The previous post
explained how anyone who viewed the video of the Sound Transit Feb 9th
presentation to the Bellevue City Council concerning their plans for replacing
the South Bellevue P&R they plan to close next March will realize ST has no
idea as to how to viably do so; something the council failed to recognize.
As a result
hundreds of cross-lake commuters will be faced with a choice of trying to
arrive very early at the Issaquah, East Gate, or Mercer Island P&R lots or
join those who arrive too late to find parking and are forced to drive into
Seattle and find potentially very expensive parking there. (It’s hardly worth mentioning the loss
in fare box revenue from those unable to find access to ST550, their most lucrative
route, along with ST555, 556, and 560.)
The most likely
result will be hundreds of additional cars carrying former transit riders
adding to the I-90 bridge congestion.
That increased congestion is just a precursor of the problems with ST’s
next stage in the East Link debacle: closure of the I-90 center roadway in
2017. (Many of those I talk to
still don’t recognize that reality)
By then, they will
have finally added 4th lanes to the outer roadways, something they
could have done 15 years ago. This is the so-called R-8A configuration
they told a judge would make up for the loss of the two center roadway
lanes. Typical of ST, they
lied. The FHA I-90 Two-Way
Transit and HOV Operations Project, Record of Decision, Sept 2004, they claimed
allowed closing the center roadway included the following description of the
R-8A:
Alternative R-8A will provide HOV lanes on the outer
roadways. It will retain the
existing reversible operations on the center roadway, with both lanes operating
in the same direction.
The bottom line is
that while the South Bellevue P&R debacle will affect I-90 corridor transit
riders who currently use P&R lots in the area, closure of the center
roadway will affect all cross-lake commuters. Even those who manage to find access to buses will find
increased commute times because of lack of capacity on the single HOV lanes to
accommodate both buses and car pools.
The likely result will be 3+ riders required for HOV lane exacerbating
the already increased congestion from former transit riders.
What’s amazing, believe
it or not, it gets worse. Stay
tuned!
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