I'm against the tax. To hear Sacramento's song and dance, they're really hurting for highway funds because cars are getting better mileage. Strangely they forget to admit that there are two or three times more cars on the roads that there were in the 70s. The income is there from the gas tax. They just aren't spending the funds on the roads. Instead they are spending multiple billions of dollars on rail lines that run for five to twenty miles to basicly nowhere.
Why do I say nowhere? Because those rail lines go nowhere near the place I work. They seldom do for anyone. If you happen to live in just the right place and work in just the right place, they may work for you. Then you have to face the fact that you'll only be able to take a taxi or walk if you need to leave the office.
Mass transit in Los Angeles is a pipe dream that will never work the way the politboro thinks.
It's time to do away with the diamond lanes, thus expanding the lanes available to all the cars by 25 to 33% Then build new lanes by stacking.
The federal government is going to manage another five to ten million newcomers to the Los Angeles area in five to ten years. Why not think ahead a little and prepare in advance.
In five to then years they'll only be able to install another two or three rail lines to nowhere. Instead, expand the roads today.
I'd like to take their electronic tracking systems and shove them where the sun don't shine. At least then we could run studies on where all the hot air really comes from. We could also limit their movements to just the supermarkets and perhaps church. This would improve society emensely.
An easier way to eliminate diamond lanes would be to reduce the diamond lane violation fine from $271 (or whatever) to $0. That would make it almost a normal lane without the additional restriping/painting costs. I don't know how it would work with federal highway funds, if they require diamond lanes for certain funding.