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On July 11, 2022, Active Prince William joined 10 other advocacy organizations around Northern Virginia to send the following joint letter<\/strong><\/a> to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, three days before the Authority’s scheduled adoption of a two-year update to its Six-Year Program.<\/em><\/p>\n Coalition for Smarter Growth<\/span> |<\/span> Audubon Naturalist Society<\/span> |<\/span> Virginia Sierra Club<\/span> |<\/span> July 11, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n Honorable Phyllis Randall, <\/span>Chair<\/span> Re: Recommendations to further improve the proposed FY 22-27 Six-Year Program and process going forward<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Chair Randall and NVTA board members:<\/span><\/p>\n The undersigned 11 organizations offer the following comments and recommendations that we <\/span>urge you to adopt for the proposed FY 22-27 Six-Year Program coming before your vote this <\/span>week.\u00a0 <\/span>In summary:<\/span><\/p>\n These points are elaborated on the following pages.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. We support the overall direction taken by the staff and committees in their selections <\/span>from the candidate project list.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span>\u00a0We applaud the selection and funding of all of the transit projects and most of the station <\/span>access, local street grid and complete streets projects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span>\u00a0We appreciate that many of these changes reflect attention to public feedback you <\/span>received and the importance of these projects for a more sustainable and equitable <\/span>future.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> 65% of the candidate project funding requested was for highway and roadway <\/span>capacity expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> 55% of the staff recommended project funding is for highway and roadway<\/span> capacity expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> These amounts are far too much given the other regional needs for safer streets, <\/span>transit access, electrification, and climate resilience as well as improving our<\/span> \u25cf<\/span>\u00a0This emphasis on road expansion also ignores the reality of induced demand, that <\/span>widening roads is not a medium- or long-term solution for vehicle congestion, as shown <\/span>in the Coalition for Smarter Growth\u2019s On the Wrong Road in Northern Virginia report<\/a> <\/span>using the RMI Shift Calculator<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. We ask for these important changes to the proposed FY 22-27 funding allocations in <\/span>Prince William County:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> Support a better, less destructive Route 28 project in Prince William County by funding <\/span>the Old Centreville Road Widening project (PWC-035) as an alternative to the Route 28 <\/span>bypass (Alternative 2B) along Flat Branch. The four-laning of Old Centreville Road <\/span>combined with VDOT’s recommended Centreville Road\/Route 28 STARS improvement <\/span>package could effectively serve as a “Modified Alternative 4” for Route 28.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cb<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0 This alternative project would avoid the adverse impacts to affordable homes in a <\/span>low-income minority and immigrant community from the 28 Bypass project and <\/span>would be compatible with walkable, transit-accessible economic development <\/span>and neighborhood livability efforts in the existing Route 28 corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> To accommodate this project, shift funding from other NVTA recommended Prince <\/span>William projects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> NVTA needs to require that local jurisdiction project submissions better reflect adopted <\/span>regional policies to provide alternatives to driving and reduce car dependence, support <\/span>transit-oriented land use, and achieve our equity and climate goals.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> Equity in transportation, a core value of NVTA, must address the disproportionate impact <\/span>of unsafe streets, proximity to traffic and pollution, and high personal transportation costs <\/span>that auto-dependence causes for low- and moderate-income residents and workers. The <\/span>Region Forward vision plan recognizes this in its goal to lower combined transportation<\/span> and housing costs and to also improve access to travel options and allow more residents <\/span>to live in walkable regional activity centers with good transit. These measures also<\/span> reduce travel demand on roads and highways helping those who must commute or<\/span> access important services by car. NVTA needs to ensure that its member jurisdictions <\/span>consider who benefits and who is harmed by transportation projects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> The region\u2019s Metropolitan Planning Organization, the National Capital Region <\/span>Transportation Planning Board (TPB), just adopted a greenhouse gas reduction target of <\/span>50% for the on-road transportation sector. NVTA\u2019s project selections should be tied to <\/span>achieving those reductions. TPB\u2019s climate change study showed that the region will need <\/span>to reduce vehicle miles traveled of passenger vehicles by 15 to 20% below 2030 <\/span>baseline forecasts, as well as rapidly adopt electric vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> Tackling climate change in transportation also provides more travel options, greater <\/span>proximity to jobs and services, lasting congestion management, and addresses<\/span> inequities for households and workers regarding street safety, air quality, walkable<\/span> amenities, personal transportation costs, housing options, and access to transit and job <\/span>locations. With new car payments now over $700 per month and gas at $5 per gallon,<\/span> the need in Northern Virginia for more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly, mixed-use and <\/span>compact communities with affordable housing is greater than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> Reducing per capita VMT \u2013 the need to drive for daily needs \u2013 by expanding <\/span>transportation options, transit-oriented land use, and transportation demand <\/span>management is also essential to meeting NVTA’s goal of reducing congestion.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5. NVTA\u2019s process for the Six-Year Program should facilitate meaningful public <\/span>involvement from the start, including local government candidate project submissions.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> Since project priorities are advanced early on by local governments, NVTA must ensure<\/span> that there are accessible public engagement opportunities early on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cf<\/span> NVTA should require that localities hold an advertised public hearing for NVTA project<\/span> funding requests before the local governing body adopts its resolution of support for the <\/span>application and before the projects are submitted to NVTA for funding consideration.<\/span><\/p>\n \u25cb<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0 Currently some jurisdictions generate staff reports and the elected body approves <\/span>the project submissions as a consent agenda item with no public hearing.<\/span> \u25cf<\/span> In addition, NVTA coordinates the submissions for federal CMAQ and RSTP funds and <\/span>for state SmartScale by Northern Virginia localities and should require similar <\/span>transparency and public involvement before local governing bodies endorse those <\/span>submissions.<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for listening to stakeholders as you have carried out this process.<\/span><\/p>\n Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n Stewart Schwartz<\/span> Renee Grebe<\/span> Douglas Stewart<\/span> Andrea McGimsey<\/span> Mark Scheufler & Allen Muchnick<\/span> Chris Slatt<\/span> Zander Pellegrino<\/span> Kim Hosen<\/span> Morgan Butler<\/span> Luca Gattoni-Celli<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions<\/span> |<\/span> Active Prince William<\/span> | <\/span>Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County |<\/span>
Chesapeake Climate Action Network<\/span> |<\/span> Prince William Conservation Alliance<\/span> |<\/span>
Southern Environmental Law Center<\/span> |<\/span> YIMBYs of Northern Virginia<\/span> |<\/span>
Lewinsville Faith in Action<\/span><\/p>\n
Northern Virginia Transportation Authority<\/span>
3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200<\/span>
Fairfax, VA 22031<\/span><\/p>\n\n
2. However, we remain concerned that the slate of projects recommended for funding \u2013 <\/span>and the original candidate list \u2013 show a program still too focused on road expansion.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
transit, pedestrian and bicycle networks.<\/span><\/p>\n
4. For the next Six-Year Program cycle, NVTA needs to ensure that local jurisdiction <\/span>project submissions better reflect adopted regional policies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\u25cb<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0 Public comments on proposed NVTA project submissions would be more\u00a0 <\/span>meaningful and help inform the local government<\/span> before<\/span> each set of projects is <\/span>submitted to the NVTA for the Six-Year Program update.<\/span><\/p>\n
Executive Director<\/span>
Coalition for Smarter Growth<\/span>
stewart@smartergrowth.net<\/span><\/p>\n
Northern Virginia Conservation Advocate<\/span>
Audubon Naturalist Society<\/span>
renee.grebe@anshome.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Transportation Co-Chair<\/span>
Virginia Sierra Club<\/span>
douglasbstewart@gmail.com<\/span><\/p>\n
Executive Director<\/span>
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions<\/span>
andrea@faithforclimate.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Co-Chairs<\/span>
Active Prince William<\/span>
Active.PrinceWilliam@gmail.com<\/span><\/p>\n
President<\/span>
Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County<\/span>
Hello@susmo.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Northern Virginia Grassroots Organizer<\/span>
Chesapeake Climate Action Network<\/span>
zander@chesapeakeclimate.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Executive Director<\/span>
Prince William Conservation Alliance<\/span>
khosen@pwconserve.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Senior Attorney<\/span>
Southern Environmental Law Center<\/span>
mbutler@selcva.org<\/span><\/p>\n
Founder<\/span>
YIMBYs of Northern Virginia<\/span>
potentiaeromanorum@gmail.com<\/span><\/p>\n