The Issue of Raising Sales Tax for Roads

The proponents of Measure M are trying to seduce commuters into voting themselves a half-cent increase in the sales tax. They are counting on the mounting frustration of Orange County drivers to accept the 20-year plan in the vain hope that traffic conditions will improve. The 20-year plan is not the panacea to traffic-weary motorists it might appear to be, because in its own publication, the Orange County Transportation Commission says: “During the next 20 years, population and employment will continue to increase.”

Residents of Orange County have a reputation for being conservative, and I do not expect them to vote for a sales-tax increase unless they are given an alternative to the plan in its present form. Presently the plan is heavily weighted in favor of expansion and widening of freeways; only about 25% of monies are scheduled for transit and public transport.

And that is the big flaw in the plan. The proliferation of freeways is definitely not the answer; it will exacerbate the problem in the long run because it succeeds only in adding to the number of vehicles on the freeway.

It’s time that the various commissions, transit authorities and the Board of Supervisors realize that the answer must be an emphasis on a public transportation system which includes buses and light rail. And those buses must be rapid, efficient, and run frequently.

If we can offer a truly dependable public transport system that is “user friendly,” the public will use it. We have been attacking the problem with tunnel vision, our eyes glued to the freeways.

Our primary goal should be a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road. We could accomplish that by diverting funds that have been alloted for freeway extension to a considerable expansion of the bus fleet; 45 passenger buses in particular are a relatively quick, cheap, and flexible solution.

Since obviously there can be no change at this late date, I will not vote to impose a half-cent sales tax increase on myself, and I recommend to all Orange Countians that they vote No on Proposition M. Don’t let yourselves be the victims of a seduction.

WILLIAM R. MONDSCHEIN

Westminster