Measure M’s Impact on County’s Traffic, Taxes
A recent comment by California Department of Transportation official Joe El-Harake has me fuming. He compared commuters to the Three Stooges all trying to get through the same door. Very funny, considering it is those very commuters he is making fun of who pay his salary. If any group could be referred to as the Three Stooges it is Caltrans, the Orange County Transportation Commission and the Orange County Transit District.
Caltrans failed to purchase property needed for the Interstate 5 widening when it became available. OCTC failed to keep a handle on the costs of the three proposed toll roads and has also failed to adequately assess the impacts of Diamond Lanes on our safety, air quality and on congestion. And OCTD has to hand out free tickets to get the bus ridership up.
But all this humor would vanish if they would get their act together. The advantages of general purpose lanes show up in document after document until it is not funny anymore that general purpose lanes are not even really being considered.
The only way to bring the curtains down on this bad joke is to vote No on Measure M, the diamond lane tax.
LORRAINE ALDIS
Tustin
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
