Bob McDonnell is taking a toll

April 16, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reports, "They overwhelmingly dislike the tolls planned for the Midtown and Downtown tunnels. If they had to pay, 50 cents seems about right, but certainly not $1.84 at rush hour. And without question, they prefer a regional sales tax over tolls to pay for Hampton Roads' next big road project. Those might sound like the opinions of activists in Norfolk or Portsmouth, the cities closest to the tunnel project and the epicenter of public anger over the deal. Actually, they reflect how the rest of Hampton Roads feels, according to a poll by Christopher Newport University and The Virginian-Pilot."

Progressive Point: Virginians want real transportation solutions and a budget that reflects our values. Governor McDonnell and his conservative allies in Richmond like to talk about tough decisions, but their budget is only tough on Virginia families who are already struggling.

Imposing massive toll hikes is yet another piecemeal attempt to hide  Bob McDonnell's failure to find new revenue to fix our transportation system. If McDonnell was serious about fixing our roads and budget, he'd eliminate tax giveaways for the wealthy and big business. Virginians deserve leadership that can make tough choices and find real transportation solutions, but Bob McDonnell is taking a toll and coming up short.

Get the Facts:

• McDonnell's transportation proposals would result in "decades of austerity for public education, universities, safety net programs and state troopers," and, even if enacted, would not meet Virginia's road maintenance needs. Previous failures to meet maintenance costs have resulted in $2.8 billion in construction budget shortfalls since 2005. (Roanoke Times, December 12, 2011)


• Virginia ranks 7th in the country in per capita income, but 47th in per capita spending on transportation. The reason for such a large imbalance is the majority of Virginia's transportation funding comes from the fuel tax which currently sits at just 17 cents per gallon. However, the gas tax would be "35 cents today had it been indexed for inflation." (Bob Chase, president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, Daily Press, December 9, 2011)


• Virginia loses $12.5 billion in revenue a year through credits and giveaways that receive little-to-no scrutiny and accountability. (JLARC)

Tell Gov. Bob McDonnell to reject sky-high tolls

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