Prop. 51 Helps Pave the Way to Greater Traffic Safety

 In her October 23rd LA Times op-ed essay, “Prop. 51 helps pave the way to greater traffic safety,” Dana Rose argues that people should vote for proposition 51 because it would using taxes that we have to pay already for traffic safety improvements. Dana Rose believes that our roads are not safe enough. This proposition uses the 30% car tax that taxpayers have to pay either way if the prop. Passes or doesn’t. If Proposition 51 is in effect, the 30% car tax will be used to repair unsafe roads, school buses, and also for less traffic. There are more than a thousand school buses that to this day do not pass the 1977 federal safety standards. There are a thousand more buses whose diesel causes asthma and other harmful diseases when inhaled. Proposition 51 would also improve pathways for bicycles and pedestrians and also decrease speed limit near schools. This proposition would also alleviate clogged traffic on roads. Building more highways, and also expanding bus and light-rail systems would accomplish this. This would help because people would be more likely to use these rather than use a car. There are a couple of different ways that proposition 51 has decided to improve traffic. Light rail systems will be used in Exposition Boulevard, placed with parallel roads, and east of Pasadena. Proposition 51 also gives funds for an decrease of air pollution and water pollution from vehicles. Prop. 51 is supported by hundreds of public interest groups including California Safe Kids Network, California Nurses Association, and California Organization of Police and Sheriffs. Proposition 51 definitely makes sense.
I agree 100 percent with Ms. Rose. She makes an excellent argument when she states that we need better traffic safety and much less traffic. Whenever I am coming home from school, there is a humongous amount of traffic on the 405 freeway, sometimes taking an hour just to get home, when it should take only 15 minutes without traffic. I also like the idea of having safer roads, who doesn’t? Better school buses doesn’t directly relate to me, although I believe that these buses should at least comply with the 1977 federal standards. If were 18 years of age, I would probably vote for this proposition because LA needs better safety and less traffic on roads.

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