Nova gets more for roads than it gives? (Richmond Times Dispatch Article) (Hampton: sales, home)

[Teebyrd86]

What is your take on this article? It seems the writer has a bit of a fit against the region...

Here is the article..

Schapiro: Northern Virginia's inconvenient truth

Circulating through the state bureaucracy is a bundle of charts that tells a story Northern Virginia would rather not hear: That for all its whining about how the state isn't spending enough on transportation, the wealthy suburb gets more dollars for roads than it gives.

This is a discomfiting reality, one that makes it tougher — in these tough times — for Northern Virginia to argue it requires additional dollars to clear the traffic congestion the region's political and business grandees say threatens its economic well-being and, by extension, that of the state.

Ten pages of tables — by the Senate Finance Committee and shared with Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton and the Department of Transportation — show that Northern Virginia, with 28 percent of the population, generates just under 28 percent of the $3 billion in annual transportation revenues but receives nearly 33 percent.

And while these figures do not speak to Northern Virginia's needs — only what is spent there — they could reinforce the perception downstate, as Gov. Bob McDonnell considers other road-funding options for 2012, that the region's appetite for highway cash is never, ever satisfied.

When it comes to total state spending, Northern Virginia consistently plays the victim. Its legislators yowl that the region, with its usually robust, federally fed economy, keeps the entire state afloat. That's a tad hyperbolic. Because personal income in Northern Virginia is higher than the statewide average, the area generates more revenue relative to its percentage of the total population.

This is what literally makes Virginia a commonwealth: It shares its wealth.

As for highway finance, Northern Virginia can't scream poverty. Of nine transportation districts, two — Northern Virginia and Bristol — take out more than they chip in. Bristol, with 4.6 percent of the population, produces 4.8 percent of road revenues, but draws 8.2 percent.

Hampton Roads — in terms of traffic, the southeastern equivalent of Northern Virginia — breaks even: Home to 21 percent of Virginia's residents, it contributes 20 percent and spends 20 percent. The six other districts get short shrift, with Richmond getting the worst of it. The capital region, where 15 percent of Virginians live, is the source of nearly 16 percent of all highway dollars. It gets back about 11 percent.

Culpeper donates 5 percent, receives 3.5 percent; Fredericksburg, 6.3 percent versus 5.4 percent; Lynchburg, 4.7 percent against 4.2 percent; Salem, produces 8.3 percent, takes back 8 percent; and Staunton contributes 7.1 percent and collects 6.8 percent.

More cash for transportation — McDonnell's multibillion-dollar bond package this year is a start — would make more people happy. Until that happens, you'd think Northern Virginia would be content that less is still a lot more.

[mikebnllnb]

There is far more growth in NOVA that anywhere else in Virginia. It's not out of line for the area to get more money due to said growth.

[Teebyrd86]

Originally Posted by mikebnllnb

There is far more growth in NOVA that anywhere else in Virginia. It's not out of line for the area to get more money due to said growth.

That was my thinking, this guy seems to have some kind of grudge or something huh?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Teebyrd86

That was my thinking, this guy seems to have some kind of grudge or something huh?

It's nothing new. It's like the older brother getting jealous when his younger brother grows bigger and taller and gets a higher paying job.

For a few hundred years Richmond was the Big City in VA, and this area was nothing but cow fields. Now we've eclipsed them. We get all the attention, and they've become nothing more than a mid sized city that is almost an after thought. That breeds resentment.

[brooklynborndad]

1. We not only have more growth but more congestion - so leaving aside the revenue issue, we should have a lot more projects

2. The revenue numbers sound fishy - but since they are TRANSPORTATION revenue (IE gas tax and related) might be the case. NoVa probably is a more disproportionate source of state revenue on the income and sales tax than on the gas tax.

3. Some of us supported NoVa taxing itself for more projects but that lost

[JD984]

"Whining"? "Grandees"? "Yowl"? Rhetoric overload.

It seems the author wants to be the Maureen Dowd of Richmond, but has to settle for covering Bob McDonnell and highway funding instead.
As a factual matter, the article would be more persuasive if the author identified the time period at issue, as well as dealt candidly with the issue identified by BBD (i.e.., what counts as "transportation revenues").

[CAVA1990]

I'm guessing the difference is probably due to interstate travelers gassing up more frequently outside Northern Virginia (due to closer proximity of gas stations to the interstates) on their trips down 95 and 81 thus generating more gas tax revenue to those areas even though those travelers are still putting wear and tear on the Northern Virginia portions of those roads. Truckers likely know to fill up down there due to the lower fuel prices. How many truck stops do you see here versus down there? Also, are there perhaps more weigh stations outside NoVA?

Things are not always as they seem.

[OldCrow15]

I'd never expect anything that wasn't critical of Northern Virginia in some respect from the RTD. I read an article in Virginia Business Magazine about a year ago, it's published in Richmond, that pretty much carried the same sentiment.

[Deeman804]

Originally Posted by Caladium

It's nothing new. It's like the older brother getting jealous when his younger brother grows bigger and taller and gets a higher paying job.

For a few hundred years Richmond was the Big City in VA, and this area was nothing but cow fields. Now we've eclipsed them. We get all the attention, and they've become nothing more than a mid sized city that is almost an after thought. That breeds resentment.

Let's not get carried away with the Richmond bashing. Richmond is still considered the Big City of VA being that NoVA is correlated more with DC and Hampton Roads feels much more suburban. That being said, Richmond does has quite a bit of resentment that much more attention is being sent up here. The only thing that you glossed over NoVA's negatives. To add to your comparison, it would be like the younger high salary brother claiming that they do not have enough money. NoVA needs more money, but you and I know that NoVA claims that it is needs to be funded more because of its growth. In this article, the writer is simply stating that NoVA has more money and thus these complaints are nothing more than whining. He just said it in a VERY negative way.

That's my opinion as a Richmonder that happily lives in NoVA.

[Alicia Bradley]

I'm going to have to go with 'whining.' Fairfax County could EASILY use a small fraction of its hefty general fund to take basic/minimal care of some of its absolute worst, war-zone-looking secondary roads. I'd love nothing better than to see VA give 'official permission' (which would absolutely kill any opportunities for whining) to Fairfax Co. to tax *specifically* for road maintenance.. and then, a year later, to see the same jungle of waist-high invasive (not native, people!) plants sprouting up on roadsides and medians all over the county... after I'd moved far away from Fairfax Co. (well, relatively speaking, anyway ), of course. A snippet I heard on NPR a few weeks ago about the latest VA vs. FFX road-maintenance bickering led me to this article, which sums up the situation fairly well:

http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/...e=fairfaxTimes