Green Transportation Campaign

The Commonwealth of Virginia has too many people driving too many cars. To improve our quality of life and reduce congestion, air pollution, gas consumption, and green house gas emissions we need to get people out of their cars and onto public transit, intercity passenger rail, bicycles and walking in well planned more livable communities.

Over the course of the last 40 years, Virginia lost more land to development than it did in the previous 400 years. Rapid population growth and a pattern of suburban sprawl development are threatening the environment and the quality of life of the residents of Virginia. Commuters are now spending more time and traveling further distances by car. This cost is borne by the consumer—in the form of unproductive time spent commuting and gasoline costs—and by society due to the environmental impacts of using fossil fuels—greater carbon emissions, air pollution, and risks of major spills—and the political and economic implications of our increasing dependency on oil.

The transportation sector currently accounts for a major portion of Virginia’s total energy consumption. Suburban sprawl and the associated highway projects increase miles driven and congestion, thus increasing our dependence on oil and causing harmful pollution.

We need to ensure that the Commonwealth’s transportation dollars provide transportation choices to our communities that will reduce congestion, oil dependence and pollution. We need our decision makers to deliver smart transportation solutions. Better transportation planning and procedures can deliver a better functioning and efficient system while keeping dollars in our communities instead of sending them overseas for oil.

The Solution: Reform the Planning Processes

We need to ensure that the Commonwealth’s transportation dollars provide transportation choices to our communities that will reduce congestion, oil dependence and pollution. We need our decision makers to deliver smart transportation solutions. Better transportation planning and procedures can deliver a better functioning and efficient system while keeping dollars in our communities instead of sending them overseas for oil.

The solution to solving Virginia’s transportation crisis is to shift the Commonwealth’s priorities to a system that favors multi-modal transportation options and away from more road construction. Rail, buses bikes, and pedestrian friendly infrastructure should be promoted along with a fix-it first approach to road maintenance projects. Any shift away from new road construction will require a different approach to land use planning and current development patterns. For too long, Virginia’s public officials, influenced by the development community, have relied on new roads to reduce congestion and to open up once rural areas to new development. As a result, traffic congestion for commuters continues to increase along with vehicle miles traveled, more air pollution, and more carbon emissions. By changing the priorities in Virginia, from new road projects to alternative modes of transportation, we can begin to address these problems and gain added benefits like spending more time with family, creating jobs, and fostering closer communities.