The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently endorsed unanimously its Private Sector Energy Task Force's recommendations as to how Fairfax County can become a leader in the area energy sufficiency, sustainability and "green" technology.
With regards to the transportation sector, the Task Force's findings included:
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Transportation accounts for 36% of the energy consumed in Fairfax County.
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In 2040 77.5% of all daily trips in Fairfax County are likely to be internal; only 22.6% generally external in nature.
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Today only 5% of the County's population lives within a half mile of a Metrorail or VRE station; by 2040 the number is only 7.5% including the Silver Line.
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Conventional rail lines are extremely expensive to construct and most future transit expansion is likely to be highway based, i.e. express or conventional bus.
The Task Force concluded:
"Due to the need for transit to use highways and the need for most trips in the County to continue to use individual vehicles, a highway program to eliminate or at least drastically reduce congestion, provides the county with the largest opportunity for transportation energy reduction in the short and medium-term."
To read the entire report and background material, click here.
Fairfax Supervisors voted to convey the transportation and other findings to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and Virginia Department of Transportation.
