Seattle Times Continues Enabling ST3 Debacle

The April 9^th Seattle Times article “Olympia may offer lifeline for Sound Transit” is the latest example of the paper’s Traffic Lab approach to the ST3 debacle.  It purports their Traffic Lab to be the paper’s product that “explores how we get around and how billions of dollars in public money are spent.” 

Yet, more than 8 years before, an October 19^th, 2016, Seattle Times editorial made the following recommendation:

Reject Sound Transit 3 and demand a better plan

Apparently concerned about giving Sound Transit authority to spend $54 billion funding ST3 from 2017 to 2041 suggesting:

Voters in the Puget Sound region should say no to Sound Transit 3 and ask Sound Transit to provide a more reasonable plan with more accountability.

Yet they’ve never objected to Sound Transit using ST3 approval in 2016 to spend $54B between 2017 to 2041 to authorize spending $150B between 2017 and 2046 and leave the area $18B in debt with payments extending to 2061.  Now they’re abiding Sound Transit's response to “a looming cash flow crunch” to ask the legislature authority to issue 75-year maturity bonds.

All for completing the ST3 extensions voters approved in 2016 which Sound Transit has proclaimed, “the country’s largest transit system expansion”.  The problem, plans to spend money for light rail to “reach promised destinations West Seattle, Ballard, and Everett”, will do absolutely nothing to reduce area’s roadway congestion.  

4 car light rail trains lack the capacity needed to accommodate commuters unable or willing to drive to reduce peak-hour multilane congestion for those who choose to drive. And all the ST3 extensions cost too much to operate off peak. Light rail should’ve never been extended beyond UW, across I-90 Bridge, or beyond SeaTac.  

Light rail trains lack the stations needed for access to transit and stops needed for convenient egress and access in Seattle.  Added bus routes along the I-5 corridor from Everett to Tacoma and across the I-90 bridge could have accommodated the transit growth needed.  Instead, Sound Transit uses ST3 extensions to replace the bus routes, reducing transit capacity, and nothing to reduce congestion.

Sound Transits 2024 Starter Line and Lynnwood debuts demonstrated another ST3 extension problem, providing access to light rail trains doesn’t assure ridership. 70.000 residents live within a mile of Starter Line stations.  Yet the 2438 weekday boardings for the 8 stations in March indicated only 1238 average inbound and outbound riders, a fraction of the 4000 to 5700 predicted. 

Sound Transit made a similar claim that 80,000 residents living within a mile of one of the Lynnwood extensions would attract 24,000 to 35,000 riders. Yet, in March, only 6643 commuters boarded at one of the extension's 4 stations. And most of those boarders were former bus riders whose routes were terminated at one of the stations. 

The lack of Starter Line and Lynnwood Link riders should be a warning the Ballard and West Seattle to SODO ridership won't justify the cost of boring a second tunnel or second Duwamish Waterway bridge.

A previous post detailed why the principal benefit of the June 25^th closure is that it demonstrates the lack of riders attracted by the ST3 extensions. That reducing congestion into Seattle requires far more RapidRide, KCM, CT400 and ST500 buses.. 

The bottom line is Sound Transit continues to spend whatever is required to provide light rail track to “promised destinations" despite ample evidence they won’t reduce congestion.  The April 9th Seattle Times Traffic Lab abiding they get more billions in 75 year bonds continues enabling the ST3 debacle.