Survey Results
Survey results continue to come in. I sent out over 12,000 surveys and have received hundreds of responses. Below are the unscientific results. Thanks to everyone who filled out and returned the survey. This helps me as I deliberate over legislation in the General Assembly.
|
TRANSPORTATION
|
|
|
|
1. Do you
believe the Hampton Roads region needs additional major roadways as
identified by the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization which
include: a connection from I-64 to the Monitor Merrimac Tunnel through the
port area and Craney Island with an additional
tube to the peninsula, construction of the Southeastern Parkway and
improvements to Dominion Boulevard in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake,
construction of another tube for the Midtown Tunnel and extension of the
Martin Luther King Expressway in Portsmouth, improvements to US 460 to
create an "interstate-quality" highway, and finally a widening of I-64 on
both the Peninsula and Southside Hampton Roads (two projects)?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
319
|
66%
|
|
No
|
64
|
13%
|
|
Undecided
|
98
|
20%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
481
|
100%
|
|
|
|
|
2. As
listed in the previous question, the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning
Organization has identified six regional transportation projects considered
essential to alleviating congestion in our region. No single source of
revenue (e.g. tolls or gas tax) can generate enough funds to pay for these
projects alone. If you agree that these projects are essential, please rank
the funding mechanisms you would most prefer.
|
|
|
[Rate 1 = Most Preferred, 8 = Least
Preferred, 9 = No Answer]
|
|
|
|
|
Pay tolls
|
|
16%
79
|
8%
39
|
7%
32
|
7%
35
|
9%
45
|
5%
24
|
6%
31
|
22%
108
|
18%
89
|
|
|
Higher
state gas tax
|
|
18%
86
|
5%
24
|
8%
37
|
6%
30
|
5%
26
|
6%
28
|
8%
37
|
23%
111
|
20%
97
|
|
|
Increased
vehicle titling tax at time of purchase
|
|
6%
29
|
7%
31
|
10%
46
|
8%
40
|
12%
59
|
16%
75
|
9%
44
|
9%
44
|
23%
107
|
|
|
Increase
car registration fees
|
|
5%
24
|
4%
20
|
7%
31
|
8%
37
|
11%
50
|
14%
68
|
15%
69
|
15%
69
|
23%
108
|
|
|
Increase
fines paid by drivers who repeatedly earn moving violations
|
|
37%
181
|
18%
90
|
12%
58
|
8%
40
|
3%
17
|
3%
13
|
1%
6
|
2%
12
|
14%
70
|
|
|
Increase
the Hotel Occupancy Tax
|
|
14%
67
|
9%
45
|
13%
61
|
10%
48
|
9%
43
|
8%
36
|
7%
34
|
9%
44
|
21%
99
|
|
|
Charge a
fee to area businesses
|
|
9%
41
|
5%
25
|
7%
34
|
8%
37
|
9%
44
|
9%
44
|
13%
61
|
15%
73
|
24%
114
|
|
|
More
efficient use of money through private partnerships and VDOT reform
|
|
33%
159
|
16%
79
|
9%
45
|
10%
48
|
6%
27
|
4%
19
|
2%
9
|
4%
19
|
16%
79
|
|
|
|
PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
|
|
|
|
3. Should local
governments be allowed to place red-light cameras at intersections to monitor
and cite drivers that run red lights so long as the citation does not add
demerit points to the driver's license and a process in place to challenge
the citation if the vehicle's owner was not the driver?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
382
|
77%
|
|
No
|
90
|
18%
|
|
Undecided
|
26
|
5%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
498
|
100%
|
|
4. How serious of a
problem is gang violence and gang-related crime in your local community or
neighborhood?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Very Serious
|
69
|
14%
|
|
Somewhat Serious
|
168
|
34%
|
|
Not a problem
|
257
|
52%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
494
|
100%
|
|
5. Do you believe local
governments need more resources to prevent late night violent behavior at
area bars and nightclubs?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
278
|
55%
|
|
No
|
123
|
24%
|
|
Undecided
|
103
|
20%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
504
|
100%
|
|
6. Do you support
allowing state troopers and local police officers in Virginia to detain and hold illegal
aliens for deportation when they are pulled over for a traffic violation or
arrested for another crime?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
441
|
87%
|
|
No
|
34
|
7%
|
|
Undecided
|
31
|
6%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
506
|
100%
|
|
EDUCATION
|
|
|
|
7. Should Virginia require
that public schools dedicate at least 65% of state education funding
exclusively for items related to classroom instruction?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
324
|
64%
|
|
No
|
49
|
10%
|
|
Undecided
|
132
|
26%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
505
|
100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
HEALTH
|
|
|
|
|
|
8. Do you believe Virginia should pass
a law to ban smoking in bars and restaurants?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
325
|
64%
|
|
No
|
142
|
28%
|
|
Undecided
|
38
|
8%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
505
|
100%
|
|
9. Should Virginia also ban
smoking at all indoor locations accessible to the public such as offices,
shopping malls and hotels
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
348
|
69%
|
|
No
|
126
|
25%
|
|
Undecided
|
32
|
6%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
506
|
100%
|
|
TAXES
|
|
|
|
10. Do you support
placing restrictions on the ability of local government to increase what
you pay in real estate taxes?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
376
|
74%
|
|
No
|
84
|
17%
|
|
Undecided
|
48
|
9%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
508
|
100%
|
|
11. When originally
approved by the General Assembly in 1998, the car tax was scheduled to be
eliminated by 2004 on the first $20,000 of a vehicle's valuation, provided
state revenues met certain growth targets. Although these revenue targets
were exceeded by 2005, the phase out of the car tax has been halted. Should
the phase-out of the car tax be resumed?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
333
|
66%
|
|
No
|
128
|
25%
|
|
Undecided
|
45
|
9%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
506
|
100%
|
|
12. Do you support
amending the Constitution of Virginia to prevent local governments from
taking away a person's property or home through the use of eminent domain -
and using that seized property for private commercial development -
strictly for the purposes of increasing tax revenues to the locality?
|
|
|
Count
|
Percent
|
|
Yes
|
410
|
81%
|
|
No
|
75
|
15%
|
|
Undecided
|
23
|
5%
|
|
Total Responses:
|
508
|
100%
|
|
13. Cleaning up the
Chesapeake Bay continues to be a priority and a serious challenge for Virginia. Do you
support imposing a "flush tax" on homeowners, which would be an additional
fee on sewer rates and septic systems, to pay to cover the cost of
improving sewer systems?
|
|
|
| | |