Armed with statistics, maps and agendas, both sides of the regional sales tax increase for transportation met at the Springfield Civic Association meeting to push for a better Northern Virginia.
Kings Park resident Mike Carlin of the Citizens for Better Transportation, took the before-it's-too-late stance while Stuart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition For Smarter Growth stood behind the learn-lessons-from-the-past platform.
"We have opportunity and prosperity like no other in the country. Our transportation investment has seriously lagged," said Carlin, who threw in figures like 84 hours per person a year are spent stuck in traffic and $2.3 billion in wasted time and fuel from gridlock.
"We have a lot at stake in regards to improving our transportation," he said.
Carlin said the minimal sales tax, which was toted as an expense of twenty-five cents per household per day, is reasonable.
"The cost of the referendum is modest," he said.
There were 16 specific projects listed on a Virginia Department of Transportation map where the money would go.
Schwartz questioned the source of that 25-cent figure. He addressed the room full of Springfield residents gathered in the gymnasium of Lynbrook Elementary School on Tuesday.
"Where do they get this twenty-five cents a day per household?" he said.
IN 1986, a similar tax was established and Schwartz used that, the traffic in Los Angeles and the development in Prince William County to drive home his point. A Texas Transportation Institute study was his source.
"Los Angeles has tried to build their way out of congestion and not done so. Prince William County is the poster child of bad planning. The development across the countryside will consume any gains," he said, pointing out that the Fairfax County Parkway was supposed to be the outer beltway in 1981 and now more outer beltways are planned if the tax referendum goes through.
"What we did do was open a new development corridor," along the Fairfax County Parkway, according to Schwartz. "There will never be enough money to match the developer," he added.
His smart growth ideas included plans already discussed in Springfield revitalization meetings for areas that are pedestrian friendly. Town centers, the metro purple line and transit-oriented communities are part of Schwartz plan.
When calculated out, the half-cent referendum over several years falls short of the billions needed but Carlin explained that the initial money would buy bonds for the total price tag. Also in attendance at the meeting was U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th) and state Del. Vivian Watts, (D-39th) who both support the referendum.
"Roads and rails are not free, we need every penny we can get for transportation improvements," Davis added.
CIVIC ASSOCIATION president Tawny Hammond chaired the meeting which originally had Supervisor Elaine McConnell (R-Springfield) and Laura Olson, assistant director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, as featured speakers. Schwartz attended instead of Olson.
State Senate candidates for the new 39th district, state Del. Jay O'Brien (R-40th) and Democrat Rosemary Lynch, faced off for the upcoming special election as well. Though neither candidate talked about the transportation tax, O'Brien talked about past successes and Lynch concentrated on additional education funding. She felt the state wasn't paying its share.