a train out to the airport is going to reduce traffic and make their commutes easier?"
Well, dear reader, I think your answer is 'no', if you look at today's headlines. The pols are all over the place on this one. The Democratic Fairfax County Board Chair feels the deal does not protect commuters who pay tolls. Another Dem doesn't think the new manager can be held accountable to the public, either. The Republican Speaker of the House, in a moment of lucidity, said
"It's fair to say that I'd sure like to do something. But I don't know what that is."
He went on to add that one of several private companies that bid on authority over the road might be able to manage it better.
The problem with all of these statements is that none of them look at the big picture. You cannot evaluate the situation based on a single metric. The price of tolls, commute time, public accountability, the construction of a rail line, revenue for the state - all of these are important. But this is an issue that needs to be examined in the context of the entire transportation system.
The question that needs answering is which of the proposals will add the most to Northern Virginia's transportation system...
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder