Citizens for Denise Moore Pierce
Phone 703-450-4260
Transportation
My Position
• East/west traffic congestion is the number one transportation problem for Loudoun residents. We need to focus our limited transportation dollars on east/west routes within the county (Rt 7, Rt 50, Toll Road, Waxpool, Gloucester Parkway, etc) and and provide viable alternatives for commuters with destinations east of the county line.
• Even if our east/west roads in Loudoun were congestion-free, out-of-county commuters will hit backlogs before they reach their destinations. Dulles Rail is an essential part of the transportation solution. Loudoun needs the Governor and the Commonwealth to step up and invest funds in the project instead of shoving the burden off to residents here. The entire economy of the Northern Virginia region will benefit from the boost. In the shorter term, continuing to improve express bus service will help commuters who will increasingly look for alternatives to ever higher gas prices and tolls.
• Understanding the connection between growth and our transportation problems is critical to a better transportation network. When and where development is approved can create new transportation problems or minimize the impact of new commuters on the roadways. It’s important for any new development to be evaluated in the context of the transportation impacts and alternatives that its residents or workers would have in getting to work. Simply because a development is mixed use doesn’t mean it won’t have negative impacts on the surrounding area. If there also transit alternatives easily accessible without getting in a car, the impacts will be much less.
• It’s also important to understand that transportation experts are realizing that bigger and wider roads are costly, often spur new development in previously undeveloped areas and do not provide many of the solutions we’re looking for. Staying on top of the latest research in the field can help us find ways to solve our transportation problems with lower cost alternatives and avoid the pressure to build new development on more green fields.
• Provide more flexible transportation options for people such as the handicapped and residents who don’t own cars and who depend on public transit as their sole source for getting to their jobs by expanding the 7 to 7 bus
• Encourage working from home and satellite work locations near where workers live
My opponent has been part of the problem
The biggest cause of traffic gridlock in our District is the excessive residential development that was encouraged, supported and approved during the tenure of Supervisor Staton and Suzanne Volpe, his Planning Commissioner. From 2004 to 2007, they appear to have voted favorably for every developer application that was submitted. Commissioner Volpe even voted to approve changes to the County’s General Plan which could have added up to an additional 30,000 houses; however, the public outcry helped the BOS come to their senses and they narrowly rejected approval of these houses. For the houses that were approved, we have been paying for the actions of that previous BOS with higher residential property taxes, longer commute times and traffic congestion. We need to hold the line and any future residential development must be balanced with its affect on traffic and on residential property taxes. Also, we should not be giving away the store on proffers to encourage new residential development. More of the cost of additional roads, schools, libraries, police, fire department, etc. must be included in developer plans.
However, can you imagine how much greater the traffic congestion and residential property taxes would be if those changed [additional 30,000 houses] approved by Planning Commissioner Suzanne Volpe had also been approved by the BOS and built? At a modest three persons per household, that would be a population increase of 90,000 residents. This would increase the population of Loudoun County by about 30%. How many more cars would that be on Route 7, Waxpool Road, Greenway/Toll Road, and Route 50? Do you really want to give Suzanne Volpe another bite of the apple?
Rail to Loudoun and the Minority Forum
One of my opponent's mentors, Supervisor Delgaudio, is clearly against Rail to Loudoun; however, my opponent has not stated her position despite opportunities.
For example, during the Minority Forum, the moderator asked the question: "What is your position on rail and/or bus service to help lower income workers get around the county and get to jobs." Both mine and my opponents answers are below:
Pierce answered: "I am definitely in favor of rail to Loudoun. And, also for extending the hours of the 7 to 7 bus not only for minority people who don't have cars, but for handicapped people that rely on it. We want them to be productive citizens, and for them to be able to get to their jobs with better transportation options."
Volpe answered: "Actually this is a great question that has come up many times. Going as far back as when I was on the Cascades homeowner board having to work with the developer and literally taking the (inaudible) and going. You see this brown rut in the grass here, why is there no trail along this stretch of Palisade Parkway? People are using it to get to work and getting to restaurants and everything. Our whole infrastructure, as you say, moves too quickly and there were pieces missed. That includes looking at the folks who are literally running across Route 7 to get to one side to the other trying to get to their jobs. You know something has to be done with that, if you were speaking to someone that was trying a (inaudible) fighting that issue how to make more connectivity especially in the Sterling Park area of Route 7. You know, they had a near miss a couple of weeks ago a man in a wheel chair trying to cross Route 7."
We report, you decide.
Authorized and Paid For by Citizens for Denise Moore Pierce
