When Governor Gregoire visited with our area's Chambers at lunch today, she offered no relief or support on the issue of tolls for the new I-5 crossing. The message to Vancouver was, in essence, "get over it" -- something we've also heard from the incumbent. The tolls that they want to impose will crush Vancouver's working class. If they insist on selling us out like this, I insist on pushing on without them. Below, see a letter I've drafted to send to President Obama. if ever there was a project suited for the stimulus money Washington is distributing, this is it! Please take a look. I welcome your thoughts. (Clicking on the image of the letter will enlarge it for easier reading!)
2 comments:
I routinely cross the I-5 bridge, and I both live and work in Vancouver. That said, I support tolls for the very reason that they discourage frivolous vehicular traffic. Studies have shown that tolls decrease traffic congestion, and we all need to drive less in order to put a stop to rampant carbon emissions. A small monetary penalty can be enough to make you think twice about whether or not you really need to make that drive. I fully understand that there are those who make less than I do and would be burdened by such a toll, however until we as a society come to grips with the fact that we are destroying the planet through our oil dependent habits, the carrot and the stick are still the most logical way of changing people's behavior.
This is exactly what needs to be said-- I hope someone in Washington listens! Thanks for putting forth the effort and not just caving to the "it won't work" mentality that our current mayor and sadly, our governor have. It would be great if she would get behind this effort as well.
Post a Comment