{"id":1789,"date":"2021-07-30T03:18:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T07:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.activepw.org\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2021-07-30T04:05:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T08:05:32","slug":"our-recommendations-for-2021-2022-nvta-transportation-funding-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.activepw.org\/?p=1789","title":{"rendered":"Our Recommendations for Upcoming NVTA Transportation Funding Applications from PWC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On July 19, 2021, Active Prince William sent the following email message to the Prince William County Planning Commission, which will soon be briefed by County transportation staff on the transportation projects that the County is considering for submission to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) in Fall 2021 for\u00a0 potential regional funding .\u00a0 Various local transportation and elected officials, including the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, were copied on this message.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Active Prince William supports the integration of land use, housing, and transportation planning.\u00a0 Having the Transportation Department brief the Commission on planned grant applications is a start.\u00a0 That step should be followed by a formal public hearing and a vote of the Planning Commission.<\/p>\n

New mobility infrastructure should substantially enhance the transit and bike\/pedestrian network, rather than simply expand the road network and add a desolate side path.\u00a0 Traditional “business as usual” planning for the next decade will sabotage the county’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to 50% of the 2005 levels.\u00a0 The transportation sector generates the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions in Prince William now.\u00a0 The only way to meet the 2030 target is to reduce the carbon spewing from tailpipes in Prince William, and that requires a new approach to planning for multimodal *mobility* and access, rather than just paving more roads for drive-alone motorists.<\/p>\n

In 2030, most cars will still be fueled by gasoline.\u00a0 Virtually every project that paves more lane miles will increase Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions from those cars.\u00a0 To understand the impact of various proposed projects, the Planning Commission should identify the projected increase in VMT associated with each transportation project, and use that data when determining which projects to recommend to the BOCS.<\/p>\n

The Planning Commission recommendations to the BOCS should be guided by the Strategic Plan.\u00a0 The Strategic Plan calls for the County to develop in a sustainable way.\u00a0 As you know, new transit and bike\/pedestrian projects have the potential to reduce or minimize VMT and associated greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0 To be sustainable, the County must abandon the old school approach of just building more roads–and acknowledge that more roads have not reduced traffic congestion.<\/p>\n

For the upcoming NVTA grant program, Active Prince William recommends submitting the following projects to the next NVTA funding round (FY26\/FY27).<\/strong> As you can see, none of these projects’ main intent is to add lane miles.\u00a0 All projects support Transit, Active Transportation, and\/or Intersection\/Interchange improvements.<\/p>\n