By Tim Bittle and Michael Nolan
Special to the Herald
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Solano County Taxpayers Association urge all Solano voters to vote no on Regional Measure 3.
Regional Measure 3 would raise bridge tolls another $3 each! That’s on top of the extra 12 cent per gallon tax recently added to the price of gasoline.
Solano residents who commute over bridges to their job because they can’t afford to live where they work will be heavily impacted. They leave home at dawn to join the sea of traffic crawling to work, five days/week. The first hour they work every day just pays for their commute. Measure 3 would increase their tolls another 50 percent.
Measure 3’s proposed billions in toll hikes will NOT go to improve your commute. Very few budgeted projects are for Solano County. And those that are, help developers, not bridge commuters. Helping developers add more population will only make traffic worse!
Where will the Measure 3 revenues go you ask? About $4 billion of the $4.5 billion will go to subsidize public transit, such as trains, ferries, and buses. Why should motorists be charged more so that public transit commuters can pay less? It’s unfair!
Although there are some road projects, they are mostly located in other counties. And many of the projects, including the two in Solano County, may never get built due to spending priorities, the need for environmental approvals, and cost overruns.
Remember the Bay Bridge? It was delivered 10 years late and $5 billion over budget, already rusting, by the same agency now proposing Measure 3.
Measure 3 proponents claim that subsidizing trains, buses and ferries will “reduce auto and truck traffic.” How? Will San Francisco stores start shipping goods by bus or BART? Will working moms who need to shop for groceries at lunchtime and pick up their children from daycare switch to ferries?
Their own forecast shows that if Measure 3 is implemented, in a few years traffic congestion and delays will increase 44 percent! That’s because Measure 3 isn’t an integrated regional plan. It’s just an unconnected compilation of local projects that politicians and developers in each county want somebody else to pay for.
The agency promoting toll hikes is the same agency that squandered current toll funds to buy itself new $257 million offices – not accessible by public transit! Don’t trust them with more money.
Don’t pile heavier burdens on low-wage commuters already struggling to pay their bills. Vote NO on Measure 3!
Tim Bittle is the director of legal affairs for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Michael Nolan is president of the Solano County Taxpayers Association.
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I am with you all the way. Vote NO on Measure 3. Thank you.
This terrible measure is worse than described here.
It will cost working people who have to cross bridges $2400/year to get to work ($2000 in tolls, $400 in payroll and income taxes to earn the $2000). Almost $5000 out of the pockets of those who have 2 people crossing bridges to work.
At every step the proponents misrepresent to mislead voters.
It will collect almost $10 billion but only pay out $4.5 billion for projects!!! Where does the rest go? Wall Street! For interest payments on bonds. Worse, it allows cost shifting–allowing BART to reduce money on its projects to pay for the usual-you know, overtime for people sleeping on the job.
$50 million for Clipper card machines (how does that help traffic)? $500 million to replace BART cars (already being replaced): they claim it will “help” buy 300 BART cars, but at over $3million per car, it won’t even buy 150. How does replacing BART cars help traffic?
$150 million for Bay Trails (nice, but how does that help traffic???).
Even the 1/2 off for the second bridge is misrepresented: 1/2 off the increase, so the poor people crossing 2 bridges during commute hours (only) will pay $14.50 instead of $16!
Only 10% of commuters will be paying and they will pay a lot. But NONE of the projects get enough money to do anything to improve traffic.
It is a total fraud and ripoff of working people just trying to get to work every day.
VOTE NO
More people need to take public transportation they should raise bridge tolls more than what’s proposed. Get out of your single occupancy vehicles and help solve the traffic crisis. To the commenters above, how much revenue is lost when the people you so carefully describe as “poor” miss family dinners because of the traffic crisis or for that matter continue to battle worsening traffic. Cmon your arguments are old and tired
The Bay Area has more than 3 million car commuters every day. 10% cross bridges. Eliminate all commuting from crossing bridges and you have only put a small dent in the traffic problem. Taxing the small minority to get 10% of the needed funds for the projects will do nothing for traffic reduction but it will hurt working people. Badly.
A $1 tax on parking spaces would bring in far more money and it would spread the cost fairly. But RM3 is sponsored by the Bay Area Council and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group….who oppose such a tax on the Big Businesses they represent. So they put a measure on the ballot that 90% of the commuters won’t pay and that won’t raise enough to do anything significant. If it passes, in 6 months they while whine it’s not enough (absolutely true!) and start looking for another minority to tax.
BTW, raising the tolls to $5 was supposed to reduce traffic and increase use of public transportation. It did neither.
I can see your side however if ferries for example ran laterally instead all terminating in San Francisco we could add relevant routes to these people you claim never cross a bridge those people by the way are clogging the roadways same as folks who cross bridges. You didn’t quote me correctly either, I said raise it $5 not raise it to $5 and if it did nothing as you claim then what’s the problem with it again? According to your plan it sounds like you promote cars, what’s 880, 101, 580, 12, 4 and 280 going to look like in 5 years when we do nothing? We’ve got to do something, bridge fares should be much higher.
I think we are promoting the same thing!
What will 580, 101, 880, 12, 4 and 280 look like in 5 years with RM3? Exactly what they will look like without it because RM3 only generates $4.5 billion over 25 years for projects that need about $80 billion. Example: $375 million for the $4.7 billion BART extension to Santa Clara. Example: $100 million for Highway 37 (a $4 billion project).
And,what about all those cars on 580, 101, 880, 12, 4 and 280?? What will they pay for a solution??? Nothing. That’s the 90% that pays nothing under RM3.
Everyone one the road is part of the problem and everyone should pay. A Bay Area wide parking fee would do it! Or a fee to enter a freeway! Or a Bay Area gas tax. They can be modest, everyone pays an affordable amount and you can raise enough revenue to actually put in lateral ferries and bus and rail lines to areas not served that will actually reduce traffic.
What’s the problem with raising bridge tolls again?
Raising bridge tolls affects only 10% of commuters. Raise them all you like, you won’t affect more than 10% of the traffic. And the problem is that it hurts working people who have to cross bridges to get to work; others pay nothing.
If you want traffic relief, everyone should pay, but fairly (like, say, a gas tax, or a parking fee). And then use it for projects that will help, not a hodge-podge of 150 small handouts that will be ineffective and get nothing done. RM3 is a fraud, We need a real solution.
BTW, I use my car about once per week. I am not much of the problem, but I want solutions that are real and fair.
Missing my point and the point of RM3 Sir. You keep saying the same thing and now you’re saying nothing will change to the roads in 5 years? That’s wishful thinking, ask those that actually commute, roads get worse by the week.
No, you keep misinterpreting what I am saying. I said they would be the same with and without RM3. I didn’t say nothing would change, I said RM3 will change nothing in traffic.
I agree, traffic will get worse, much worse, and it will get much worse with or without RM3, while RM3 is taking a lot of money from working people. There is not enough money in RM3 to do any single project that will help traffic. If they put it all in one project (like Highway 37 or the BART extension to Santa Clara) they would at least have something to show for it.
As I said, I think we both want a good public transportation system. RM3 will not provide that. It is a fraud. What it will actually do is allow BART to shift funds it has for capital projects to pay for its $600,000,000 pension and OPEB shortfall. That won’t help traffic.
If you believe so much in RM3, tell me exactly which project will help traffic and by how much. I am open to being corrected if I am wrong.
For the record I like some of your ideas..
As I said, a parking space tax or a gas tax (although electric cars need to pay too) or a fee to get on the freeway would tax everyone who uses the roads. It can be modest and collect far more than the bridge tolls and is fair. A parking space tax would have businesses pay a share for their employees. Those funds could go to projects that directed to increasing bus and other public transportation that actually helps (not buying replacement cars for BART they are already going to purchase, or more Clipper machines, but real projects). Real projects, fully funded (not 2 to 10% funded like RM3). Everyone contributes, everyone can benefit.
Sorry Johnson not old and tired All folks still have a choice bridge or car. Believe me the car is still the important factor in commerce. When I was working and commuted to SF from San Mateo or Marin County I used my car everyday to go out to the branch stores, warehouse and many other uses. Not as you say. As the bay area grew more bridges were built or expanded. I do hope you remember in 1962 the Benicia/Martinez bridge was one span now two. All bay area bridges have been improved but could not keep up with growth. Raising the tolls will only drive folks away from a very nice place to live. I do think we want them to stay and not leave. This pure environmentalist nonsense.
The big problem in the bay area is it is unlike other major cities. Contra Costa County, Marin County, Solano County, Santa Clara County is not going to replace the big city like San Jose or San Francisco. They depend on workers getting to work and at the same time can afford to live a reasonable distant. Roads, bridges, public transportation has not fixed that problem and it looks like it never will. Folks living out of state can not afford to live in many parts of California and at the same time if they leave California they will not be able to afford to come back. Tolls it not the answer. Other transportation means could help put will never solve the problem. Technology will solve it. More work from home or in branch offices close to home. Infrastructure and building demands will hurt as the area grows simply because the worker must go where the work is. Again tolls is not the answer. We must rely on new tech to help with this issue.
I think what we all have forgotten is the Bay Area not that long ago had a great transportation system. I could take a bus from Martinez, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek to San Francisco. Also the old Key System was very good. Train from Martinez to Crockett and also Pittsburg to go to work at C and H or the mills in Pittsburg. Train to Berkeley also. Buses to Oakland. That has all been forgotten because of the auto. Sorry folks the auto is here to stay get used to it. Greg has some good ideas but none of us may see those 50 year away projects. I remember when the bridge tolls were 25 cents. Years gone by. The auto gives the public the right to their own time and how to spend it. A right no one is willing to give up.
The ones who support RM3 and believe that the higher bridge tolls will answer the traffic fiasco, please get your selves educated. Check this out http://occupymtc.org/
RM3 is a tax and requires 2/3 voter approval, even though the Legislature called for it being approved by only a majority vote. This is unconstitutional.
Regional Measure 3 will not do what it claims. Instead of reducing traffic, Regional Measure 3 will trap the Bay Area in an ever-worsening traffic nightmare.
Donald, it does not require 2/3 approval to pass. It requires 50% + 1 to pass. All the polls show it having more than enough support to pass.
It is so easy to vote to take other people’s money. The down fall of an economy.
You all forget that the “truck” transporting food and goods will be paying this higher bridge toll. Some truckers are paying by the axle. Do you really think that prices for your food and other goods will not increase? Transport companies will pass the expense to the consumer.
I have been saying farewell to merchants that I frequent in Contra Costa. I tell them I won’t be back when RM3 passes because I will not cross a bridge and pay the extra tax on goods and services I can get here in Solano and Napa counties.
An extra $8 tax pushes me to Westfield Mall in Fairfield vs. Sun Valley. Dinner in Napa vs. Walnut Creek. Kaiser in Vallejo vs. Martinez.
Public Transit works for those who commute to an office job, but not for those who need a vehicle to visit clients or job sites.
I keep my tax dollars in Solano County as much as I can and RM3 will strengthen my resolve.
Well said and same here Dave.