Initiative 985 tackles traffic congestion

The Olympian • Published August 31, 2008

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Tim Eyman's latest initiative, like so many others, is born out of frustration -- frustration with traffic congestion and frustration with the Legislature for failing to deal with traffic gridlock.

Initiative 985 redirects existing tax dollars into a state traffic congestion account and uses the money to ease the problem. It is an overly simplistic solution that doesn't provide many dollars, but it does focus attention on the growing problem of traffic congestion in the Puget Sound region. We hope the initiative provides some incentive to the Legislature to redouble its efforts to address this issue and find real, comprehensive solutions to the problem.

Initiative 985:

• Requires local governments to synchronize traffic lights.

• Opens car pool lanes to all motorists during nonpeak hours.

• Expands emergency roadside assistance programs to clear out accidents faster.

• Directs profits from red-light cameras away from local government and into the state congestion relief account.

• Redirects money spent on transportation-related art projects to the same fund.

• Dictates that toll money be used on the roadway where it's collected or other congestion relief.

What it doesn't do is invest in public transit or other alternative transportation projects to get motorists out of their single-occupancy vehicles -- the major source of congestion on Puget Sound roadways.

Thorny issue

This is one of those thorny issues where the deliberative, legislative process would better serve taxpayers. But lawmakers ignored the issue this year after State Auditor Brian Sonntag released an October performance audit on traffic congestion -- an audit with multiple recommendations for changes in state policies.

Eyman spins the initiative as putting the performance audit recommendations into law. That's not totally true.

Opening up car pool lanes during nonpeak hours -- a centerpiece of I-985 -- is not an audit recommendation. In fact Eyman's initiative ignores two pivotal audit recommendations: expanding vanpools and other alternatives to car commuting, and changing how transportation systems are governed.