The Seattle Times has changed its Traffic Lab project from one that “digs into the region’s thorny transportation issues” to one that “comments about how money is spent on transportation”. Yet they’ve spent the time since its inception neglecting to "comment" about Sound Transit Board’s malfeasant spending.
A public transportation system’s goal should be to provide access for those unable or unwilling to drive to their destination in sufficient numbers to reduce congestion for those who drive. Instead, the board's spent years and hundreds of millions on light rail extensions across the I-90 Bridge and a light rail "spine" along I-5 for 4-car light rail trains. They don’t have the capacity needed to attract the riders needed to reduce peak hour freeway congestion and cost too much to operate off peak.
The board could have implemented bus-only, 2-way BRT on the I-90 Bridge center roadway for a fraction of the cost of light rail extensions with 10 times light rail train capacity, 10 years sooner. For a fraction of the money they’ve already spent and will spend on their “light rail spine” along I-5 the board could’ve added parking and local routes to T/Cs on I-5 with access to additional bus routes along a restricted access lane into Seattle. (King County Metro and Snohomish Community Transit already provide access to transit along routes into Seattle with multiple bus stops at a fraction of a light rail station cost.) Egress and access in Seattle could’ve been facilitated with dedicated stops along an elongated bus-only T/C on 3rd or 4th Ave
Even worse, rather than increase the bus routes into Seattle, the Traffic Lab has abided if not abetted the board using light rail to replace existing routes; reducing transit capacity into Seattle and nothing to reduce GP lane congestion. Those forced to transfer to light rail will lose the more convenient egress and access along routes into and out of the city than stations in DSTT. They’ll also limit access to current Line 1 Link riders during peak commute and the 4-car light rail train operating costs will dwarf those of a bus they replace during off peak.
The Traffic Lab’s biggest failure to “comment on how money is spent on transportation” is their abetting the board plan to spend some $12.5 billion and years disrupting major roadways in Seattle for a Ballard-to-Sodo second tunnel. The Ballard and South Lake Union areas already have excellent KCM service, again with better access to routes into Seattle with more convenient egress and access options than with 2nd tunnel. Terminating Eastside and West Seattle links at the existing CID would allow both to operate to meet local demand. Those needing to go further could use the existing DSTT.
Other examples of the the Traffic Lab abetting the board funding “dubious” transportation projects include spending $499.5 million on a 120-capacity Bus Base North(BBN) to maintain 48 battery powered buses for their Stride bus routes. (Buses Sound Transit will use for their S1 and S2 I-405 BRT routes to replace current Express Bus routes with far better access.)
"They plan to spend nearly $300 million on a light rail station on 130th Ave along I-5 and a similar amount on an in-line 85th St station along I-405; neither of which has parking for access. They spend millions getting advice from outside consultants on how to “better implement” extensions who apparently don’t "advise" them the “process” is not the problem, it’s the product, the light rail spine.
The most "dubious" example of Traffic Lab apparently abiding Sound Transit Board spending is the compensation board members get as Directors. King County Executive Dow Constantine selects the directors and has selected himself as the Chairman. His choice for the other directors includes Snohomish and Pierce County executives, county council members and mayors.
Their “direction” consists mostly of sitting in front of their computers at home or an office for three or four hours, two or three times a month. They listen, sometimes comment, and nearly always approve what Sound Transit asks for. Yet the 18 directors, who a March 29th Traffic Lab article charitably called “nonspecilist”, receive between $150,000 to 231,000 annually, a hefty addition to what they get from their elected position.
The bottom line is the Sound Transit Board has used 2016 Prop 1 approving ST3 for $54 billion between 2017 and 2046 to now spend $145 billion between 2017 and 2046. The Traffic Lab needs to "comment" to prevent them from doing so.
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