I emailed the following
to the Seattle Times in response to Sunday’s (11/18) editorial page. I’m posting it because I’m sure they’ll
ignore it.
Opinion “frightful traffic fix”,
The Sunday Times
devoted one entire editorial page to the question “What’s one big fix for
frightful traffic?” The answers
still managed to ignore the one easily available option that would greatly
alleviate congestion on the east side. That option is to “persuade” Sound Transit to install
bus rapid transit (BRT) across Lake Washington center roadway rather than light
rail.
Any competent analysis
would quickly conclude BRT was infinitely better than light rail with higher capacity,
greater accessibility, far less cost, and could begin carrying commuters in 6
months not 10 years. The increased
capacity would allow express bus routes for commuters from every P&R on the
eastside directly into Seattle. Attracting
addition commuters to public transit would reduce congestion throughout the
entire area.
The WSDOT secretary’s
solution “we look for ways to make a corridor operate more efficiently” ignores
the fact the WSDOT is a major culprit to allowing ST to proceed with spending
billions on an East Link program that will devastate parts of Bellevue, eventually
gridlock the I-90 bridge, and do nothing about SR405 and I-90 congestion.
The Kemper Development
Company spokesman laments the money spent on public transportation including
light rail, proclaiming the need to add more highway lanes along 405. He criticizes light rail across
I-90 Bridge but ignores the fact that public transit, namely BRT, is the only practicable
way to alleviate congestion on the bridge or the entire I-90 corridor.
The answer to the
“frightful traffic” problem facing most daily commuters is not to build more
highway lanes but more P&R lots and better bus service. Attracting commuters to park their car near where they live and
use a bus and existing highways to commute is better than providing them with
another highway lane to get to an undoubtedly more expensive parking space near
where they work.
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