Editor,
Congestion has risen to levels that have many people concerned. Sitting in traffic is no way to live life. The frustration … of slowly moving … forward … an inch. Only to be met … by another set … of red, angry lights … on the back of the car ahead of you.Â
Everyone agrees that something must be done.
Voting yes on Measure W is that something.Â
Yes on Measure W will raise funds to pay for highway improvements like the recent project at El Camino and 92 that has dramatically improved traffic flow, even in the busiest times. Better highway intersections, less traffic.
Yes on Measure W will pay for improving our local roads. Better roads, faster cars, less traffic.Â
Yes on Measure W will provide money for rail crossings, so trains pass by overhead as cars whiz by underneath. Faster trains, less cars stopping, less traffic.Â
Yes on Measure W will provide funding for bike improvements. More bikes, less cars, less traffic.Â
Yes on Measure W will fund public transit. More buses, less cars, less traffic.
Yes on Measure W won’t fix everything; there is no silver bullet, but if you’ve ever wanted to personally do something meaningful about traffic along the Peninsula, here is your chance.Â
Vote yes on Measure W for less traffic.
Josh Powell
BelmontÂ
The letter writer is a member of the SamTrans Board of Directors.
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(2) comments
Voters should read the SM Daily Journal’s editorial against Measure W.
The Palo Alto Daily Post also has an editorial against Measure W which you can access here: https://padailypost.com/2018/10/24/opinion-samtrans-has-a-lot-of-chutzpah-rolling-out-expensive-new-buses-before-measure-w-vote/
The Yes on Measure W Committee’s major fundings came from Facebook, Genentech, Herzog Contracting Corp (leading infrastructure contractor), and David Bohannon Organization (builder) according to the 4 mailers to voters. The SamTrans Board should look to some sort of traffic mitigation tax on employers and builders who are contributing to the traffic congestion instead of a regressive tax that disproportionately hurts poor and middle-income residents.
Vote NO on W. Nobody ever posts statistics when asking for more money, so... here's my attempt to boil down some numbers. Note that I'm not an accountant...
Per SamTrans' website for proposed fiscal year 2018, 40% of the operating budget is to be spent on wages and benefits, and quite a bit of money ($1.7 million) is spent on advertising and travel.
Also, per SamTrans' website, fixed-route ridership has been decreasing since 2015 (almost 2 million riders).
So... we're expected to vote for an increase in the sales tax? For paying 40% of wages and benefits (and you know that SamTrans workers will want a significant raise, since there's more money), and for decreasing ridership (even though population is increasing? How about streamlining operations and reducing wages and benefits? Vote NO on W.
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