Yes on Measure H Responsible

Yes on Measure H Responsible
Reporter Editor:

Measure H is about responsibility. I will be voting for Measure H, not because I want to pay an additional half-cent sales tax, but because I believe Solano County has to participate in solving its traffic-related problems. Solano County continues to grow, and we drive our cars to school, work and play. We cannot continue to be part of the problem of our deteriorating roads and freeways, and contribute nothing extra to fixing them.

Seven of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties have said they need to take responsibility for their transportation infrastructure problems and have approved sales tax measures for transportation.

Two others - Solano and Napa counties - are considering sales tax measures. In Napa County, there is universal political support and extremely strong business support for its measure. In Solano County, the support for Measure H seems a bit less solid. If Solano County fails to approve Measure H, we may have the distinction of being the only one of nine counties unwilling to lift our heads out of the sand. And with more state and federal transportation dollars linked to local "match" or local contribution requirements, failure to pass Measure H may prove to be extremely shortsighted.

I have seen signs advocating a no vote on Measure H, with the tagline, "Stop the waste." While a yes vote will not and cannot fix all our transportation problems, it at least takes a step in the direction of trying to reduce waste - wasted time, for example, in traffic on Jameson Canyon and in the Cordelia area. It also provides support for transportation options - a worthwhile effort since it is fact that we will never build ourselves out of congestion no matter how much we invest in land and concrete. And getting people off the freeways and into alternative commute options, in effect, reduces traffic.

Voting yes on Measure H is the responsible thing to do.

Gerry Raycraft, Fairfield