Mission Statement
The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance is the only organization focused exclusively on working to make better transportation a reality for Northern Virginia citizens and businesses.
Our sole mission is to advance transportation improvements in Northern Virginia.
Purpose and Priorities:
The debate is not roads and bridges versus buses and trains, but which strategies move the most people most effectively in most corridors.
Since the mid-1960s federal, state and local governments have funded and built 90% of the public transit promised for today, while 1500 planned lane miles of roads and bridges remain un-built, with no new bridges outside the Beltway. Because of this pattern, the region has the nation’s second best public transit system and second most congested highway network.
The Alliance has always supported our Metrorail system. It was one of the first private sector groups to champion the Virginia Railway Express commuter system. It supports Dulles Rail and higher density mixed-use development near transit stations. It was the first regional organization to endorse dedicated Metro funding.
However, today nearly 90% of all daily trips and 80% of rush hour trips travel on our inadequate network of roads and bridges. Our major roads operate at high levels of congestion seven days a week, 16 hours a day.
Eighty percent of daily travel is not commuter trips but that of people trying to live their lives and manage their businesses. Sports fields are neither on Metro lines nor candidates for public transit, nor are public schools, grocery stores, movie theaters, suburban restaurants or shopping centers in any great number. Office supplies do not move on subways; meat and vegetables do not arrive at grocery stores on buses; trash is not picked up on commuter rail.
Transit makes an important peak hour contribution in moving people to and from the center city core and close in activity centers. Currently about 6% of all daily trips are by public transit. Shrinking core population and employment, relative to the rest of the region, and projected settlement patterns make transit unlikely to move even 10% of all daily trips in 2020.
A balanced transportation network requires that transportation resources be balanced based on need and demand.
More than half of all transportation resources available over the next 25 years are assigned to public transit to move less than 10% of daily trips.
Road projects that will carry 90% of future vehicular – auto, truck and bus -- trips remain un-prioritized and un-funded.
Above all, given limited resources, all regional projects (road and rail) must be subject to cost-benefit analysis and prioritization by state and regional officials.
For more information regarding the Alliance's priorities, click on the links below. To view a map, Click here.