A new urban majority?

About 25 lawmakers are sitting around the table up here in suburban Richmond, all from either Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

Do the numbers mean anything?

The phrase "new urban majority" has been uttered several times this morning as the two groups have discussed their transportation problems. As Del. Paula Miller, D-Norfolk, put it, "It's time we look across the state and say, hey folks, we've got some political muscle here, and it's time we start flexing it."

So far, this discussion has veered between politics and policy. Yes, both groups favor regional transportation plans, but many say they must also deal with the statewide shortage of maintenance money.

Others say a statewide solution may help sell the regional plans to other areas of the state that may not identify with gridlock in the two regions.