Seattle Times Abets ST East Link Debacle

 A previous post opined the Seattle Times had abetted the Sound Transit Board of Directors adopting a “Transit Development Plan 2022-2027” exemplfying a decade of transit system incompetence.  However, the most egregious example of Seattle Times abetting Sound Transit incompetence is the paper’s Traffic Lab response to the East Link debacle.  

 The paper heralds it as follows:  

Traffic Lab is a project that digs into the region’s thorny transportation issues, spotlights promising approaches to easing gridlock, and helps readers find the best ways to get around.  

Clearly the “region’s thorny transportation issue” is the congestion on I-5 and I-90 into and out of Seattle.  A competent Traffic Lab would have recognized the folly of Sound Transit’s decision to confiscate the I-90 Bridge center roadway for East Link.  That two-way bus only routes on bridge center roadway would have 10 times light rail capacity, 10 years sooner, at 1/10th the cost.  

That Sound Transit compounded the capacity problem by choosing to route East Link beyond Chinatown station through DSTT to UW, Northgate, and eventually to Mariner P&R near Everett.  The result being rather than adding transit capacity into Seattle, Central Link lost half of the DSTT capacity.    

What’s absurd is rather than using East Link to add cross-lake transit capacity into Seattle, Sound Transit will use it to replace bus routes into the city.  Apparently not recognizing I-90 Bridge congestion is not due to too many buses.  Spending more than $3B on a transit system that halves Central Link capacity and is used primarily to replace bus routes surely qualifies as a debacle.

 Sound Transit could avoid Central Link losing half DSTT capacity by terminating East Link at Chinatown.  Doing so would allow Sound Transit to adjust the number of cars in each train and schedule frequency to meet the demand from commuters with access along route through Bellevue.  I-90 corridor buses could be routed into and out of Seattle rather than terminated on Mercer Island.  The Chinatown Station would also provide easy access for returning East Link riders.

The modification could be implemented during the delay due to the contractors need to redo the track attachments.   As of the November 17th meeting, the Board didn't know how long the delay.  A competent Traffic Lab would advocate using the delay to terminate East Link at Chinatown.

Instead, they'll likely abet Board's November 17th plan to implement a Starter 2 Line for East Link on east side of Lake Washington.  Typical of the Board, it's not clear why the need for the Starter Line.  Rapid Line 2 already provides far better access to transit into Bellevue than Starter Line 2.  Many transit commuters will also be dissuaded  by the need to transfer to and from buses at South Bellevue or Mercer Island P&R's to commute into and out of Seattle.  

The bottom line is  the contractor's need to redo attaching tracks delays Sound Transit's demonstration they should have never confiscated the I-90 Bridge center roadway for light rail.  However, the delay gives them a chance to mitigate the damage by terminating East Link at Chinatown.  Instead, Sound Transit will likely  use the delay to spend additional billions on other similarly flawed "voter approved" extensions.

Again, another Sound Transit folly, abetted by Seattle Times Traffic Lab.