The previous post opined the
October, Sound Transit 2019 budget for 2017 to 2041 should have been a
“wake-up” call for those concerned with the area’s congestion problem. It also concluded the Seattle Times had
played a major role in enabling Sound Transit since Prop 1 passed, spending billions on light rail extensions that have done nothing to ease that
congestion. The Nov. 10th
Seattle Times Traffic Lab B1 page article, “Snohomish County bus drivers get I-5
shoulder lane access” exemplifies the Traffic Lab continuing to ignore that reality.
The article describes the
shoulder lanes as, “The first Sound Transit 3 project completed since voters
approved the massive rail and bus expansion program in 2016”. The Traffic Lab is apparently unaware
Sound Transit’s 2019 budget shows they continue their decade long failure to
increase bus revenue hours by refusing to increase bus ridership between 2017
and 2041.
They abet Sound Transit CEO
Rogoff claim the shoulder lanes are “one way we’re able to reduce travel time
for I-5 bus commuters”. A
2015 PSRC report showed 2014 HOV travel times during morning commute averaged
75 minutes between Everett and Seattle. Since travel times have presumably increased it’s
unlikely any purported 4-5 minutes faster will make much difference.
The abide Rogoff's blatantly absurd claim the shoulder lane will “make a difference for people who travel our congested roads every day”. The Traffic Lab apparently doesn’t recognize reducing commute times only reduces congestion if they attract more transit riders. All the P&R lots with access to I-5 have been full for years. Yet Sound Transit has refused to add any parking, waiting until 2024 to begin adding a measly 8560 stalls over the next 17 years. Again, they’ve also refused to increase the number of bus routes for ten years and their 2019 budget continues doing so until 2041.
The Traffic Lab article calls the shoulder lanes “an early deliverable that will ease commuting pain
until rail expansion completion ends years and decades of congestion”. Again it’s bad enough they concur with Rogoff claim shoulder lanes will “ease commuting pain”. Their claim “rail expansion completion”
will “end years and decades of congestion” is presumably based on Sound
Transit’s 2019 budget. It
showed they intend to spend $96 billion implementing Rogoff’s new mission
statement: “Connecting more people to more places". That annual light rail ridership will increase from 20
million in 2017 to 162 million in 2041;
~60,000 weekday average in 2017 to ~500,000 weekday average in 2041.
The previous post detailed
how a 2004 PSRC study concluded Sound Transit decision to route Central
Link through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) limited its total
capacity to 8880 riders per hour (rph) in each direction, or 17760 rph total
capacity. Whatever part of the $96
billion is spent extending light rail will do nothing to increase the DSTT
capacity. It will take 28 hours
for light rail to accommodate the 500,000 “daily" riders through the DSTT with
PSRC estimate.
Clearly Sound Transit, apparently
with Traffic Lab concurrence, has a “unique” way to calculate transit system
capacity. Sound Transit plans and
Traffic Lab’s apparent concurrence with plans to limit additional parking also
“suggests” they have their own way of providing access to this capacity. That only a fraction of light rail
riders will attempt to use the two limited-size stations in the DSTT for egress
from, and access to, light rail.
The bottom line is Sound Transit
has been allowed to spend billions and years on light rail extensions that will
do nothing to increase transit capacity. Their budget summary for 2019 calls it “a year of
record ridership, heavy construction, and intense planning work as we continue
building the most ambitious transit system expansion plan in the nation”. The reality is the $2.1 billion they
intend to spend in 2019 reflects more billions and another year of failure to
reduce the area’s congestion. Sound Transit’s plans to spend $96 billion may be
the most “ambitious transit system expansion” in the country. It’s way past time to recognize the "expansion" will do nothing to reduce congestion.
I's "possible" the Traffic Lab was not aware of Sound Transit's October 2019 budget plans for 2017 to 2041 when they wrote the Nov. 10th article. That potential "delinquency" doesn't change the conclusion the article's support for shoulder lanes indicates they are going to continue enabling Sound Transit's ST3 funded fantasy.
Unfortunately they’re not alone. More on that later.
Unfortunately they’re not alone. More on that later.
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