Open HOV lanes just one good idea

Regarding your Oct. 15 editorial against Initiative 985:

Your response was totally maddening to me. You are delusional if you think citizens support the extreme position that HOV lanes should be restricted 24/7. I-985 keeps the current restrictions Monday-Friday 6-9 a.m., 3-6 p.m., but opens HOV lanes to everyone outside those hours.

I have driven in cities and states throughout the nation — this exact same policy with these exact same hours is available all over the place (Portland, Phoenix, Miami, even our own Kitsap County). Don’t tell me it can’t work — if it works there why can’t it work here? To me, HOV lanes are a total failure — I see empty lanes all the time and the few people I see driving them are moms with a kid in a carseat — it’s not a real carpool. We all paid for those lanes and it won’t be the end of the world if we all get to use them during non-peak hours.

The clowns who have created our current traffic mess who say to keep them restricted 24/7 are the hucksters. And don’t even get me started on red light cameras. They’re a total scam and cash cow for increasing revenue and swelling politicians’ coffers. I-985 doesn’t prohibit them (I wish it did), it just says that the money collected from them should go toward reducing congestion.

Tolls? Another money grab by politicians, but at least I-985 makes sure the tolls actually go to the project and prevents their getting siphoned away.

I was going to vote for I-985 before reading your editorial — now I’m even more certain of my decision. If The Herald is against it, it must be good.

Doug McLaughlin

Camano Island