The Italian Way

I recently returned from a vacation in Italy. The most enjoyable part of the trip was being with my daughter, who has been studying art history in Rome this spring. Standing in the middle of a piazza and listening to her tell me stories of ancient Rome and pointing out why we know what we do from the art and architecture of this ancient city, which was the cradle of democracy, is something I will never forget. I could relate some of what I learned to Loudoun County.

As we walked though the ruins of Pompeii, I noticed something that looked modern and familiar, and asked our guide if what I was seeing in the mist of the rubble and excavation could be conduit for fiber optic cable? He just smiled in reply. Maybe it was to connect the sensors recently installed in Vesuvius, one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, to warn the 800,000 living in the “red” zone of an impending eruption.

Italy seemed more connected than the US. During my two days in Rome, two days on the Amalfi coast in relatively small towns like Ravello, Positano, and the two days on the island of Capri, I never felt disconnected from the ROW (rest of the world). There seemed to always be 4 bars on my cell phone, and every one of our hotels had HSIA (high speed Internet access). This connectivity allowed me to beam images of the breathtaking beauty home to family and friends.

Italians drive like they speak, with great emotion and flair. In the city Smart Cars, picture a Mini Cooper cut in half, were everywhere. They park perpendicular to the curb, but intrude into the street no more than a normal car. It’s the darnedest Mercedes I have ever seen. Yes, the Smart Car is made by Mercedes-Benz.

We traveled south from Rome with a hired car and driver. (Do not think about doing this yourself.) Our driver held to the speed limit 130 km (about 81 mph) on the Autostrada, but cars flew past us with a whoosh. My guess was at well over 100 mph.

This round trip on the Autostrada was the closest connection I made to Loudoun County. The high speed highway from Rome to Naples rivaled our Dulles Greenway in design - a limited access 6 lane toll road. From Rome to Naples the toll amounted to $0.34 per mile. The Greenway’s $0.18 per mile toll would be a bargain to Italians. Doing a little research after I returned home, I discovered why this highway felt familiar. It is operated by Autostrade Group, the same company that operates the Dulles Greenway!

Private Highways

Earlier this year I wrote about the debate at the public hearing over the proposed toll increase on the Greenway, see Free Markets. All the TV lights and the spots on the evening news, including the NBC and ABC national news shows that same night, focused mainly the politicians, who in my opinion were way off the mark on this issue. Frank Wolf was one. I have been a friend and admirer of Franks for many years. My wife was his transportation aide during his freshman years in Congress. Frank has also been a great friend of Loudoun County and Leesburg so I am surprised by his position. The Greenway would not exist if private entrepreneurs had not financed, built, and managed this road. The Greenway is to the economic development of the Leesburg area as Dulles Airport is to the western Fairfax County and far eastern Loudoun County.

Recently National Public Radio’s Kojo Nnamdi show featured a discussion on Private Highways. Bob Poole of the Reason Foundation discussed private toll roads and HOT lanes, which is another "hot" subject in Northern Virginia and Richmond as the Commonwealth tries to unjam our roads. Frank Wolf put in an appearance on the show, but did not stay on the air long enough to hear Poole’s very logical explanation of why Wolf is mistaken. For example, the Greenway is not the most expensive toll road per mile in the US. The Greenway can not be compared to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was built over 60 years ago; and it is impractical to think that Virginia could buy the Greenway. (Why not use those dollars to fix the state roads and interchanges?)

You can listen to the Private Highways show, and at the same time learn why there is a solution to some of our traffic problems that has proven to work elsewhere.
Click here to listen with Windows Media
Chick here to listen with Real Audio.