From: "Friends of Transit" To: Subject: Prop. 400 will complete the transportation system voters started in 1985 Date: Monday, September 20, 2004 6:52 PM Friends, In case you missed it, below (at the bottom of this message) is the text from a recent editorial from the Arizona Republic re: Proposition 400. It is quite informative. Speaking of informative...if you need more information about Proposition 400, please visit our website - www.friendsoftransit.org David Schwartz Executive Director Friends of Transit david@friendsoftransit.org http://www.friendsoftransit.org _____ Let's finish the job Prop. 400 will complete the transportation system voters started in 1985 Sept. 19, 2004 12:00 AM When you look at the Valley's freeway system, it's striking just how far we have come in 20 years. With the new Loop 101, it's now far easier to get from Scottsdale to Peoria and Glendale. Loop 202 has cut in half the amount of time it takes to get from Phoenix to Mesa. And the Piestewa Freeway gives motorists a clear shot to the northern reaches of the Valley. Twenty years ago greater Phoenix's 70 miles of freeways ranked it last among 38 metropolitan areas. Today, the Valley has 230 miles of freeways, moving it up to 31st in the rankings. Credit Maricopa County voters with having the vision and fortitude in 1985 to fight congestion with a half-cent sales tax dedicated to building the freeway system that you use today. It's a good start. But the job isn't finished. Proposition 400 on the Nov. 2 ballot will extend the half-cent tax for another 20 years, to 2025. It is not a tax increase. For every $10 worth of merchandise you buy, you are paying a nickel for freeway construction, and that won't change. In the next two decades the Valley's population is expected to double to 6 million. That means we will need even more freeways as well as buses, light rail and improved arterial streets. Proposition 400 is mostly about freeways. Fully 57 percent of the $15.8 billion price tag, including the $9 billion raised by the tax extension, would go for freeways. Besides funding for freeways, the plan calls for spending $2.7 billion on a regional bus system; $2.3 billion for improvements in the Valley's emerging light-rail system; and $1.5 billion for arterial streets. It's a comprehensive plan that recognizes the Valley's transportation needs - freeways in the west, light-rail extensions in Phoenix and arterial streets in the east, which has received the majority of freeway miles in the past 20 years. The transportation plan is the result of nearly two years of work and cooperation among business leaders and Valley mayors in the Maricopa Association of Governments. More than 330 community, business and neighborhood groups support the plan. Proposition 400's emphasis on freeways and streets makes sense in our automobile-dominated society. The plan calls for new freeways in high-growth areas, as well as new interchanges and additional lanes on existing freeways. All told, 344 miles of new and improved freeways and 275 miles of new and improved arterial streets would be built. Opponents want more, but they have no plan. There's also the legal question of whether the Legislature could write its own plan and still get federal highway funds because MAG is the designated agency, in accordance with federal law, to craft a regional transportation plan. Moreover, opponents' talk of double-decking freeways such as Interstate 17, I-10 and Arizona 51 is just that. In fact, the idea of a second-level freeway along I-17 is being studied by Phoenix, and neighborhoods would have to be convinced - a tall order indeed. The Legislature has spoken with conviction and resolve on the transportation plan. Seventy-five of its 90 members passed this consensus plan last session, putting it on the ballot. Every community, every driver, every bus rider, every business will benefit from the plan. Delivery times will be reduced, commutes will be faster, traveling across the Valley will be easier and we will have planned for growth. In 1985, voters approved the sales tax for freeways by more than a 2-to-1 ratio in a special election with a high 34 percent turnout. It was an affirmation that an efficient transportation system is essential to the metropolitan region, from Gilbert to Sun City, from Phoenix to Queen Creek. It's now time to finish the job, and Proposition 400 does that. _____ To unsubscribe, please Click Here