Torian's Bill Could Spark Rail Movement
Delegate Luke Torian wants to create a Prince William County Metrorail Improvement District that could provide a way to pay for the extension of metro into Prince William County.
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Del. Luke Torian's pursuit to bring metrorail to Prince William County continued this week when he filed a bill to create a Metrorail improvement district.
This past October, Torian answered in a Patch election Q&A that he believes the road system will continue to deplete and that Metrorail presents the best option for commuters.
House Bill 407's aim is to create the Prince William County Metrorail Improvement District. The General Assembly went into its eight-week session Tuesday, a day after Torian filed the bill.
The district could be created in several ways. The owners of at least 51 percent of either the land area or the assessed value of real property that is within the boundaries of the proposed district need to petition the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors, who would then have to approve the petition and district by resolution. Or, the board could create the district if the land is zoned for commercial or industrial uses.
If such a district were created, then there would be a six-member commission that would have broad powers to find ways to pay for extending metrorail to the county. One of those powers would be to "expend district revenues to construct, reconstruct, alter, improve, expand, or make loans or otherwise provide for the cost of transportation improvements and for financial assistance to operate transportation improvements in the district for the use and benefit of the public."
You can read the full bill here. The Transportation Committee plans to vote on the first reading of the bill soon. The bill's progress can be tracked at Richmond Sunlight.
Metrorail is being extended into Reston and Loudoun County, but it hasn't been an easy trek. Controversy has surrounded the project from its initial stages and it took legislators about a decade to actually start construction. This past summer the U.S. Transportation Secretary had to intervene in public spats among members of the Metropolitian Washington Airports Authority, who are managing the project, local leaders in Fairfax and Loudoun counties and state leaders.
Torian submitted four other bills:
John Bonich
10:53 am on Thursday, January 12, 2012
The costs of this and the time frame to get up and running would be staggering. As lovely as it would be to just pop an up-and-running Woodbridge metro station into existence within a 2-4 year time frame, its just not possible. The Tysons extension was approved and in the works 10 yeas ago, and its still not completed. The state legislature has enough trouble as it is just trying to agree on lane expansions, much less something of this magnitude. And I don't even want to think about how high this would raise taxes here. As much as we Northern Virginians hate to hear it, the only real answer is to drastically cut spending in Washington, eliminating and reducing the size some of the impractical and bloated bureaucracies and civilian contracts. That will both alleviate traffic congestion AND help to get this country's finances in order.
Connie Moser
12:41 pm on Thursday, January 12, 2012
I disagree there is only one solution, Mr. Bonich. I think there is no one solution, but rather a combination of many.
I, too, am concerned that Metro is too large a project, too expensive, and will take too long, but I'm not willing to write it off completely.
One of the contributing factors to all of the above mentioned problems is the way we do business. It's difficult to get new ideas or new faces to be noticed.
We are always behind. A traffic study may take years, time consumed while waiting for approval, endless debates, the bid process, the purchase of land needed, all add so many years that by the time a project is complete-it's obsolete!
If Delegate Torian can show us a plan that can jump through the hoops in time to be viable, I'd be willing to support that.
I still think we need to look at more futuristic options like high speed trains. Those trains are in operation all over the world.
The onset of vehicles that pilot themselves is not a far fetched dream. Those vehicles will eliminate the mistakes made by drivers, making commuting more efficient.
I'd much rather get anyone who is able to telework do so. Less cars on the road shortens the commute for the remaining drivers and we keep our jobs, our homes and our economy.
Kevin English
1:31 pm on Thursday, January 12, 2012
Great news. Thank you Del. Torian. Please forge ahead. It will not be cheaper to build in twenty years. I do not know when we became a nation of can't do people but there is no reason to explain the national capitol region of the worlds' greatest nation is saddled with a small mass transit system. Build it from DC to Richmond!!
Tina Gillenwater
8:25 am on Friday, January 13, 2012
Del. Torian,
As a commuter now for 30 years, I have often pondered why we are the only ones that cannot get an extension of the metro into our area and I do hope you can make that happen. The 95 South corridor shows how bad we need it and I support getting cars off the highway and more people on the metro. I have never understood why metro progresses in every direction but south. Thank you for all of your help. All of us who commute this nightmare each day thank you!!
Lizzie M. Johnson
2:38 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
We have the mind of people that is still in the 1920s How can we be one of the richest
counties in america and still live in the 1920s.We still don't have transportation worth anything on the weekends and still talking about bringing more jobs into Prince William
county. I said it before. We need to come up to par. I am not saying we don't need the jobs because a lot of people are out of work.