Discouraging Solo Commuters

In reading the article, I was struck by the tremendous amount of brainpower, not to mention consultants’ fees, that have gone into devising new ways to tax the harried Southern California commuter for the act of driving an automobile.

I am afraid that most of the actions being considered, such as forcing employers to charge for parking or taxing motorists based on odometer readings, would be costly to administer and would result in little reduction in miles driven. Administering these fee plans would do much to swell the bureaucracy but would do little to reduce automotive miles driven, since the commuter would have little alternative but to pay the higher fees.

The obvious plan, which would be far simpler to administer and result in higher tax revenues, consists of: 1) substantially increased fees on gasoline and other motor fuels, and 2) use of the revenue resulting from these fees to provide alternatives to automotive commuting.

The key to reducing solo commuting is providing viable alternatives. Plans that do not provide alternatives can increase the cost and frustrations of commuting but, I’m afraid, will not solve the problem.

KENNETH H. LISTER

Long Beach