Two Republican legislators from Virginia Beach have introduced a bill that would extend the light rail system now under construction in Norfolk to within blocks of the Oceanfront.
The legislation was put in by Del. Robert Tata and state Sen. Frank Wagner with little apparent discussion with local elected city leaders.
“It’s time for this to happen, whether they favor it or not,” Tata said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in Olympia, the debate among the Democratic supermajority is not how much to fund Sound Transit, but whether to hobble it with navel-gazing governance reform.
Our Democrats are to the right of Virginia Republicans.
Via The Overhead Wire.
That’s why I vote Republican :)
I just wonder what Dino Rossi will have in store (assuming he is elected).
Also, how come no one has introduced a statewide-transit plan, similar to BC’s recent provincial transit plan? Are our legislators just a bunch of laid-back hicks?
Max,
We don’t have to wonder; he’s released a transportation plan, which we reviewed here.
I’m no fanboy for Gregoire, but Rossi proved he’s far, far worse for transporation.
Again with the divisiveness and name-calling.
You guys are schizophrenic.
Brad,
What name-calling? It’s objectively true that there’s more state funding under consideration for Virginia’s transit than Washington’s. You can’t blame our state’s Republican delegation, because they don’t have the power to stop anything.
It’s also not some sort of problem with ST specifically; Metro isn’t exactly swimming in state money either.
So, wait, you say we’re name-calling for saying “navel-gazing”, and follow it up with “schizophrenic”?
Governance “reform” is another way to say “save our planned highway expansion with transit money”. We all know that. Looking at it another way won’t change it.
The fact that we pointed out the mathematical problems with transit service in the suburbs doesn’t mean you can start trolling.
The list of anti-rail transit dems in the congress is huge. Deb Eddy tops the list.
Haha, good one about the Republicans in the legislature being more pro-transit than the Democrats.
But seriously, the Republicans would absolutely kill any state funding of transit at all. The Democrats in the legislature who are against Link light rail expansion are against it because it does nothing to serve their area, and they don’t want to put more of their constituents’ money into projects in Seattle and a couple of the surrounding suburbs that will do nothing to help their district.
No, no, our Republicans are crazy. It’s in other parts of the country (including Southern states like Virginia, apparently) where both parties see the benefits of transit.
I understand that legislators may not be inclined to support projects that aren’t in their district, and yet somehow roads (and other spending programs, for that matter) get funded all the time. This happens all the time because politicians trade votes with one another.
Meanwhile, actual representatives in the Sound Transit district (something like 21 of the 48 leg. districts in the state) might cheer from sidelines, but can’t get their act together enough to actually provide the region some concrete support.
and andrew, Deb Eddy is in the legislature, not congress.
It’s not just Virginia, but other “Red” cities like Houston and Salt Lake City that realize the benefits of rail and are aggressively pursuing expansion plans.
Houston and Salt Lake City both have Democratic mayors.
Just sayin’…