Presentation to Virginia Beach

City Council
January 25, 2011
 Like you, we believe

Democracy depends on access to

information.

Citizens have a role in planning

for
their community.
 Project Purpose
“to bring the citizens of Virginia Beach into an
open, inclusive and productive conversation
about transportation possibilities and
challenges for the community, leading to local
transportation policy decisions that are
informed by citizen values and preferences.”

(To Envision Transportation FAQ)

 Primary Goals
• To provide accessible information linked to
topics identified by the citizens of Virginia Beach

• To bring new possibilities to the community

• To provide “spaces” for citizens to participate

and express their interests and preferences
 New and Accessible
Information
www.envisiontransportation.com

13,133 page views

Visitors from 30 countries

Ten new visitors per day for last 10

months
Home Page
Typical Topics Page
Citizens Working Group Page
Video Gallery Page
Discussion Forum Page
 New Possibilities
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter
Growth (Washington, D.C.)

Michael Ronkin, “Complete Streets”

(Switzerland)

Dan Burden, Walkable and Livable

Communities Institute (Port Townsend, WA)
 Common Themes
Transportation and land use are inextricably
connected to a community’s quality of life, economic
growth and increased property values

Traffic congestion can be reduced and financial and

environmental resources can be saved by retrofitting
streets and street patterns
From the Speakers

Stewart Schwartz
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Washington D.C.
 Describing the Coalition for Smarter Growth and
complimenting Virginia Beach on their progress and ideas
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth Washington D.C.
 Results of redevelopment
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth Washington D.C.
From the Speakers

Michael Ronkin

“Complete Streets”
Switzerland
Wide streets vs. narrow at roundabout - Possible future for
Virginia Beach Boulevard?
Michael Ronkin, Complete Streets, Switzerland
 From the Speakers

Dan Burden
Walkable and Livable
Communities Institute
Port Townsend,
Washington
 Why are walkable communities important?
Dan Burden, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute Port Townsend, Washington
 Bridgeport Way, WA road enhancement before/after with
mention of economic development potential
Dan Burden, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute Port Townsend, Washington
 From the Speakers
And Again

Stewart Schwartz

Coalition for Smarter Growth

Washington, D.C.
Closing statements on why Smart Growth is important
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth Washington D.C.
Space to Participate

Citizens Working Group

Web BLOG
Speaker Events
Online Survey
Community Dialogues
 The Citizens Working
Group

Issue Identification
Community Information
Needs
Speaker Suggestions
Recommendation for Continued
Involvement
 The Online Survey
Priorities for transportation decisions?

Best way to reduce traffic congestion?

New sources for transportation

funding?

Barriers to building bike paths?

Value of sidewalks?
Community Dialogue Issues Framing Video
Virginia Beach VBTV48 Staff and HRCCE
 Community Dialogues
• What about Virginia Beach is valuable to
you and must be preserved?

• What principles should guide public

decisions related to transportation?

• If you had one dollar to divide across

transportation options or improvements,
how would you spend it?
 Participation – the
Numbers

4,637

Citizens Working Group, Web visitors,

Survey,
Dialogues, Briefings

Direct email contacts: 16,257

 What we heard

Participants want decision

makers and
managers to be careful
with the
public purse.
 What we heard.

Participants want the

decisions related to
transportation funding, impacts
and service
options to be fair.
 What we heard.

Strong interest in public

transportation
was expressed in the survey
and the
community dialogues.
 Survey

Survey – best way to reduce traffic

congestion

• Increase public transit 50%

• Increase road lanes 17.2%
 Dialogue Ballot
Allocations

• All Public Transportation 48.4%

of resources
• All Road Improvements 16.6%
of resources
 What we heard.

The tally for light rail was

the highest
of any single
transportation
improvement option.
 Transportation
Improvements from
Dialogue Ballots
Light Rail 16.7%

Expanded Bus Service 14.3%

Additional Roads 5.4%

Higher Speed Rail 5.1%

 What we heard.

Support for
improvements for
bike and pedestrian
travel was
nearly identical.
 Walking and Biking
Transportation
Improvements from
Dialogues
Pedestrian Transportation Improvements
14.4% ballots listed
9.2% total resources allocated

Bike Transportation Improvements

13.6% ballots listed
9.5% total resources allocated
 What we heard.

Dialogue participants
said that
existing roads should be
redesigned
and retrofitted.
 What we heard.

Participants were creative about new

sources
of transportation funding. 32
different
“new sources” of funding were
offered
by survey respondents.
To provide new sources of
funding for
transportation, we
should:
• Use public/private partnerships 54.5%
• Raise the tax on gas 45.5%
• Put tolls on major roads 34.0%
• None of the above 7.5 %
• Other – the list of 32 suggestions
 Other Public issues

Many expressed the view that bus service

is the “weakest link” in the system
and changes in that service are critical
to the delivery of an effective public
transportation system.
 Other Public Issues
Many participants understand the
redevelopment potential of light rail to
increase the value of property in the corridor
and around stations but some take issue with
the potential “maldistribution” of costs and
benefits related to building and operating
light rail in Virginia Beach or any place.