In an Oct. 6 letter titled “Referendum 51: We don’t have any decent alternatives,” a Herald reader lamented that there aren’t any decent alternatives to Referendum 51.
The real problem is that there aren’t many alternatives in Referendum 51. The $7.7 billion transportation package is an attempt to “build our way out of congestion” by starting construction on several major new freeway projects that can’t actually be completed without raising $25-$30 billion more in taxes in the near future.
R-51 is a fiscally irresponsible, roads-heavy approach to transportation that leads us down the path taken by Los Angeles and Atlanta to more lanes, more traffic and more pollution without offering real alternatives to those of us who must drive alone. Only 15 percent of the package is dedicated to buses, vanpools, passenger ferries, and passenger and freight rail combined.
How will we ever get out of our jam with such an unbalanced investment pattern?
I plan to vote no on R-51 to send a message to Olympia that we need a balanced alternative that makes road safety and maintenance our top priority, and provides real transportation choices to people throughout the region.
Everett
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