Environmental Defense Hails "Express Lanes" Supported By Voters

Environmental Defense today praised the passage in Alameda County of Measure B, an extension of the half-cent transportation sales tax that was due to expire in 2002. A remarkable 80% of voters supported the measure, far more than the required two-thirds majority.

“Environmental Defense supported Measure B because it increases support for transit and includes an Express Lane ? an innovative approach to reducing congestion that Environmental Defense has advocated,” said Environmental Defense senior economic analyst Daniel Kirshner.

The measure will help fight gridlock on one of the most congested freeways in the Bay Area ? the I-680 Sunol Grade. A new carpool lane would be operated as an “Express Lane,” which assures a free-flowing commute for vehicles with three or more persons, while allowing lower-occupancy vehicles to access the lane for an electronically-collected fee that varies with traffic conditions.

The Alameda County vote represents a complete turn-around from the situation just two years ago, when a previous measure to extend the transportation sales tax failed on the June 1998 ballot. Environmental Defense and a coalition of environmental groups opposed that measure because it subsidized driving, thus promoting congestion and sprawl. Environmental Defense was an active participant in discussions that led to the revised measure.