Sound Transit Needs to Justify Transit Projects

                   I emailed the Sound Transit System Expansion Committee the      10/07/22  post on this blog.  It included the following conclusion:

A competent transit CEO would recognize the Sound Transit TDP won’t reduce congestion.  The next System Expansion Committee meeting will indicate whether she does.  If not, the East Link debut will demonstrate the result of the eastside and south Seattle having to split the number of DSTT trains.  Central Link commuters will lose half their current capacity and east side bus commuters will lose all bus transit routes into Seattle.   

A competent Julie Timm could hasten that result and save billions.

The video of the October 13^th System Expansion Committee reported the committee reported they’d received the email as part of “public comment”.  It was released as the “written in" comment “What the New Sound Transit CEO Could Do”.

The lack of any response and subsequent agenda was a clear indication neither the committee nor the new CEO had any interest in the issues it raised. Instead, the meeting consisted of presentations about “process” not “product”.  About how to proceed with “voter approved extensions” rather than whether those extensions would relieve roadway congestion.

The first was a “Comprehensive Review” by the Sound Transit Technical Advisory Group (TAG).   The “Key Takeaway” was the conclusion Sound Transit had “not got there as ready to proceed”.  That Sound Transit needed more “guidance” with a final report to be released early next year.   

One would have thought such a critical review of both Sound Transit Staff and Board would merit some response.  Instead, Board Chair, Kent Keel, called it “Refreshing and looking forward to hearing more details”.   

The next presenter concluded his review of all the Sound Transit’s reports led to a Cost Savings Plan to replace quarterly reporting requirement.  He was more pompous than probative as his plan to no longer release Quarterly Service Delivery and Financial Performance Reports ignores the need to update the public.

The next item detailed Sound Transit’s Chinatown International District Station engagement process. What was included in the CIP engagement tool kit.  Nothing that justified the decision the station was needed.

The last was a briefing about the “Delivery Methods” Sound Transit uses for transit projects.  That different delivery methods were chosen to assure the construction contract matched the needs of the project.  

Again, all about process for completing the project but nothing to justify the project.  For example, improving the process to construct the "product", the 130^th St Infill station, ignores the fact the $270B Station has no parking for access to trains.  Even more basic the Lynnwood extension it’s on does nothing to increase light rail capacity into Seattle.  

That nearly all those using available parking with access to extension are currently already riding buses to Northgate for the Link into Seattle.  Thus, the Lynnwood project will do little to reduce congestion no matter the benefit of the process improvements.  That none of the extensions will increase transit capacity into Seattle despite improving the process.

Sound Transit needs to do more to justify the projects.