How Others See Car-Dependent Hampton Roads, Part Two
HR Partnership | March 17, 2010
by Chris Bonney, owner of Bonney & Company, an independent marketing research firm

For years our region has been content to let its public transit infrastructure dwindle to the point that it is used only by the poor, the handicapped, the elderly and others who have no other choice. In some ways, we are a victims of our own affluence. The price paid for suburban sprawl is low population density that makes it difficult to provide cost-efficient public transportation.
But, in fact, our poor public transportation system is doing us even greater harm, particularly as we work to create a reputation for our region as a dynamic, progressive and fluid place to do business.
The other night my wife and I had dinner at a friend’s home with a young man from Chile who is doing research at Jefferson Lab and taking classes at Christopher Newport University as part of his Master’s degree program. He will only be in Hampton Roads for six months. Yet he is attempting to be part of our community in the same ways he was when he studied in Switzerland and France. As time allows, he attends local events and plays in two of the region’s smaller symphony orchestras.
This young man has a modern, international perspective and a bright future. He will “go places” in life. He will take and spread impressions of the Hampton Roads region with him wherever he goes in the world.
Unfortunately, the impression he is getting about our region is that we care very little about those who do not have or wish to use automobiles…. Read more…













































































