North Bend would not have to change much for I-985
October 14, 2008
By Ed Farrell
The city of North Bend anticipates little, if any, financial impacts to result if Initiative 985 is approved on Nov. 4 ballots.
The initiative would open all carpool lanes during non-peak hours to all traffic. During peak hours, the use of carpool lanes would be limited to vehicles carrying two or more persons, or motorcycles carrying one or more people.
Initiative 985 would requires cities and counties to synchronize the traffic lights on heavily traveled arterials and streets within their jurisdictions to optimize traffic flow, while state and other local governments would be required to synchronize traffic on heavily traveled arterials and streets within their jurisdictions.
North Bend does not control any High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, does not use cameras to collect stop-light fines and faces only the potential cost of synchronizing its three traffic lights, according to City Administrator Duncan Wilson.
“We really have no idea as to what the costs may be,” Wilson said. “We haven’t done an analysis.”
Wilson said efforts are already underway to synchronize the city’s three signal lights, all located on a stretch of Bendigo Way.
A portion of the revenues collected through the levy of the state sales tax (15 percent of the amount of sales tax revenue collected from the sale of motor vehicles, except for retail car rentals) would be placed in a Reduce Traffic Congestion Account established by the measure. In addition to the sales revenues, the following revenues would be placed in the new account: certain tolls and charges; revenue from certain infractions dedicated to reducing traffic congestion; and one-half of 1 percent (.05 percent) of the money appropriated for any transportation-related public works project.
Proponents of I-985 say that signal synchronization alone could reduce traffic congestion by 6 percent to 7 percent, while opening carpool lanes during nonpeak hours also would reduce congestion.
Opponents argue that I-985 shortchanges taxpayers across the state by concentrating resources in congested areas in and around Seattle. They also say that opening HOV lanes to single-occupant vehicles would create safety hazards and thereby make congestion worse.
Comments
Got something to say?
