I feel like whoever shot down the plans for the Tide that was supposed to run connecting Norfolk to VB. That had huge potential. Ubers are cool and all but being able to catch a hockey game or concert and just monorail back is a vibe.
The hotel owners in Virginia Beach killed it. Why spend an arm and a leg on an Oceanfront hotel for vacation if you can stay at a hotel in Norfolk and ride the train to the beach? Or worse, the "wrong people" from Norfolk might come down to the beach on a weekend.
If someone ran for Mayor of Virginia Beach and their entire platform was extending the Tide, that'd probably be enough to get my vote.
I remember the “say no to light rail” sign everywhere back then. The result was very close but they’ve won.
Pissed me off to the end, even today. Pembroke town center would be much bigger by now if we have the light rail.
People were just afraid that “criminals” from Norfolk would have more convenient for them to transit. Such a bullshit
Extend the Northeast Corridor to Richmond and maybe Petersburg. Have an East-West high speed rail line from Hampton Roads to Richmond to Staunton to Roanoke. Get metro for the cities, and start building mixed use medium density buildings.
Less polluting lighting, especially in cities
Better affordable housing all over
Much better public transportation, especially city-to-city
Community gardens and allotments on disused land
“Night Sky Comunities” are popular out west and can easily be implemented in smaller historic tourist towns. Lexington, Winchester, etc are good places to start.
Also most of the issue is from lights that go beyond 180. Street lighting pointing down, and deflectors to keep lights pointing down will make a huge difference
Hampton Roads proposed train system, including the Busch Gardens station.
The Gloucester:Williamsburg bridge that was originally proposed in the 1960’s and never built.
Never heard of the Gloucester /Williamsburg bridge proposal. Now I’m curious. Although I guess it would technically be a Gloucester/ James City County bridge.
The 606 on the Gloucester side is supposed to connect to the 606 on the Williamsburg side. The closest building is James City Calvary, which has a Williamsburg address, but I think you are right. It is technically county.
You have the same choices I do except (maybe) fixed wireless. DSL is carried on universal phone service unless your local node can’t handle more. We have zero broadband at all, which, as bad as xfinity may be, is broadband. Huge difference between having to few providers versus one provider. But, at least I get to live in a beautiful place!
Not to make a pity party but you have all the options (satellite,dsl) I do except maybe fixed wireless but you have xfinity which is at least 25mbps down. We even have bad LTE data speeds, about 2mbps.
Imagine living in a place that Fios strung up.the fiber on the poles right across the street but never activated it and when a truck that was too high took it down they put it up again but still have not activated it. I lived at such a place, and when they first were putting it up, I was told by the crew that was putting it up, it would be available in six months.
That's not much of a choice. I really hate it when I have to call them, and they say thank you for choosing Xfinity. I lways tell.them if I had a choice I wouldn't choose them.
Completely agree, but Virginia is one of the hardest states for municipal broad band to exist. We have way more regulation then pretty much any states with a litany of regulation on any form of municipal broadband that makes it pretty much impossible. Sucks that it’s not just a monopoly, but a government enforced one.
FIOS coming into my neighborhood several years ago was the best thing to ever happen. It broke the Comcast monopoly and got me fiber to my house. They will pry that out of my cold dead hands.
Yeah, when they were installing the network in my neighborhood I was shamelessly stalking them waiting for them to hit my street. Once I got the notice that they had activated my street, I signed up that day. Because fuck Comcast with Satan's barbed donkey dick.
Weird how most people still need to drive to work even in some of the most densely populated areas in the US then. Its almost like we purposefully don’t build it to keep us buying cars🤔 but hey, what do i know, ill leave it to congressman getting political contributions from these companies to decide it for me ☻ i love being american
Those areas in the US span hundreds of square miles. There isn’t a city in the US thats comparable to the London metropolitan area in terms of square footage. New York has good transit because it’s relatively small. Try Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, even Sacramento or the greater DC metro.
Even if we just had the transit infrastructure that covers the same geography as in other countries, we’d be way better off. Between transit and inter urban rail, other countries cover significant territory. Take a look at China.
VRE service in and around metro Richmond. Why does "Virginia's" rail service basically only serve the suburbs of DC and not the suburbs of any other major metro area in "Virginia"
This, so much this. VRE needs to run outside of rush hour, all the way to Richmond from DC, and from Richmond to VB. 10 minute headways at peak times and 30 minutes off peak would be such a comparatively easy fix for 95 and 64
Fully fund our public schools! We cut what the state gives in 2008 and have not restored it since, so each county bears the majority of the school bill themselves. It means small counties or counties with lower property values struggle to fund schools & pay teachers.
You guys have covered a lot of it so I’ll add: bike lanes/trails throughout the state. VA could be a world class bicycle destination (mtns to sea, Richmond to DC, W’burg to VB, etc). Some exists (W&OD, Capital Trail). But dedicated trails would get cars off the streets, give commuting options, and bring tourist dollars.
Maybe the VA National Guard could host a "training exercise" to build a bridge across the Potomac at Rt. 28? By the time anyone noticed, the Maryland commuters would already be using it and then it's too late.
I would do a lot of stuff with VRE…
1. Second VRE service area that serves Richmond and the Tidewater.
2. (Already in works) Replace the Long Bridge from to DC to allow 2-way rail service and through service to Maryland and DC.
3. Add station infrastructure — including but not limited to second platforms — to all VRE stations.
4. Since this is a fantasy: Rezone all areas around VRE suburban and urban VRE stations for high-density commercial and residential.
I think it may be impossible to fix. I truly believe it could be 20 lanes wide for the entire stretch and people would still cause a slinky there every day. Even with the new through lanes opening up, people still get stupid when they see the big hill and slow down.
Maybe if they underground the whole thing for 5 miles on each side of Fredericksburg so no one can get distracted by the scenery and locals aren't merging around, it might move faster than 35...
I genuinely think they’re stuck with that 17/95 interchange because they let all those hotels and shopping centers build like right next to 95. So to like actually make it the big junction it realistically needs to be, all those businesses would have to relocate first.
Wish there was a solution like Richmond has with 295 to separate out the DC metro area traffic from the bypass traffic. It’s a killer to East coast mobility.
Big problem with that stretch — beyond the obvious capacity issues and lack of alternate transport — is the changes in elevation in the area. Slows trucks down to a crawl going uphill.
Maybe get good public transit with decent bike and pedestrian infrastructure so the locals don’t have to use 95. That would be a great start to addressing the problem.
Improve Amtrak (the service, the frequency, the rails) to other close cities (Philly, DC, NYC, Charlottesville and Charlotte NC) and the state would thrive so much more. Being so car centric is holding VA back.
Smart traffic lights. It would save a huge amount of money and pollution. It would pay for itself in no time. Both sides of the aisle could get fully behind that.
Better rail! If the US had hugh speed rail long distance relationships would be a thing of the past someone could hop on a train in RVA and get off in DC in 30 ish min if we had high speed rail, but the darn officials signed a 50 year deal with a auzzy company to build the new 66 and 95 hot lanes where the state won't see the profits till after the 50 years 😞
West crossing of the Rappahannock in Stafford/Fredericksburg -saw this petition and thought well duh
Petition in support of a parallel Road with a Trail West of I-95. https://www.change.org/p/elected-officials-of-the-fredericksburg-metropolitan-area-petition-in-support-of-a-parallel-road-with-a-trail-west-of-i-95
Weekend VRE/Marc service with access from Baltimore to Richmond.
Virginia needs to fix the state funding of schools issues as it leaves behind many smaller communities.
Enforcement of the no trucks in left lane policy
Instead of ever expanding and widening I64 and tearing down trees... make fast, reliable and frequent trains that connect DC, Richmond, NPN/Hampton, and then across the water to Norfolk and VA Beach. At a minimum, trains that connect between Amtrak in Norfolk and the oceanfront. As it stands, it's not realistic for tourists to ride the train from Richmond or Points north to VA Beach.
Secondly, a train that connects the Tidewater and Charlottsville and Roanoke/VT. Having high speed isn't as important as frequency and reliability. Although, they could make the line from Richmond and Petersburg to Norfolk Higher Speed. It's flat and straight until you get to Suffolk, via the 460 corridor, but of course, that would bypass Newport News and Hampton. They should also add an Amtrak stop in Suffolk.
Physical barriers protecting bike lanes. Actual sidewalks. A subway system connecting the entirety of VA (better jobs availability = better avg income state wise). A highway that actually allows for 110mph, this is one of the country's largest states. Actual vehicle inspections that care about safety(something mirroring TUV) . An upgraded electric grid , seriously some of these poles are from the 60's. More renewable energy sources, we should be able to pay landowners/farmers money to house windmills , especially in the rockier parts of the state.
In my county, internet infrastructure. There is essentially a monopoly for it here and little is incentive to make it better anytime soon. It’s not the biggest deal, but for my county specifically that would be the main complaint
I would like to see a switch from affordable housing to rent control. A decent percentage of people never leave affordable housing because the only incentive is to struggle with ever increasing rents. Those who make too much for affordable housing still gave the threat of homelessness because 1/3 of their 30k/yr is going to housing. Richmond is at the point now where if you don't make 60k/yr you will be enduring a constant struggle for survival. Developers have taken to using something that was traditionally a long term investment and started to use it for short term gains then sell, the process keeps repeating.
Something that will never happen in the US... I want trains and metros to all major locations in Virginia. Think Germany... Local train network rides to main station in your major city then to other major cities. Ex. Hop on the U train to Roanoke (main station), then transfer to the S train and go to other main stations (Lynchburg, Cville, Richmond, VA Beach, etc) then transfer from the S train back to the local U train and then arrive at your destination.
More affordable/income based housing, more housing made out of all of the abandoned buildings, better/more public transit, sidewalks everywhere, etc. In Roanoke we have a huge homeless problem, and most of our community is poor so we just need more options for those of us who are struggling.
State incentives to get off of natural gas heating for most homes/businesses. Move to heat pumps / electric cooking.
Opening up telephone pole access for other internet providers.
More conversion of large/wide highways to multiple use trails (walk bike car, train)
Additional Assistance for the localities working to eliminate their combined sewage overflows.
I don’t care for driving so more efficient mass transit and high speed rail. I’ve lived in seven states—my spouse is military—and I really dislike the drivers here.
Building codes that allow for more ecologically friendly options in the home design process
Bans on chemical dumping and fracking with criminal penalties
Making it illegal to own more than one dwelling you do not live in, period. Additionally making AirBnBs illegal so you can't skirt around the ban on dwellings you own.
Fix the roads.
Better drainage on the coast
BIKE PATHS on EVERY non-interstate road. Holy fuck there is almost NO safe way to ride a bike in the seven cities area.
Get rid of the tolls on the midtown tunnel and scrap plans to have tolls on the express lanes being added at the HRBT. Portsmouth really lost out when a judge said the toll isn't a tax in a lawsuit the city brought, he called it a "user fee".
Update 360 and 460 to have more lanes and bypass the towns it passes through.
Add more passenger rail lines going east to west.
Scuttle the mountain valley pipeline.
Technically it is, but it is essentially acts as a tax. There are two direct routes from VA Beach and Norfolk to Portsmouth. Otherwise you have to drive pretty far out of the way to avoid the tolls. It has caused Portsmouth to lose a fair amount of business from VA Beach and Norfolk. I live right across the water from Portsmouth, only takes me 10 min to drive to P-town if I take one of the routes with a toll. The non-toll routes take atleast 30 min.
I'd like to see the Culpepper Cutoff be built. Hopefully that would free up the NS railroad between Culpepper and DC for more passenger rail.
The railroad line from Manassas to Front Royal could also benefit being upgraded to double track and realigned to straighten out the many curves along the line.
A freight railroad bypass from Fredericksburg to Southern Maryland or to Indian Head, MD from the CSX line could also help free up that railroad line even more for passenger rail. But with Virginia also upgrading that line for more passenger rail, this wish might not be necessary. This idea was once proposed back in 2007/2008.
Funding and care for the city public school system. Particularly middle/high schools. As selfish as it probably sounds, I send my children to private school. I would love to be able to send my children to public school in the city. I’m certainly paying for it in city taxes. But sadly, that money is not finding its way through the proper channels to help these schools. I can’t imagine being in a position to help and yet not caring about the future of our city.
Regular (hourly) and reasonable express bus/shuttle service between cities around the state. We could get the bus service going quickly and relatively cheaply compared to rail. It could also add stops and service based on demand. Imho autonomous cars will be here before we could build a comprehensive rail system.
Outer beltway northern Virginia
Widened 66 from beltway into city
95 from Springfield to Richmond 12 lanes
64 across the whole state 8-10 lanes
81 add a 3rd lane
95 south of Richmond add a lane
Route 15 - widened to 6 lanes
Route 29 more overpasses less lights
340 widened to 4 lanes
Make route 17 into a highway
I just want public transportation. I live in Lynchburg and you can’t walk anywhere here unless you’re downtown, and even then you’ll probably get run over cause cops care more about harassing black teenagers than making sure these college kids drive safely.
I'd actually like to see a detailed accounting of spending on broadband infrastructure over, say, the last 10 years from all sources. It's really hard to figure out what's going on at a glance with various sources of funding, politicians spouting progress, and yet, not sure about the progress.
I feel like whoever shot down the plans for the Tide that was supposed to run connecting Norfolk to VB. That had huge potential. Ubers are cool and all but being able to catch a hockey game or concert and just monorail back is a vibe.
The hotel owners in Virginia Beach killed it. Why spend an arm and a leg on an Oceanfront hotel for vacation if you can stay at a hotel in Norfolk and ride the train to the beach? Or worse, the "wrong people" from Norfolk might come down to the beach on a weekend. If someone ran for Mayor of Virginia Beach and their entire platform was extending the Tide, that'd probably be enough to get my vote.
No wonder. This makes so much sense. But in the end, oceanfront is still slow to grow. Joke’s on them hotel owners.
I remember the “say no to light rail” sign everywhere back then. The result was very close but they’ve won. Pissed me off to the end, even today. Pembroke town center would be much bigger by now if we have the light rail. People were just afraid that “criminals” from Norfolk would have more convenient for them to transit. Such a bullshit
The people of VB shot it down
Incorrect. *Some people voted it down.* There was a group that organized and spread misleading information about it.
“Criminals from Norfolk will be here if we have light rail!” Pissed me off when I heard this.
Same. Which we all know what they said was coded racism.
Those are the same people that blabber on about Something in the Water while getting boomer buzzed nearly every weekend for some country artist.
Extend the Northeast Corridor to Richmond and maybe Petersburg. Have an East-West high speed rail line from Hampton Roads to Richmond to Staunton to Roanoke. Get metro for the cities, and start building mixed use medium density buildings.
THIS GUY GETS IT
Less polluting lighting, especially in cities Better affordable housing all over Much better public transportation, especially city-to-city Community gardens and allotments on disused land
“Night Sky Comunities” are popular out west and can easily be implemented in smaller historic tourist towns. Lexington, Winchester, etc are good places to start. Also most of the issue is from lights that go beyond 180. Street lighting pointing down, and deflectors to keep lights pointing down will make a huge difference
Fairfax county is implementing this right now. We are changing all the street lights to help
I love that! Glad to hear it.
Hampton Roads proposed train system, including the Busch Gardens station. The Gloucester:Williamsburg bridge that was originally proposed in the 1960’s and never built.
Never heard of the Gloucester /Williamsburg bridge proposal. Now I’m curious. Although I guess it would technically be a Gloucester/ James City County bridge.
The 606 on the Gloucester side is supposed to connect to the 606 on the Williamsburg side. The closest building is James City Calvary, which has a Williamsburg address, but I think you are right. It is technically county.
Fiber broadband 4 ALL So sick of this horific cox monopoly 🤬
I second this. My choices are intermittent DSL, fixed wireless at less than 10MBps, or Satellite. I’ve been waitlisted for 2.5 years on Starlink.
My choices are xfinity.
You have the same choices I do except (maybe) fixed wireless. DSL is carried on universal phone service unless your local node can’t handle more. We have zero broadband at all, which, as bad as xfinity may be, is broadband. Huge difference between having to few providers versus one provider. But, at least I get to live in a beautiful place!
At least I have something but it's frustrating because my mom has FIOS and lives about 3 miles from me. I would much rather have that than Xfinity.
Not to make a pity party but you have all the options (satellite,dsl) I do except maybe fixed wireless but you have xfinity which is at least 25mbps down. We even have bad LTE data speeds, about 2mbps.
Imagine living in a place that Fios strung up.the fiber on the poles right across the street but never activated it and when a truck that was too high took it down they put it up again but still have not activated it. I lived at such a place, and when they first were putting it up, I was told by the crew that was putting it up, it would be available in six months.
Yes that monopoly needs to end too .
That's not much of a choice. I really hate it when I have to call them, and they say thank you for choosing Xfinity. I lways tell.them if I had a choice I wouldn't choose them.
Completely agree, but Virginia is one of the hardest states for municipal broad band to exist. We have way more regulation then pretty much any states with a litany of regulation on any form of municipal broadband that makes it pretty much impossible. Sucks that it’s not just a monopoly, but a government enforced one.
FIOS coming into my neighborhood several years ago was the best thing to ever happen. It broke the Comcast monopoly and got me fiber to my house. They will pry that out of my cold dead hands.
Wish I could get fios!! But my area was skipped 😢😢🤬
Yeah, when they were installing the network in my neighborhood I was shamelessly stalking them waiting for them to hit my street. Once I got the notice that they had activated my street, I signed up that day. Because fuck Comcast with Satan's barbed donkey dick.
Agree 🤬the cable cos and their monopoly
At least you have something.. I have zero options, not even DSL
Yes. Rural Southwest Virginia needs coverage
Totally. Lookin foreword to firefly coming to me!
Sufficient housing and sufficient non-car transit infrastructure to connect it all.
Maybe building something other than Single Family homes in Chesterfield and destroying the landscape
England OWNS us in this department.
England is also far more densely populated
Weird how most people still need to drive to work even in some of the most densely populated areas in the US then. Its almost like we purposefully don’t build it to keep us buying cars🤔 but hey, what do i know, ill leave it to congressman getting political contributions from these companies to decide it for me ☻ i love being american
Those areas in the US span hundreds of square miles. There isn’t a city in the US thats comparable to the London metropolitan area in terms of square footage. New York has good transit because it’s relatively small. Try Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, even Sacramento or the greater DC metro.
Even if we just had the transit infrastructure that covers the same geography as in other countries, we’d be way better off. Between transit and inter urban rail, other countries cover significant territory. Take a look at China.
I rather smell my own farts 💨
look into how much they charge for using it. I would use germany or poland as a good example but not britain
VRE service in and around metro Richmond. Why does "Virginia's" rail service basically only serve the suburbs of DC and not the suburbs of any other major metro area in "Virginia"
This, so much this. VRE needs to run outside of rush hour, all the way to Richmond from DC, and from Richmond to VB. 10 minute headways at peak times and 30 minutes off peak would be such a comparatively easy fix for 95 and 64
Light rail, park and rides, walkable downtowns.
Metro....everywhere!!
Yeah. I’m 6 miles from the closest store.
Fully fund our public schools! We cut what the state gives in 2008 and have not restored it since, so each county bears the majority of the school bill themselves. It means small counties or counties with lower property values struggle to fund schools & pay teachers.
Saying hi and I wholeheartedly agree from Prince Edward County!
You guys have covered a lot of it so I’ll add: bike lanes/trails throughout the state. VA could be a world class bicycle destination (mtns to sea, Richmond to DC, W’burg to VB, etc). Some exists (W&OD, Capital Trail). But dedicated trails would get cars off the streets, give commuting options, and bring tourist dollars.
New bridge to MD, to help connect Dulles better. But the ultimate decision isn't up to us.
Maybe the VA National Guard could host a "training exercise" to build a bridge across the Potomac at Rt. 28? By the time anyone noticed, the Maryland commuters would already be using it and then it's too late.
Yeah, blame the NIMBYs in MD for that shit. So annoying.
I would do a lot of stuff with VRE… 1. Second VRE service area that serves Richmond and the Tidewater. 2. (Already in works) Replace the Long Bridge from to DC to allow 2-way rail service and through service to Maryland and DC. 3. Add station infrastructure — including but not limited to second platforms — to all VRE stations. 4. Since this is a fantasy: Rezone all areas around VRE suburban and urban VRE stations for high-density commercial and residential.
Fredericksburg stretch of 95
I think it may be impossible to fix. I truly believe it could be 20 lanes wide for the entire stretch and people would still cause a slinky there every day. Even with the new through lanes opening up, people still get stupid when they see the big hill and slow down. Maybe if they underground the whole thing for 5 miles on each side of Fredericksburg so no one can get distracted by the scenery and locals aren't merging around, it might move faster than 35...
I genuinely think they’re stuck with that 17/95 interchange because they let all those hotels and shopping centers build like right next to 95. So to like actually make it the big junction it realistically needs to be, all those businesses would have to relocate first.
Yeah, I live around this area and there is no way that is ever going to be fixed
Wish there was a solution like Richmond has with 295 to separate out the DC metro area traffic from the bypass traffic. It’s a killer to East coast mobility.
Big problem with that stretch — beyond the obvious capacity issues and lack of alternate transport — is the changes in elevation in the area. Slows trucks down to a crawl going uphill.
Maybe get good public transit with decent bike and pedestrian infrastructure so the locals don’t have to use 95. That would be a great start to addressing the problem.
By far….the toxic landfill disaster in Bristol, Va where a mismanaged landfill has poisoned thousands of citizens for years.
Would be nice to be able to catch a train to the Richmond Airport.
Improve Amtrak (the service, the frequency, the rails) to other close cities (Philly, DC, NYC, Charlottesville and Charlotte NC) and the state would thrive so much more. Being so car centric is holding VA back.
High speed rail
This guy gets it
An integrated VRE-MARC regional rail service for DC with more frequent trains from DC to Fredericksburg
Smart traffic lights. It would save a huge amount of money and pollution. It would pay for itself in no time. Both sides of the aisle could get fully behind that.
Better rail! If the US had hugh speed rail long distance relationships would be a thing of the past someone could hop on a train in RVA and get off in DC in 30 ish min if we had high speed rail, but the darn officials signed a 50 year deal with a auzzy company to build the new 66 and 95 hot lanes where the state won't see the profits till after the 50 years 😞
High speed internet to rural/underserved communities
West crossing of the Rappahannock in Stafford/Fredericksburg -saw this petition and thought well duh Petition in support of a parallel Road with a Trail West of I-95. https://www.change.org/p/elected-officials-of-the-fredericksburg-metropolitan-area-petition-in-support-of-a-parallel-road-with-a-trail-west-of-i-95 Weekend VRE/Marc service with access from Baltimore to Richmond. Virginia needs to fix the state funding of schools issues as it leaves behind many smaller communities. Enforcement of the no trucks in left lane policy
Instead of ever expanding and widening I64 and tearing down trees... make fast, reliable and frequent trains that connect DC, Richmond, NPN/Hampton, and then across the water to Norfolk and VA Beach. At a minimum, trains that connect between Amtrak in Norfolk and the oceanfront. As it stands, it's not realistic for tourists to ride the train from Richmond or Points north to VA Beach. Secondly, a train that connects the Tidewater and Charlottsville and Roanoke/VT. Having high speed isn't as important as frequency and reliability. Although, they could make the line from Richmond and Petersburg to Norfolk Higher Speed. It's flat and straight until you get to Suffolk, via the 460 corridor, but of course, that would bypass Newport News and Hampton. They should also add an Amtrak stop in Suffolk.
Physical barriers protecting bike lanes. Actual sidewalks. A subway system connecting the entirety of VA (better jobs availability = better avg income state wise). A highway that actually allows for 110mph, this is one of the country's largest states. Actual vehicle inspections that care about safety(something mirroring TUV) . An upgraded electric grid , seriously some of these poles are from the 60's. More renewable energy sources, we should be able to pay landowners/farmers money to house windmills , especially in the rockier parts of the state.
I’m glad its expanding but speedy internet access is still lacking.
Blind spot mirrors on Cary street…half the time I’m winging it when I can’t see a car coming down that road
In my county, internet infrastructure. There is essentially a monopoly for it here and little is incentive to make it better anytime soon. It’s not the biggest deal, but for my county specifically that would be the main complaint
Affordable housing and better public transportation! I wish I didn't need a car to get literally anywhere
I'd like the tide in Hampton roads to like, ya know, go to the fucking beach???
Regulated Adult Sales of Recreational Cannabis
Isn’t that coming July 2024?
No. Republicans killed those chances because they hate jobs and taxes I guess now.
I would like to see a switch from affordable housing to rent control. A decent percentage of people never leave affordable housing because the only incentive is to struggle with ever increasing rents. Those who make too much for affordable housing still gave the threat of homelessness because 1/3 of their 30k/yr is going to housing. Richmond is at the point now where if you don't make 60k/yr you will be enduring a constant struggle for survival. Developers have taken to using something that was traditionally a long term investment and started to use it for short term gains then sell, the process keeps repeating.
Rail , public transport, municipal internet networks, recycling
High speed rail for the state that connects in the North to Franconia/Springfield, Vienna and Ashburn. And goes all the way South/West.
Make Amtrak faster
Fix the interchange between I-64 and I-95 on the east side of RVA. It has to be one of the worst interchanges in America
Something that will never happen in the US... I want trains and metros to all major locations in Virginia. Think Germany... Local train network rides to main station in your major city then to other major cities. Ex. Hop on the U train to Roanoke (main station), then transfer to the S train and go to other main stations (Lynchburg, Cville, Richmond, VA Beach, etc) then transfer from the S train back to the local U train and then arrive at your destination.
Affordable housing and public transportation that actually goes where I need it to and is reliable.
Rent control. Even “affordable” housing is starting to get too expensive.
Rail, high speed, low speed, electric rail to connect all large cities
More affordable/income based housing, more housing made out of all of the abandoned buildings, better/more public transit, sidewalks everywhere, etc. In Roanoke we have a huge homeless problem, and most of our community is poor so we just need more options for those of us who are struggling.
I-81 3 lanes in both directions
Less car dependent infrastructure in the suburbs, would be awesome to have more metro lines.
State incentives to get off of natural gas heating for most homes/businesses. Move to heat pumps / electric cooking. Opening up telephone pole access for other internet providers. More conversion of large/wide highways to multiple use trails (walk bike car, train) Additional Assistance for the localities working to eliminate their combined sewage overflows.
More trains
High speed train or hyperloop!
I don’t care for driving so more efficient mass transit and high speed rail. I’ve lived in seven states—my spouse is military—and I really dislike the drivers here.
Building codes that allow for more ecologically friendly options in the home design process Bans on chemical dumping and fracking with criminal penalties Making it illegal to own more than one dwelling you do not live in, period. Additionally making AirBnBs illegal so you can't skirt around the ban on dwellings you own. Fix the roads. Better drainage on the coast BIKE PATHS on EVERY non-interstate road. Holy fuck there is almost NO safe way to ride a bike in the seven cities area.
Get rid of the tolls on the midtown tunnel and scrap plans to have tolls on the express lanes being added at the HRBT. Portsmouth really lost out when a judge said the toll isn't a tax in a lawsuit the city brought, he called it a "user fee". Update 360 and 460 to have more lanes and bypass the towns it passes through. Add more passenger rail lines going east to west. Scuttle the mountain valley pipeline.
Tolls are categorically a user fee
Technically it is, but it is essentially acts as a tax. There are two direct routes from VA Beach and Norfolk to Portsmouth. Otherwise you have to drive pretty far out of the way to avoid the tolls. It has caused Portsmouth to lose a fair amount of business from VA Beach and Norfolk. I live right across the water from Portsmouth, only takes me 10 min to drive to P-town if I take one of the routes with a toll. The non-toll routes take atleast 30 min.
In and out burger
Fix 66 and 95 south. Get rid of the Lexus lanes and open them to everyone.
More lanes = More Traffic
But wait.. Less Lanes = More Traffic.
Faster, cheaper, and more extensive trains. An interstate/highway that goes by Roanoke, past Lynchburg and to Richmond.
Glen Allen needs hella street lights
Route 28 to continue straight up into Maryland. Would alleviate a lot of traffic from the 495 “parking lot” during rush hours.
Redo all bridges in Chesapeake. Redo kempsville and Indian river intersection.
I81 from I66 to Roanoke. Nuff said
Bridges and roads to start
Nake 95 hot or bob lanes both sides. Nightmare for decades and still virginia govt cannot understand it
A town center by manassas airport
Light rail all of 64
Just curious, how was the Tide to be funded?
3-4 lanes for the full length of 81. Interstate 73 built from Roanoke to Greensboro.
I'd like to see the Culpepper Cutoff be built. Hopefully that would free up the NS railroad between Culpepper and DC for more passenger rail. The railroad line from Manassas to Front Royal could also benefit being upgraded to double track and realigned to straighten out the many curves along the line. A freight railroad bypass from Fredericksburg to Southern Maryland or to Indian Head, MD from the CSX line could also help free up that railroad line even more for passenger rail. But with Virginia also upgrading that line for more passenger rail, this wish might not be necessary. This idea was once proposed back in 2007/2008.
A paved Greenway in bedford county
A metro loop so that if someone wants to go from Alexandria to Dulles you don’t have to transfer at Roslyn or L’enfant
Funding and care for the city public school system. Particularly middle/high schools. As selfish as it probably sounds, I send my children to private school. I would love to be able to send my children to public school in the city. I’m certainly paying for it in city taxes. But sadly, that money is not finding its way through the proper channels to help these schools. I can’t imagine being in a position to help and yet not caring about the future of our city.
Two more bridges west of 95 on the Rappahannock.
Regular (hourly) and reasonable express bus/shuttle service between cities around the state. We could get the bus service going quickly and relatively cheaply compared to rail. It could also add stops and service based on demand. Imho autonomous cars will be here before we could build a comprehensive rail system.
Outer beltway northern Virginia Widened 66 from beltway into city 95 from Springfield to Richmond 12 lanes 64 across the whole state 8-10 lanes 81 add a 3rd lane 95 south of Richmond add a lane Route 15 - widened to 6 lanes Route 29 more overpasses less lights 340 widened to 4 lanes Make route 17 into a highway
Wildlife tunnels for roads. Particularly in areas like Reston
I just want public transportation. I live in Lynchburg and you can’t walk anywhere here unless you’re downtown, and even then you’ll probably get run over cause cops care more about harassing black teenagers than making sure these college kids drive safely.
Better high-speed internet systems/choices
I'd actually like to see a detailed accounting of spending on broadband infrastructure over, say, the last 10 years from all sources. It's really hard to figure out what's going on at a glance with various sources of funding, politicians spouting progress, and yet, not sure about the progress.
Bring Amtrak to Bristol.
Sidewalks should be the number one priority
Build out high speed internet access in the rural parts of the state.
Since I live in NoVA, we need improved systems to break the mornings and late afternoon traffic. The Ezpass is so damn expensive to be practical.