Sound Transit’s Better Option?

 A recent Seattle Times front page Traffic Lab article, “Ballard Light rail could be revived for $10 billion, Sound transit says”.  The article concluded that despite projected ridership of 70,000 from Ballard to Westlake (or 135,000 through tunnel to Sodo), Sound Transit decided that light-rail-to-Ballard needed an additional $10 billion to extend beyond Seattle Center,  

Yet, Sound Transit has no problem with plans for extending light rail from Lynnwood to Everatt and from Federal Way to Tacoma.  Sound Transit’s September boardings for Lynnwood to Northgate totaled 13,746 and 12,932 from Federal Way to SeaTac.   It’s unlikely the extensions to Everett or Tacoma will add more than a fraction of the projected Ballard to Seattle center extension boardings.  Yet the cost of extending light rail and its subsequent operation will dwarf the cost of extending light rail from Seattle Center to Ballard and leave the area with a   perpetual debt for operating costs.

What seems obvious is the fact the Sound Transit Board chair, Dave Somers, the Snohomish County Executive and the Vice chair, Ryan Mello, the Pierce County Executive, “influenced” the extension decision.  The rest of the board concurs, as managing these extensions assures they and the Sound Transit staff are assured of well-paying positions for many years “managing” them.  A Seattle Times Traffic Lab abetting the extension presumably received compensation for doing so.

The bottom line is that light rail should have never been extended beyond UW stadium, across I-90 bridge, beyond SeaTac terminal, or to Ballard and West Seattle.  The areas the extensions serve were already covered by bus routes with offering better access to more convenient stops in Seattle.  Service frequencies could simply be expanded to meet demand, with track extension funds redirected toward parking that improves access to bus routes.

Managing ST Express Bus routes costs a fraction of light rail’s extensions. Transitioning focus to bus transit would eliminate the need for most of the 1500 positions and reduce it’s a billion-dollar budget.