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Metro's Sales Tax Proposal Will Appear On The Ballot As 'Measure M'
(Photo by jeffkingla via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
You know that tax ballot measure that we've been talking about for months? You know, the one that will help Metro move forward with a bunch of cool projects? Like extending the Purple Line from Koreatown to Westwood?
Today, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Office has officially named the measure as "Measure M" for the November 8, 2016 ballot. It was formerly known as Measure R2, which maybe came off as a bit wonky. And that "2" perhaps implied that it was a lesser, secondary initiative. "Measure M," on the other hand, is authoritative, and impeccably cool. Think: Judi Dench as the unflappable M in the Bond movies. Or: Dial M for Murder.
Anyway, Measure M is what you'll be looking for on the November ballot if you want to give a big boost to public transit. If passed, it will increase the county-wide sales tax by a half-cent, and Metro will use the funds to back a $120-billion plan to increase mobility in the Southland.
"Measure M addresses many of the critical transportation needs caused by our aging infrastructure and expected population growth," Metro Board Chair John Fasana said in a release.
Projects in the plan include a rail line beneath the Sepulveda Pass, an additional 4.7 miles for the Green Line, another 11 miles to extend the Gold Line to San Dimas, new carpool lanes on a number of freeways, and various improvements to boost "travel times" service reliability and speed” on Metrolink and Amtrak. Metro has a fact-sheet on the wide array of projects that will be jump-started once Measure M is passed.
For a visual of what public transit may look like in the future (if Metro's plan pulls through) check out this map that one intrepid transportation planner had made.
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