Questions from Michael Perkins to candidates for 47

District, Virginia House of Delegates. Miles Grant’s answers below:1.Q: What’s your opinion on the Columbia Pike streetcar project? Where else doyou think we should upgrade our transit network with higher-quality service?MG: The streetcar project must be the next step in bringing mass transit to Northern Virginia well beyond the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor and the Dulles rail project. Expanding the reach of public transportation will be one of the boldeststeps Virginia can take, and as a Delegate I’ll support this step in the rightdirection. While Residents of communities like Barcroft have understandableconcerns about cost, traffic and development threatening low-income residentsand locally-owned businesses, I believe cost, development, and disruptions can bemanaged while bringing needed investment and providing an attractive, low-costtransit option for residents of neighborhoods along the Pike.Lee Highway is a target for a transit upgrade, though it’s far too early to say whatthat might look like. In the very long-term, Metro’s Silver Line to Dulles couldalso become part of a longer Beltway Metro line that crosses the Wilson Bridgeinto Maryland.The elephant in the transit room is Metro’s Rosslyn tunnel. At peak times, italready struggles to squeeze through Orange and Blue Line trains. Metro needsdedicated funding from Richmond to support the Silver Line, effectivelydetermine whether to divert Blue Line trains across the Potomac River bridge thatYellow Line trains use now, and begin planning a possible additional tunnel or bridge crossing.Look at what public transportation has done for Central Arlington. I will go toRichmond to work with Metro in breaking our dependence on auto transportationand grow our mass transit system.2.Q: Some people believe that Bus Rapid Transit is a cheaper but just as effectivealternative to rail transit like streetcars or light rail. What’s your opinion?MG: Much cheaper? Yes. Just as effective? That’s far less clear. Would a businessset up shop on the Pike because there’s

rapid

bus instead of a

regular

bus? Woulda bus accomplish the same goals of broad community revitalization?Look, the Columbia Pike streetcar isn’t just about moving people from point A to point B. It’s about demonstrating the Arlington community’s commitment torevitalizing the Pike. It’s a signal to the entire DC area that we won’t let our economic growth pass anyone by.And finally, there’s a national movement toward greener electricity grids. Astreetcar powered by wind, solar, or other green energy is far, far better than afleet of petroleum and natural gas burning buses.

3.Q: After the election, it’s possible that the House might still be controlled by afaction opposed to any tax increase. How would you work to obtain more moneyfor transit given this limitation?MG: Any delegate from Arlington must prioritize securing a dedicated fundingsource for Metro. I’ve spent my career advocating for a greener infrastructure, anddedicated funding for Metro is a piece of that puzzle. If Republicans from other parts of Virginia continue to roadblock this desperately needed investment, I’ll bethe first to point out (loudly) that those General Assembly members are blockingeconomic growth, killing jobs and choking prosperity. Explain that one to theClub for Growth.While I’m open to negotiating create ways to find new revenue, as a taxpayer, Ifind it insulting when our elected officials try to hide revenue increases inunconstitutional “abuser fees,” referenda that pass the buck to us to raise our owntaxes, and other sleight-of-hand methods. Let’s be honest with voters.4.Q: How would you ensure that Virginia's transportation money is being spent inthe areas with the most pressing transportation issues, as opposed to the areas thatenjoy political clout?MG: It’s not just transportation funds – Virginia energy policies and even our methods for investing in new parks are based on antiquated policies that punish Northern Virginia and reward parts of the state that make up a shrinking percentage of our population. These problems won’t be solved incrementally – anextra percent of funding here or there – but with a radically different set of policies that recognize that Virginia has shifted from red, rural and Southern to blue, suburban, and Mid-Atlantic. It’s yet another reason to support Brian Moranor Terry McAuliffe as Virginia’s next governor, as each Democrat is much morelikely to fight for Northern Virginia’s fair share.5.Q: Some people believe that widening roads doesn’t reduce traffic because thewider roads will quickly become congested again. Do you believe that wideningcongested roads induces more traffic to use them in the long run? If so, what doyou believe is the best way to spend transportation dollars to accommodategrowth?MG: Traffic behaves like a gas – it expands to fill all available space. Each newor wider highway has only encouraged developers to build McMansion-filledsubdivisions even further away.Simply put, I don’t want to build a wider I66 so an Arlington teacher who lives inFauquier County can get to work three minutes faster – I want to build asustainable Virginia so the next generation of Arlington’s teachers can afford tolive here in Arlington. I think the solution to highway congestion is to broadenMetro’s reach in Virginia, especially by laying the foundation for a network of new light rail and Metrorail lines.

6.Q: Should localities be allowed to require LEED certification as a condition of approving rezoning, proffers or exceptions to zoning requirements?MG: From green buildings to affordable housing, local governments need morehome rule to take targeted action to address their unique local problems.Loosening Dillon restrictions is a reasonable step towards sensible, specificsolutions as an alternative to our current statewide, one-size-fits-all system.Especially on residential buildings, LEED standards are still a work in progress,so any requirements should be carefully considered. However, Arlington hasshown that a push to baseline LEED standards and healthy development can gohand-in-hand.We should also work towards efficiency gauges for existing buildings. After all, if you buy a car or a refrigerator, it has a sticker on it telling you how much energyit consumes. Why aren’t homes and offices held to the same standard?7.Q: If the money were spent on transportation improvements, would you support agas tax increase? If not, where do you propose to get new funding for transportation?MG: I support a gas tax increase with the funds carefully appropriated. We don’tneed another tax that collects revenue from Northern Virginia and then sends it tofar-flung corners of the state. Revenue should be appropriated based on need with prioritization for funding bus and rail service along with urgent road and bridgerepairs.8.Q: If taxes or fees must be increased to raise money for transportation, would you prefer to raise the fixed costs of car ownership (through increased titling or decalfees, or personal property tax), or to raise the marginal costs of operating a car (through a gas or mileage tax, or tolls)?MG: Let’s be clear – taxes and/or fees must be increased to pay for transportation. We just watched a chunk of concrete fall from the Glebe Roadoverpass onto Route 50, luckily at an off-peak time -- we need more money and ithas to come from somewhere. Anyone who claims otherwise has no businessholding public office.I’m open to any funding solution that raises money for transit while creatingdisincentives for long-drive commutes. Generally speaking, I’d lean towardsmechanisms that reward efficient vehicles and wise driving (like a gas or mileagetax) than to title or decal fees, which equally hit the grandmother who only drivesto the grocery store and the commuter who hauls in daily from Stafford in hisSUV. A mileage tax is a better long-term solution than a gas tax, which seems todirect more anger towards the price of gas than to the consumers’ own choice of vehicle and driving patterns. With cut-throughs already a problem in many