3 good articles from Richmond's Style Weekly, the alternative paper there

Illustration by Ed Harrington. Style Weekly cover.

1. While I disagree with the tone, their cover story last week was on better rail service/"high speed rail" service to Richmond. See "The Magic Bullet."

2. This article, "The River Reserve" states "Richmond doesn't need more parkland. It needs better parks and better funding" making a point similar to what I have been thinking about how the RFP for the old Hine school site requires that significant public open space be provided as part of the project.

Why add another public space to a location that is within one block of 6 other public spaces, most of which languish terribly? What is needed instead is investment and management resources being focused on those extant sites, not the creation of a better managed newly constructed space.

The other spaces are:

- Eastern Market Metro Plaza
- the allied green space across the street, between 8th, 9th, D, and Pennsylvania Ave.
- Seward Square, two large spaces at 6th and Pennsylvania Ave. SE
- "Turtle Park" the small triangle park created by the intersection of Independence and North Carolina Avenues, across from
- North Hall Plaza directly north of Eastern Market
- and the space abutting Port City Java on the southeast corner of 7th Street at North Carolina Ave. SE.

3. And at least Style Weekly understands, unlike the Washington Post (see today's editorial, "Rethinking the Cities") that it isn't necessary to come up with some gee whiz technology to charge people for their per mile use of roads when driving--ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IS RAISE THE GASOLINE TAX, AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS.

See "Under the Pavement" from May 26, 2009, which is abstracted as:

The only rational way to get us driving less are stronger gasoline user fees, but instead our nation spends tax dollars to make driving more attractive by building and improving highways.

But the Post argues differently:

Remember when Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in February that he was looking at a tax on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as an alternative to the gas tax to replenish the nearly bone-dry Highway Trust Fund? A pilot VMT program in Oregon proved successful. But faster than you can say "Fill 'er up," the idea was shot down by the White House. Never mind that a VMT is an appealing way to reduce traffic, fuel consumption and carbon emissions, making it a worthy tool in Mr. Obama's urban policy vision.

You don't have to create individual tolling accounts for every car and a massive software and hardware program for the IT service companies (IBM, etc.). Just charge way more money for a gasoline excise tax.

Simple.