I have been reading with great interest all the recent articles in the paper concerning our transportation mess and offer the following solution. If indeed our population is going to increase as predicted, and no doubt it will, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Our infrastructure needs to be updated or rebuilt. We need a turnpike from the Canadian border all the way to Oregon, bypassing most of our smaller cities, with maybe three exits connecting to the I-5 system. Most truckers would gladly pay a toll to bypass the bottlenecks they encounter every day, costing them lots of time and money.
Build light rail as planned but add many more miles and communities. Can you imagine the jobs this would create? Leave the politicians out of the equation, and cut down on the public’s input. The more people that are involved in the planning, the less work that gets done.
Impose a 20-cent a gallon increase in the gas tax, and impose a toll on the new roads. This way those that drive the roads the most pay the most. Also we need a very strict accountability system in the process. Sounds fair? I think so.
If we don’t get of our duff now, plan on being stuck in traffic for a long time to come. If you don’t want to pay taxes, don’t expect anything to change.
Marysville
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
