Virginia Discussing Regional Income Tax For NOVA Transit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. The system is not self-supporting, and should contract in service scope until it is.

This is idiotic. Transit is a public good. It’s not a private company and doesn’t have to make profits to be successful.

Transit benefits those who live near enough to use it. That isn't most households. Charge an amount required for it to sustain itself instead of burdening people who either didn't choose to live near metro or can't afford to live near metro. Transit advocates love to crow on about what a metro station does to property values- tax that

Roads benefit those who live near enough to use them. That isn't most households. Any given household lives very far away from almost all roads.

This must have sounded better in your head but it’s just stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It’s increasingly irrelevant due to the dispersion of jobs out of DC and across NOVA.

Going places is increasingly irrelevant? How about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

[Anonymous]

a massive toll for all forms of transport should be applied to entry from outside and if you do live within nova e.g. inside the beltway you should be exempt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

So it takes twice as long as by car? That's probably why most buses outside of urban cores are almost empty

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

If you are an ordinary NOVA family that lives in Chantilly and commutes to work for a Federal agency in Springfield, it’s 30 minutes to drive and almost 2 hours by transit.

I’m not even sure what the transit advocates are trying to argue about. Is it billions of public investment to decrease that 2 hours to 1 hour? Still wouldn’t compete with driving and makes zero financial sense.

If Fairfax Connector can add a commuter bus, then they should be doing that with their existing budget and tax increases are not needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

You have it exactly backwards. The is no economic rationale to spend billions to accommodate potential rides for a handful of people to decrease their transportation times. If you are without a car in a transit inaccessible place, you should move to a transit accessible place.

[Anonymous]

My property taxes have gone up 50% since 2017. How is that not enough? 50%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

If you are an ordinary NOVA family that lives in Chantilly and commutes to work for a Federal agency in Springfield, it’s 30 minutes to drive and almost 2 hours by transit.

I’m not even sure what the transit advocates are trying to argue about. Is it billions of public investment to decrease that 2 hours to 1 hour? Still wouldn’t compete with driving and makes zero financial sense.

If Fairfax Connector can add a commuter bus, then they should be doing that with their existing budget and tax increases are not needed.

If you are an ordinary NOVA family, almost all of your trips are NOT the commute to work. Why are you focusing exclusively on the commute to work trip, for people who can drive?

The transit advocates are advocating for a transit system that enables people to get where they're going, conveniently and efficiently. I don't understand why anybody would advocate against this - except people who work for the road construction industry, for obvious reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

You have it exactly backwards. The is no economic rationale to spend billions to accommodate potential rides for a handful of people to decrease their transportation times. If you are without a car in a transit inaccessible place, you should move to a transit accessible place.

Why should there even be any transit inaccessible places in northern Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

If you are an ordinary NOVA family that lives in Chantilly and commutes to work for a Federal agency in Springfield, it’s 30 minutes to drive and almost 2 hours by transit.

I’m not even sure what the transit advocates are trying to argue about. Is it billions of public investment to decrease that 2 hours to 1 hour? Still wouldn’t compete with driving and makes zero financial sense.

If Fairfax Connector can add a commuter bus, then they should be doing that with their existing budget and tax increases are not needed.

If you are an ordinary NOVA family, almost all of your trips are NOT the commute to work. Why are you focusing exclusively on the commute to work trip, for people who can drive?

The transit advocates are advocating for a transit system that enables people to get where they're going, conveniently and efficiently. I don't understand why anybody would advocate against this - except people who work for the road construction industry, for obvious reasons.

What are you doing arguing here when you clearly don’t live in the area.

The only reasons why anyone in NOVA even thinks about transit is when they have to go into DC, either for work or a Caps game. And if it’s the latter, they are parking at a metro station.

You want NOVA tax payers to spend billions on transit for non-work trips? Way to undermine yourself and not get taken seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

If you are an ordinary NOVA family that lives in Chantilly and commutes to work for a Federal agency in Springfield, it’s 30 minutes to drive and almost 2 hours by transit.

I’m not even sure what the transit advocates are trying to argue about. Is it billions of public investment to decrease that 2 hours to 1 hour? Still wouldn’t compete with driving and makes zero financial sense.

If Fairfax Connector can add a commuter bus, then they should be doing that with their existing budget and tax increases are not needed.

If you are an ordinary NOVA family, almost all of your trips are NOT the commute to work. Why are you focusing exclusively on the commute to work trip, for people who can drive?

The transit advocates are advocating for a transit system that enables people to get where they're going, conveniently and efficiently. I don't understand why anybody would advocate against this - except people who work for the road construction industry, for obvious reasons.

What are you doing arguing here when you clearly don’t live in the area.

The only reasons why anyone in NOVA even thinks about transit is when they have to go into DC, either for work or a Caps game. And if it’s the latter, they are parking at a metro station.

You want NOVA tax payers to spend billions on transit for non-work trips? Way to undermine yourself and not get taken seriously.

You might want to think about who you're defining as people and who you're defining as not-people, here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

You have it exactly backwards. The is no economic rationale to spend billions to accommodate potential rides for a handful of people to decrease their transportation times. If you are without a car in a transit inaccessible place, you should move to a transit accessible place.

Why should there even be any transit inaccessible places in northern Virginia?

Because it isn't economically feasible to have reasonable trips from everywhere to everywhere via transit. Transit works great in cities and it works well taking workers to an urban core, but we don't have a core in NOVA, we have several geographically distinct job centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transit ridership in NOVA has been on long-term decline since 2008, predating the pandemic. Current ridership is 60% below 2008 levels. Only 4% of NOVA commuters use transit, which is down from what was a steady 10% of commuters pre-pandemic.
https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Northern%20Virginia%20Transit%20Trends%20Report.pdf

Spending more on transit is a waste of money.

Transit is inadequate, so most people can't use it, so we should ... make transit even more inadequate!

It's inefficient and slow. NOVA is large and sprawling without any true center. Good luck figuring out how to make it fast and efficient

Do you think less funding would make it more efficient and less slow?

I think without a real urban center, there is no way to make it usable. It works if you want to commute into DC or stay on the same line. Try getting from Lorton to Tysons or from Reston to Springfield (Skyline, not the mall)

Usable for whom? Transit is used by people. People use transit. Not to mention that transit does not only include Metro. Buses are transit, and people use them.

According to Google Maps, Lorton to Tysons right now via transit takes 1 hour and 46 minutes. Reston to Springfield right now via transit takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. So I don't know what your point is? That it's faster to drive? Lots of people either don't or can't drive. If transit is inconvenient compared to driving, the solution is to make transit more convenient, not to get rid of transit.

You have it exactly backwards. The is no economic rationale to spend billions to accommodate potential rides for a handful of people to decrease their transportation times. If you are without a car in a transit inaccessible place, you should move to a transit accessible place.

Why should there even be any transit inaccessible places in northern Virginia?

You’re right. The top priority for NOVA is to spend billions on high speed rail from Shirlington to Burke.