Gov. Tim Kaine recently released the final report of the Transportation Accountability Commission, which he created in 2006 to increase government accountability in Commonwealth transportation. His report outlines seven goals and 34 measures to help achieve this goal.
According to Ralph Davis, deputy secretary of transportation, the seven goals detailed in the report are safety and security, system maintenance and preservation, mobility connectivity and accessibility, environmental stewardship, economic vitality, program delivery and coordination of transportation and land use.
To improve safety and security, Davis said the commission has "put together a joint program to better inform the public about what they can do ... to reduce the injuries."
While the safety and security goal directly aims to lower the number of fatalities, the system maintenance goal focuses on lessening the number of roads and bridges needing repair. The mobility connectivity goal, meanwhile, emphasizes the use of public transportation.
The seventh goal, coordination of transportation and land use, addresses the issue of "looking at how the transportation system compares to population: Do roads draw population, or [is it] the other way around?" Davis explained, adding that "decisions about roads are made at the state level, but [decisions about] land use are made at the local level. We're trying to [put] in place a program to better coordinate the two."
Although the report addresses statewide issues, the commission also encourages further planning on the regional level.
"The idea is to go beyond just looking at the stats but to ultimately drill them down to the regional level [and] see how the investment is impacting a community," Davis said.
At the moment, however, the goals may not translate into many changes for the University and its surrounding area, according to Harrison Rue, executive director of Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
"I don't think it'll have a major immediate effect," Rue said?. "There will be no major changes unless funding comes along too."
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