What's Your Commute Like? [updated]

The NVTA is trying to stir up support for transportation funding by gathering images and videos of how bad commutes in northern Virginia can be. Below is a typical photo of the 15 North Bypass in Leesburg on a Friday evening around 6pm.


(the US 15 Bypass North, on a Friday)

As the image above shows, many main thoroughfares in northern Virginia are carrying traffic beyond their designed capacity at critical times. The ruling against the NVTA and repeal of the abuser fees means that nothing remains from the 2007 Transportation Bill to support our aging and badly overworked transportation system in northern Virginia.

The NVTA campaign is called "Piece of My Commute" and it has a presence on both Facebook and YouTube. The goal is to gather images of congested commutes and use them to lobby Richmond for a funding solution.

Give Virginia's Legislators a "Piece of Your Commute"

Northern Virginians, who are sick of traffic and gridlock, are encouraged to share their commuting nightmares with legislators by creating original content and uploading original video's to this group.

Northern Virginians are encouraged to share images of their daily commute and the impact that traffic and gridlock has on their job, business, family, environment and quality of life.

By using You Tube to urge Virginia's General Assembly to provide adequate and sustainable funding for transportation construction, maintenance and operations it is our hope that Virginia's legislators will take immediate action and find the funding necessary to ensure that Northern Virginia's economy continues to grow and thrive, ultimately benefiting the commonwealth and all Virginians.

This outreach campaign is organized by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). - From the NVTA Facebook Page

So far, the uptake on this campaign has been limited. There are only 13 YouTube group members, and 26 Facebook group members. Nonetheless, we are a visual society, and the idea of using video and photographs to lobby for funding is probably a good one.

Of course, this begs the question as to whether a public authority, funded by tax dollars, should be leading a lobbying campaign in the first place. On the one hand, local governments lobby Richmond all the time. Since the NVTA is made up of representatives from local governments, this may be not different. On the other hand, it seems a little strange having a newly constituted state agency lobby for itself before the Assembly. We may have been better off if the "Piece of Your Commute" campaign had been run by an independent party.

Nonetheless, the images and videos the campaign gather will be excellent primary source data for future debates about snarl, sprawl and gridlock in Richmond and throughout the commonwealth. Go ahead and get filming, just don't do it while driving.

[update] Leesburg Tomorrow received a clarification from the NVTA on their lobbying of Richmond. It turns out that they were actually authorized by the Assembly to lobby the Assembly.

Hi Paradox13VA!

Thanks so much for following up on this!

By the way, according to Section 15.2-4840 of the Virginia Code authorizes the NVTA to serve as “an advocate for the transportation needs of Northern Virginia before state and federal governments.”

For the full link to the statute on the LIS: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+coh+15.2-4840+403868 (See #9)

Thanks again!

Kala

Kala L. Quintana
Director of Public Outreach, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission
Interim Public Information Officer, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority

So there you go, it's their job to lobby for transportation money. Go fig.