2018 will be the year of reckoning for I-405 express toll lanes

This is the year of reckoning for the I-405 express toll lanes.

Senator: Work from home to reduce Washington gridlock

Officially, they have not met all the conditions set up by the Legislature for keeping them operating.

The I-405 express toll lanes are mostly working to make traffic move faster, but the toll lane haters — and I think they come by their hatred honestly, so I don’t judge them — resent the social engineering, however well intended. They want the lanes gone.

The engineers will tell you that even if they don’t work 100 percent as promised, the commute would be even worse without them.

But we live at a time where everybody doubts experts, and when any promise from the government is openly laughed at.

So people have to be convinced. I think we have the ability to do that.

First, we should find out if the people who pay the tolls really hate them. The state has all their names and addresses, so just do a poll and ask if the toll lanes should remain in place.

Second, the state should choose a series of 10 days at random, and on those days, the toll lanes are open to all. Collect the data, present the data, analyze the data, reveal the data.

Then put it to a regional vote in November.

The consequences will be on the voters!

And if it goes horribly wrong, everybody can just blame Chris Sullivan.

Chokepoints

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