Reducing Seattle Congestion

The April 18^th Seattle Times editorial “No to Seattle Congestion Pricing” claims tolling city streets or implementing a congestion charge downtown would do little to curb automobile usage.  It seemingly reflects a change in position regarding the efficacy of tolls.  

For example, June 26, 2017 Times headline “Time to pay?  Tolling doesn’t get much love, but it eases gridlock”.   Another article in the same edition, ”Can’t state ease I-5 traffic? Fixes exist, but most of them are pricey” included the following:

The most obvious way to reduce traffic on I-5 is to reduce the number of cars on the road.  The most obvious way to do that is to make it more expensive for them to be there.

Still 70% of commuters tolled opposed tolling.  The “obvious” reason being, unless commuters have an alternate way to reach their destination, tolls only increase their cost.  (It shouldn’t take an expensive study to recognize that reality.)  Even more “obvious” the Times also limits any potential benefits from the billions spent on light rail conceding:

Sound Transit 3’s light-rail system, as it expands over the next 25 years, will do little to ease I-5 traffic

The Times, however, ignores the ability of increased bus transit capacity “to reduce the number of cars on the road”.  A high capacity bus can replace 100 cars.  A hundred additional buses an hour can replace 10,000 vehicles an hour, the equivalent of 5 freeway lanes of traffic.   And more buses can be added! 

The only limitation for bus ridership is the need for access to the added bus capacity with either increased parking near T/C or local routes though areas near where commuters live to T/C. Yet Sound Transit has spent a decade of refusing to increase bus revenue miles and its 2019 budget proposes to continue doing so for the next 20 years.

The reason ST3 won’t reduce congestion is two-fold.  First light rail routed through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) will never have the needed capacity.  Even worse Sound Transit neglects to add access to even its limited capacity with additional parking at stations or local routes to stations.  Instead intending to use light rail to replace existing bus routes.  (Sound Transit's desire to replace I-90 bus routes with East Link led to an agreement to halve current bus routes in order to terminate them on Mercer Island.) Not only does replacing bus routes fail to reduce congestion into Seattle, any riders added will displace current riders.

The bottom line is a PSRC May 8^th “Stuck in Traffic: 2015 Report” details the congestion problem on routes into Seattle: only 10% of commuters rode on public transit compared to 85% who drove alone or in carpools.   Imposing tolls or spending billions to use light rail to replace buses will do nothing to reduce congestion into Seattle or on Seattle streets.  Increased bus ridership will.