ODOT claims the gas tax doesn't raise enough money. Yet the actual FACTS from their own presentations prove otherwise. They lie, they mislead, they use selective "facts" to paint a narrative that supports their support for picking the people's pockets even more. If they would stop wasting money, especially on mass transit projects that fewer and fewer people ride, ODOT could fixing our roads and bridges!
I had an interesting trip last Thursday to Bellevue Washington. It was a night time trip to our kids in Sultan and I arrived at the I 405 about 7 pm. We immediately hit bumper to bumper traffic. It was a 5 lane stretch of highway I think. Three left lanes was bumper to bumper and the left two lanes were flowing very fast. Guess what the left lanes were TOLL LANES for the charge of $10. Obviously the right lanes were bumper to bumper and slowly moving because of the $10 toll. We were tired so we took the toll lanes- I haven't got the toll bill yet from the state. I started thinking as I drove past the right lanes that were creeping along at bumper to bumper speed. Is this what is in store for a Tolled I 205 or I 5? It seems to me that opening the left lanes to all traffic would have made the trip much more pleasant and faster to all those on I 405. (i.e. more lanes in use equates to less congestion and less gas wasted for all those climate types.) Sounds simple until the government gets it greedy paws on the $10 toll collected. Oh, I was also told that that toll was scheduled to go up to $16. Haven't verified that yet. Still a $10 toll seemed a little extreme. I don't know the impact on the surface streets around I 405. I would guess it is impacted as well. Are we sure that tolling I 205 and I 5 is the correct solution? I say it isn't and it needs to be removed as the first choice for lots of reasons. Mark me as a NO VOTE on I 205 or I 5 tolls!
ODOT claims the gas tax doesn't raise enough money. Yet the actual FACTS from their own presentations prove otherwise. They lie, they mislead, they use selective "facts" to paint a narrative that supports their support for picking the people's pockets even more. If they would stop wasting money, especially on mass transit projects that fewer and fewer people ride, ODOT could fixing our roads and bridges!
I had an interesting trip last Thursday to Bellevue Washington. It was a night time trip to our kids in Sultan and I arrived at the I 405 about 7 pm. We immediately hit bumper to bumper traffic. It was a 5 lane stretch of highway I think. Three left lanes was bumper to bumper and the left two lanes were flowing very fast. Guess what the left lanes were TOLL LANES for the charge of $10. Obviously the right lanes were bumper to bumper and slowly moving because of the $10 toll. We were tired so we took the toll lanes- I haven't got the toll bill yet from the state. I started thinking as I drove past the right lanes that were creeping along at bumper to bumper speed. Is this what is in store for a Tolled I 205 or I 5? It seems to me that opening the left lanes to all traffic would have made the trip much more pleasant and faster to all those on I 405. (i.e. more lanes in use equates to less congestion and less gas wasted for all those climate types.) Sounds simple until the government gets it greedy paws on the $10 toll collected. Oh, I was also told that that toll was scheduled to go up to $16. Haven't verified that yet. Still a $10 toll seemed a little extreme. I don't know the impact on the surface streets around I 405. I would guess it is impacted as well. Are we sure that tolling I 205 and I 5 is the correct solution? I say it isn't and it needs to be removed as the first choice for lots of reasons. Mark me as a NO VOTE on I 205 or I 5 tolls!