Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has met with top Democratic lawmakers and his personal pollster to talk transportation. According to Jeff Schapiro’s report in the Times-Dispatch, the governor is seeking “a transportation solution that is simple, statewide and sufficient to meet our transportation needs.”
Oh, boy, we’re in big trouble.
The idea that there is a “simple” solution to Virginia’s transportation needs is a non-starter. If there were a “simple” solution, someone in the 50 states or the dozens of industrialized nations around the world would have found it. Transportation systems are inseparable from human settlement patterns, global energy economics, demographics and governance structures. They are among the most complex systems known to man.
In this case, “simple” is a code word for a simple-to-administer tax. I can only conclude that the governor is leaning towards a hike in the statewide gasoline tax, or possibly a hike in the state sales tax.
Now, I’m a big proponent of the gasoline tax as a funding mechanism for road and highway maintenance — the gasoline tax is indeed a simple, statewide and sufficient solution for that particular purpose. I might even be prevailed upon to raise gasoline taxes enough to ensure that Virginia has sufficient state matching dollars to qualify for full federal transportation funding. But I oppose gasoline taxes as a mechanism for financing new road construction. Let us remind ourselves of two things:
- The transportation “crisis” is not a statewide phenomenon. It is limited mainly to Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads (although, given the accelerating spread of dysfunctional human settlement patterns in the smaller metro areas, it could well become a “crisis” elsewhere in a decade or two). It makes no sense to raise taxes statewide to solve regional problems. One of two things will happen: Either (a) regions outside NoVa and HR will wind up taxing more and building more than they really need, with lots of money dumped into projects of dubious value or (b) excess funds money will be transferred to NoVa and HR from the rest of the state.
- In the absence of Fundamental Change, pouring more money into a broken system will not “fix” the problem. It will propel the old jalopy a few more miles down the road, at which point it will be obvious that it’s still broken, and the politicians will be crying for another round of taxes.
- There is no protection against the General Assembly raiding raid the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) to pay for non-transportation priorities, as it has done in the past. Gov. Kaine has totally dropped the ball on his campaign promise to pass a constitutional amendment to protect the TTF. Heck, he hasn’t dropped the ball. He’s spiked the ball in the safety zone and done a victory dance!
We know what is needed: a user-pays system for financing roads, sweeping reforms to land use, a mechanism to coordinate transportation and land use planning, and a restructuring of the powers of state and municipal government. Without Fundamental Change, we’re just spending more money, we’re not “solving” anything.