Single-occupant cars are the problem

While the “Fix Your Commute” project may be of use to identify the trouble spots along the I-5 corridor, most of us already know where they are. Unfortunately, the project does nothing to address the underlying problem of our traffic mess: The 80 to 90 percent of cars that participate in the daily commute with a driver and no passengers. If that problem were fixed, there would be far fewer trouble spots and perhaps none.

Imagine a freeway with no single-occupant cars during the heavy traffic commute hours. The traffic volume would be instantly cut in half. Is there a way to accomplish this? Probably not, but if a toll of $5 were charged to all single occupant cars during the heavy commute hours only – a toll that would be collected on the on-ramps to I-5 and I-405 between Everett and Tacoma – it would certainly encourage drivers to car pool and use public transportation.

This solution would be infinitely less expensive than the never-ending cost of expanding freeways. The fee could be used to pay the toll collectors and any excess could be used as funding for needed highway improvement projects. Another benefit of this plan would be that it places the cost directly where it belongs, on the single-occupant car drivers. The only change that commuters who car pool or use public transportation would notice is quicker commutes and fewer tax dollars going to highway expansion.

Everett