Yiwei Sun: Approving sales tax increase would help alleviate 405 traffic

A small increase in sales tax might soon save commuter students a large amount of time coming to class.

A bill that Gov. Jerry Brown signed Wednesday will allow Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials to seek a sales tax increase in 2016 that could raise as much as $120 billion for local roads, freeways and mass transit. Los Angeles County’s sales tax will potentially be increased by 0.5 percent for five construction projects including a tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass with a toll road and a rail line, subway extension to Santa Monica, rail connection to LAX, rail connection in Mid-City and a rail line in the San Fernando Valley.

One of the projects – a tunnel designed to connect San Fernando Valley with Los Angeles International Airport through the Santa Monica Mountains – would be one of the most expensive public works project in the history of Los Angeles. It’s estimated to cost between $10 billion and $33 billion, but would surely benefit UCLA students who commute to campus via the 405 Freeway as they will have an alternative to this notorious route.

A two-thirds majority is required for the measure to pass. Most signs point to a successful bid though. Measure J, which was proposed just a few years ago during a nonelection season, was just shy of the required 66.67 percent needed to be enacted.

If the measure is proposed and passed – and it seems that it will be – UCLA students should petition Metro officials to prioritize the project to build a tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass. This would be a huge boon to commuter students because the 405 is a vital path for so many students, and would be crucial for students or visitors who are travelling to and from LAX. The potential cost powered by a tax increase might seem enormous, but for a city heavily relying on its roads to connect different areas, it is a worthy price to pay.

The earliest time that the Metro officials would propose a ballot on this is in 2016. The construction would take place in later years. Even though by the time the construction has completed many of us would have graduated, we should still take an active stance on this issue because it can greatly improve the accessibility to UCLA and benefit the students, siblings, friends and professors we care for. While we are enjoying the convenient facilitates and other legacies for which previous students before us fought, we can also contribute our share to UCLA by voting on this issue after serious consideration.

It’s true that the cost of the tunnel is large, but in the long run it is justifiable because it helps save the cost of expanding the 405. The 405 is one of most congested freeways in the States. $1.14 billion has been devoted to widen the 405 and make room for a single carpool lane, yet it did little to dampen the traffic – the 405 is still jammed, especially during peak hours when students commute.

Despite the improvements, this essentially means that students still lose a large amount of time traveling on the 405.

The bill would be a decent solution to the traffic issue of the 405 as it would not be merely expanding by a lane, but constructing an entirely new route which can divert a significant amount of traffic volume from the 405. Starting on an entirely new project would also ensure normal traffic flow on the 405 so that the residents can still drive on this freeway because the construction site would take place underground. Prioritizing this tunnel project would effectively secure an alternative route to the 405, benefiting student commuters at UCLA. This also helps students and staff living in the Valley or other neighborhoods that are freeway-adjacent.

Raising the sales tax is a reasonable means to fund for the projects. The L.A. County electorate has approved raising taxes three times to pay for transportation projects: in 1980, 1990 and 2008. The recent ballot on Measure R aims to raise money for new rail lines to Santa Monica and Azusa as well as a subway below Wilshire Boulevard.

Freeways are the lifelines of Los Angeles. For a county in which residents predominantly choose to drive than take public transport, ensuring its freeways’ clearness is paramount. Building roads wisely and decisively is worth the billions of dollars devoted. Other than creating a new route, the project can in return create hundreds of thousands of jobs, just like those created by Measure R in 2008.

Gov. Brown made the right move and is allowing the residents to make the important decision that would affect the quality of their everyday commutes. The residents should take serious consideration on this issue and urge the officials to privatize the tunnel project to truly solve the heavy traffic on the 405.