Fredericksburg Area Transportation District Eyed

Stafford County and Fredericksburg may become the founding members of a local transportation district designed to generate more money for regional road and transit projects.

Right now, both communities are members of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, a group largely dominated by Northern Virginia localities.

As members of that group, both Fredericksburg and Stafford have the authority to levy a 2 percent gas tax. They use some of that money to support Virginia Railway Express, and most of the rest pays for local transportation projects.

Local officials brought this idea up last year, but some communities were concerned they might have to give up too much money for regional projects without getting to address any local concerns. Estimates then indicated that if all five communities levied the 2 percent gas tax they could raise about $4.2 million.

Now I’m all in favor of a regional transportation authority, but a tax on top of it? Don’t we already have RADCO and FAMPO? And why should we be taxing commuters on the roads to pay for VRE solutions?

Grrrrrr. . .