BEFORE Illustration by Cody Angell

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the city of Tucson without its transportation dilemmas. This sublime image is the sole purpose for a special election to be held May 21. The election will give Tucsonans the chance to vote on two transportation propositions. This issue caught the eyes of two perspectives columnists. Like all local issues, it's complicated and full of political dealings. But you don't have to take our word for it.

Proposition 400, the "comprehensive" transportation plan, is being touted by city officials as a cure-all solution to our traffic problems. Unfortunately, this plan has managed only to suggest more of the same means for addressing transportation issues that the city has been using for many years. We agree that some roads need to be widened to address congestion, but Prop. 400 is widening-heavy. It proposes little more than the same myopic solution that hasn't worked for Tucson in the last 30 years and has given Tucson the "ever-in-construction" stereotype it so richly deserves.

Former City Council Member Janet Marcus is equally frustrated with the city's transportation plan. "I'm not happy with the plan because it doesn't contain enough money for public transportation, and I'm afraid the bus system is gradually going to deteriorate. You have to have a balance."

The supporters of Prop. 400 claim that Tucson's streets are badly deteriorating due to a lack of city funding for addressing the problem. However, according to Tres English, the former co-chairman of the Pima Association of Governments' Transportation Planning Committee, the problem is not a lack of funding but a problem with the distribution of those funds.

"The reason for the city's lack of money to maintain roads is not because there isn't enough money being collected from the state's gasoline tax but because the Legislature's formula for distributing that money is based on where population growth is, not where driving occurs," he said. In other words, the state is spending money for roads where the growth is, on the outskirts, instead of where the congestion is, in the inner city. If we pass Prop. 400, we're simply paying for services that we've already paid for.

Prop. 400 also encourages urban sprawl. It comes as no surprise that "Let's Go Tucson!" the group behind Prop. 400, has received large contributions from Tucson developers. By using city taxpayers' money to address a problem brought on by poorly planned development, it subsidizes sprawl development that has already taken place, and by providing faster and easier access to the suburbs, it encourages more sprawl development.

AFTER Illustration by Cody Angell

"Many of the cars in Tucson are coming in from sprawling county developments. Prop. 400 takes city taxpayers' money to address a problem whose root is in the county. What this does is negatively impact in-town neighborhoods for the benefit of people who live outside the city," said former City Council candidate Gayle Hartmann.

"This proposition asks for money to deal with a problem brought on by urban sprawl, but it doesn't address the underlying problem of sprawl at all," she added.

Additionally, studies have shown that widening roads doesn't relieve congestion, contrary to what the city would have one believe. "People adjust the amount of driving they do so that it takes up the amount of time available," English said. "Ultimately, what you end up with is no savings in time, bottlenecks created by construction and millions of taxpayer dollars spent on roads."

While we oppose Prop. 400, there is no need to start the recorders - we haven't found a tax we don't like. Something must be done about transportation in Tucson. We do recommend passing Prop. 100, the sales tax itself. The fact that the city has come up with a deeply flawed plan doesn't mean that we can rest on our laurels and stop looking for solutions. Some of the money should be spent widening roads to relieve congestion, but other, more far-reaching solutions must be explored.

A far more effective solution is found when we turn toward similar, western cities. San Diego, Denver, St. Louis and Dallas have all found a transportation solution in what is called light rail.

In fact, even Phoenix has recently adopted the plan and provides the perfect model for a light rail in Tucson. With the passage of Prop. 100, an increase in sales tax, city voters can then approve a light rail initiative in November and use the profits created from the new sales tax.

Just what is light rail, you might ask? It's a high speed, clean-burning bus system that would travel from downtown through the university area, east on Sixth Street, south on Campbell Avenue, then on to Broadway Boulevard toward Park Place Mall. A ride would cost the same as a bus trip but would attract a larger constituency. In St. Louis, 70 percent of current light rail users had never used the bus system in St. Louis prior to the light rail system's creation.

The advantages are limitless. no pollution, faster travel than a rush-hour car ride, and certainly a ride in the light rail would be safer than the ride home even in an sport utility vehicle. Small businesses are on board as well. More construction means the loss of patrons, and light rail could increase commerce. According to Director of Campus and Facilities Planning David Duffy, UA is also on board. Light rail could alleviate parking problems and encourage students to seek housing all over Tucson, not just in a five-block radius.

We are sick of construction and are searching for a real, more far-reaching solution. The city claims that Prop. 400 is a comprehensive plan that will effectively address Tucson's traffic problems. If you believe that, we have some swampland in Florida to sell you that would be the perfect location for a grade-separated intersection.

Don't let Tucson's future get stuck in traffic. On May 21, vote YES on Prop. 100 and NO on Prop. 400.