Hampton Roads gets its first taste of transit funding

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) is per capita the third worst funded public transportation system in the nation. In 2018 alone HRT logged 18,653 missed trips. Despite the lack of money, however, the HRT is a huge boon for the region with an annual $338 million in economic benefits, 930,000 gallons in fuel savings, and 8,200 metric tons of reduced carbon pollution.

But, its potential to revolutionize mobility in the 757 was long ignored. Until this legislative session. For the first time ever Virginia’s General Assembly has granted Tidewater’s transit system its own dedicated funding.

Mo money, no problems?

Two bills—HB 1726 by Virginia Beach Delegate Alex Askew and SB 1038 by Portsmouth Senator Louise Lucas—were introduced and passed in both the House of Delegates and the Senate. If signed by Governor Ralph Northam they would create a brand new Hampton Roads Regional Transit Fund and pay for it with $20 million from existing recordation taxes as well as minor increases to the regional grantor’s and transient occupancy taxes.

“For the first time in as long as I can remember we as a region have reached a general consensus around support for a transit bill,” said Norfolk City CouncilmemberAndria McClellan. “This much needed, long overdue dedicated funding certainly bodes well for future regional endeavors. These bills won’t accomplish all that we need, but it’s a good start to try and build out a regional backbone.”

Armed with HRT’s Transit Development Plan 2018-2027 as their roadmap, localities from Williamsburg to Suffolk will soon have funds to begin rerouting and expanding their bus service. The City of Norfolk has already launched its own transportation master plan process—Multimodal Norfolk—showing there may be a new wave of energy to provide Hampton Roads residents with more mobility options. The deal won’t fix the mismatch of service that results from each locality choosing its own independent levels of transit funding, but riders across the region have reason to rejoice nonetheless.

“More funding means transit becomes a more vital mode of transportation,” said Lisa Guthrie, Executive Director of the Virginia Transit Association. “More frequent routes, new routes, and more connectivity will contribute to better access to jobs and educational centers. Congestion mitigation, better air quality, and transit-oriented neighborhoods are all benefits that transit delivers.”

Not everything is in the bills

Although the City of Norfolk’s Tide light rail is widely seen as the jewel of HRT’s system, both bills explicitly limit future funding to “a regional system of inter-jurisdictional, high-frequency bus service.” After the mostly suburban, white Virginia Beach voted against an extension of the Tide to its oceanfront boardwalk from the more diverse, urbanized Norfolk, light rail became a toxic topic in certain 757 localities and plans from the Department of Rail and Public Transportation for 94 miles of light rail and streetcars were indefinitely shelved.

“The priority is to have a more convenient and reliable core bus system,” said Brian Smith, HRT’s Chief of Staff. “This is about better access to jobs, shopping, medical appointments, education, and workforce training—the list goes on and on. And it’s about long term economic success and sustainability. There’s growing consensus that Hampton Roads needs an ‘all of the above’ approach to transportation.”

The growth of gridlock

Between the widening of Interstate 64 and the expansion of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel—projects with estimated price tags of $311 million and $3.56 billion, respectively—one might assume that all modes of transportation in the Seven Cities are awash in cash.

Despite its status as the Commonwealth’s second-largest conurbation after Northern Virginia, the 757 has always been a laggard when it comes to public transportation. Hampton Roads’ ballooning growth in the post-World War II era cemented in a pattern of suburban sprawl and bickering localities that exists to this day.

Despite decades of suffering as the 31st most congested region in the country, local leaders neglected to invest in public transportation as a solution. State leaders didn’t help either; the legislature’s creation of the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC) in 2013 explicitly banned even a penny of its hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding from going to transit.

A competitive future

After Hampton Roads’ economy shrunk by an average of .15% each year over the decade from 2007 to 2016, the stable 2.5% growth of the last few years has been welcome news. Population growth of 3.8% since 2010 also sounds positive, but when compared to growth figures for Metro Richmond (7.5%) and Northern Virginia (12.4%), Tidewater begins to look like the sick man of the Commonwealth.

That’s why each new transit dollar in the region is welcome news to McClellan. “The new Transit Fund is critical to Hampton Roads’ future economic development. Better mobility entices people to live in our region and will help us reach our goal of reducing our carbon footprint.”

As the Chair of HRT’s Smart Cities & Innovation Commission, McClellan is acutely aware of how far behind Tidewater’s transit lags behind other regions of the state: “This year NoVA is actually increasing their funding which we’re only just trying to get.”

McClellan is especially cheered both bills provide specific funding for upgrading the region’s transit technology. Over the coming years residents of the 757 can expect advances to HRT’s mobile payment system, the expansion of real-time tracking data, and more. “Our technology has been falling further and further behind, and users now demand real-time arrival information similar to what ride sharing provides.”

Thanks to the efforts of Delegate Askew and Senator Lucas, Hampton Roads’ transit service may yet make a comeback. The region’s newfound dedication to invest in and upgrade HRT at least serves as an example that further improvements are possible with proper financial support.