Many posts on this blog have explained how East Link
construction and subsequent operation will devastate Bellevue residents,
increase cross-lake congestion and do absolutely nothing to relieve congestion
on 405 and I-90 corridors. To make
matters worse, eastside residents will also be saddled with paying a major
portion of the huge construction debt and increased operation costs for Sound
Transits Central Link extensions to Federal Way and Lynnwood. The reason is the
majority of the transportation sales taxes generated on eastside (about 40% of
Sound Transit funding) are needed to fund Central Link construction and
operation.
Construction costs for the Central Link extensions dwarf the
$2.8 billion Sound Transit plans to spend on East Link. (Their plans to tunnel all the way to
Northgate, something they wouldn’t even consider on the east side, is
particularly obnoxious.) In
addition, the costs of providing the added equipment and operating costs
necessitated by the longer Central Link routes far exceeds any possible revenue
from additional riders. (The fact
commute times on light rail will exceed those available on buses doesn’t
help). The resulting
financial “black hole” due to construction debt and increased operating
subsidies is detailed in other posts (3/9/13, 3/29/13, 4/26/13, 5/01/13 and
6/21/13) posts.
Sound Transit has a moral if not legal obligation to spend east side tax funds on east side transportation improvements. It's bad enough they're spending that money
on East Link rather than on BRT and funding 520 bridge or 405 and I-90 improvements. What’s even worse is that most of eastside taxes will be perpetually required to fund Central Link extensions and
operations they will never use.
It would be great if you would be equally outraged about the continued subsidy of automobility. On average, 50% of the cost of roads is funded by general funds. Gas taxes come nowhere near covering the cost of road maintenance or debt service, let alone expansion.
ReplyDeleteThose damn road builders and the respective unions. Not to mention the auto industry. Maybe you should run for Congress and address the domination of road building in the transportation agenda.
Or hey, how about the airline industry, which collectively has never made a profit in its entire history, and the impact on the environment from flying. Sure I fly long distances. But a lot of the negative impact could be addressed by shifting short trips to high speed rail.
Etc.
Richard,
DeleteI do appreciate your interest but question most of your comments. My primary interest is convincing people that BRT is the only way to meet future cross-lake commuting needs and that unless Central Link is limited to a trunk between UW and Sea Tac, the construction and operating costs will create a financial "black hole" for the entire area's transportation funds.
Bill