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Seth was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA, He graduated Virginia Tech in 2003 with a graphic design degree. Seth spent four fantastic years iiving in Ghent while he worked as a designer for Port Folio Weekly and loved working and learning all about (insert your own term for Southeastern Virginia). Seth loves chicken wings, microbrews and all things stereotypical of a young white dude. He recently moved to Durham with his lovely wife Caitlyn but comes home at least five times a year to jump into the ocean. You can keep up with Seth at his website, sethpatrick.com
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I hate to say it, but it’s for the same reason that the DC metro has never made it into Georgetown, or why they won’t connect the northern metro rail stations between Rockville and Silver Spring. I wish you luck!
This reminds me of when I lived in Richmond and the Chesterfield County commissioners through a fit that the public bus service had added stops along Midlothian Turnpike without their permission. They didn’t want any of the rifraf coming in.
I’m sure as soon as buisness owners realize how much money they could make if there was a light rail stop near their property their stories will change.
So Mary, what do you think about the Purple Line?
It’s the same backwards thinking that causes Southside people to think that Newport News only consists of the East End, thus making them think NN must be the crime capital of the world. Thankfully, I’ve lived on both the Southside and the Peninsula, and have spent enough time on both sides to know that NN really is a very nice city the further you drive from the East End.
People in VB have harped on that bullshit “crime” issue for a good 10 years (light rail was originally shot down in the late-90s). Nevermind the fact that there have been a few robberies and sexual assaults at both the Oceanfront and Town Center, the latter of which is supposed to be the crown jewel of VB.
Yes, damn that light rail, bringing in crime before the first train has even taken off! SMH
Actually, this is brilliance on the part of Virginia Beach, not fear. Norfolk has spent (and wasted) hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to get this project going, but it really is a train to nowhere until Virginia Beach builds their part. So here’s what will happen: Norfolk spends roughly $150m to build it and then, desperate to make it useable and profitable, spends ANOTHER $50m on VIRGINIA BEACH’S portion! It’s brilliant! Because what else is Norfolk gonna do when VB refuses to build their end without Norfolk’s help? NOT pay $50m to save $150m?? How much more did the Norfolk City Council instantly agree to pay when HRT admitted it was MASSIVELY over-budget?? Norfolk is famous for throwing good money after bad, and Virginia Beach knows it so they won’t put in a penny until Norfolk is over a barrel.
Maybe I’m crazy, but as a lifetime Hampton-Roads-ian I see a striking set of parallels in Tidewater in that every city seems to have a sister city here. Virginia Beach is like the better version of Norfolk: both have geographic advantages, tourist attractions, and a strong Navy presence. So why is Virginia Beach cleaner, better educated, safer, and wealthier? Better decisions.
Norfolk is older so it had the head start. Virginia Beach just made better business decisions to attract businesses and tourists and therefore can afford better everything. The same goes for Portsmouth and Chesapeake. Chesapeake has better everything (I’ve lived in both for years), even though Portsmouth has been a going concern for much longer. Same on the peninsula with Hampton and Newport News. As a city (with many exceptions), Newport News is cleaner, safer, better-run, less ghetto, more business-friendly, etc. than Hampton. Race has nothing to do with it; it’s the result of treating your city like a business (instead of a good-old-boys club) and making good business decisions over time.
That’s why Virginia Beach is letting Norfolk figure out (and pay for) all the WRONG ways to do light-rail, and then they’ll make Norfolk’s taxpayers pay for a large part of Virginia Beach’s portion. I GUARANTEE IT. (And Virginia Beach’s portion will run better.)
Months ago, at Trader Joe’s, I was talking to a cashier about the light rail. He ranted that he wanted nothing to do with light rail because only poor people use public transportation, so it would not benefit him in anyway…
Of course I have no idea what this man’s bank account looks like, but while I watched him bag my groceries I wondered how many paychecks he was away from poverty.
so, opposition to the poorly planned, utterly wasteful LR system = racism
got it