You can count on two things from gas-tax opponents whenever an increase is proposed: They don’t have a plan of their own for financing transportation improvements, and they will say something like, “Now is not the time to raise the gas taxes.”

The now-is-not-the-time argument was invoked when Referendum 51 was shot down in 2002. Gas prices then were about half what they are now, which raises the question: When is it a good time to raise taxes? The answer for most anti-tax ideologues is never, but that collides with real-world realities. The state has serious transportation safety issues to deal with and it can’t wait for an unlikely drop in fuel prices.

Last spring, the state Legislature passed an increase of 9.5 cents to be phased in over four years. Opponents struck back with Initiative 912, which calls for scrapping the entire $8.5 billion package.

According to a recent Elway Poll, most of those who oppose the increase cite the high price of gasoline. Looking for relief at the pump is certainly understandable, but if the tax package is repealed, motorists will still be facing high fuel costs. In the meantime, the costs for repairing the state’s vulnerable roads and bridges will continue to climb. We can’t avoid that bill forever.

Many backers of I-912 say that a small percentage of the gas tax increase is earmarked for Eastern Washington. That’s true, and there are two reasons for that.

First, the most critical needs, such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Route 520 Floating Bridge, are situated in the Puget Sound area, which is home to most of the state’s traffic and is prone to earthquakes. Hurricane Katrina provides vivid proof that substandard infrastructure exacerbates natural catastrophes. And the 2001 Nisqually earthquake that rattled the West Side and created $2 billion in damage shows that such a threat is real.

Second, the predictable no votes from East Side Republican legislators removes them from the discussion when transportation packages are being put together. Still, Spokane County would get $199.4 million in projects, including $152 million for the north-south freeway and $34 million for a new State Route 290 bridge over the Spokane River. Whitman County would get $8 million; Lincoln County, $1 million, and Ferry and Stevens counties would get $900,000.

The inescapable fact is that Seattle is the economic engine that drives this state. If bridges and roads falter there, it’s felt everywhere. Even if you never drive on the West Side, you benefit from improvements.

When gas prices rise, businesses also feel the pinch, but most major business groups are opposed to I-912. That’s because they’ve done the math and concluded that deteriorating roads and bridges hurt them more.

The transportation safety package passed by the Legislature is the only plan available. Repealing it would solve nothing, but it would add a significant sum to the eventual bill.