Suggestions weren’t in short supply last week at a “town hall” meeting to discuss how to fix Virginia’s transportation problems.

Most speakers from the crowd of about 300 people Wednesday, Nov. 16, said the worst problem is large truck traffic on Interstate 81.

Among the ideas offered to Gov.-elect Tim Kaine were greater use of railroads to haul freight, higher taxes and more state police patrols.

Kaine was the first to suggest greater use of the rails. He told those gathered at the Virginia Transportation Museum an extra carload on a freight train takes the place of about 12 trucks, The Associated Press reported.

Granger Macfarlane, a former state senator from Roanoke, suggested building truck-climbing lanes on the hilly stretch of I-81 between Christiansburg and Staunton and the location of an inland port between Roanoke and Wytheville to reduce west-to-east truck traffic.

A local attorney, Jeff Krasnow, said the state should increase the state’s per gallon tax on diesel because tractor-trailers are causing much of the congestion and the need for more roads: “The folks who are making us spend the money should be responsible for paying more,” he was quoted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A 2-cent sales tax increase with 1.5 cents dedicated to transportation and a gasoline tax boost also were mentioned.

Kaine reiterated a campaign pledge that he would veto any budget bills that call for money to be diverted from the state’s transportation trust fund for other uses and restore funds still being used for other purposes.

The Roanoke meeting was the first of five scheduled town hall forums around the state.

The next meeting is 6:30 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 21, at Mariners’ Museum in Newport News.

Additional forums are scheduled in Henrico County Tuesday, Nov. 22, Manassas Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Bristol on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Kaine said the five town meetings would make up “the first round” of a series of public forums on transportation leading up to his Jan. 14 inauguration.

Kaine promised during his campaign that he would listen to input about transportation needs from citizens, transportation experts and elected officials across the state.

He would use the input received to come up with a transportation plan for the General Assembly session that starts in January.