Poll shows a slight majority of voters don’t favor Prop. 6

QThere isn’t any money coming from the gas tax to repave anything. It’s getting repealed in November. — David Trish

ADon’t be too sure of that. A recent poll showed a slight majority of voters in favor of keeping the state’s 12 cents a gallon gas tax and opposing Proposition 6, which would repeal the higher tax and various fees to invest $5.4 billion a year to pave our highways and streets and refurbish trains and buses. Today is the 25th anniversary of the last time we raised the national gas tax, from 9 cents to 18.3 cents a gallon. It’s also 25 years since California hiked the state fuel tax.

QOne thing guaranteed to make traffic worse is repealing the gas tax. Unless you drive a Hummer in from Manteca every day, the tax will be well under $1 a day, which is a lot better than spending an extra hour in traffic. I think everybody’s time is worth that. — Brian A.

AApparently, that message is beginning to hit home. Remember, vehicles are 20 percent more efficient than in 1993, meaning that drivers are paying less gas tax per mile driven. And construction costs are 131 percent higher than in 1993, meaning that asphalt, machinery and labor cost much more than they did 25 years ago.

Restoring the federal gas tax to its purchasing power as of 1993 would require an increase of nearly 33 cents, to 50.8 cents per gallon. And 27 states have raised their gas taxes since 2013.

The higher state tax will provide ongoing revenues of $17.5 million annually for San Jose. Research from the Mineta Transportation Institute indicates that a majority of Americans would support higher taxes for transportation, given the right conditions. For instance, 72 percent would be OK with a gas tax increase of 10 cents per gallon to improve road maintenance, whereas support dropped to just 34 percent if the revenues were to be used “for transportation” more generally.

QOn days before events at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, there is a sign on Shoreline Boulevard announcing the date of a special event and two times marked as LTS and DRS. This means bad traffic at these times, but what do LTS and DRS stand for? — Thomas Vogelsang, Mountain View

ALTS is an abbreviation for Lots (as in Lots opening time) and DRS is an abbreviation for Doors (as in Doors opening time).

QAre there plans to add bike lanes anywhere on Saratoga Avenue, maybe from Interstate 280 to Lawrence Expressway? They’ve added bike lanes to the perpendicular streets, but nothing on Saratoga. — M.S.

AAs part of San Jose’s pavement maintenance program, the city plans to add basic bike lanes on Saratoga Avenue between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Williams Road this fall.