By Frank on January 31, 2008
Well, this is certainly disappointing. I sure wish we’d voted for Prop 1 last fall, but I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. If I can get over not having a monorail up and running by now, I can get over the fact that Sound Transit will have to significantly scale back its ambitions.
So we’re looking at either something like this (pdf) or this (also pdf).
Obviously getting to Overlake is critical. But we also have our own transit needs here inside the city of Seattle. Maybe it would be better focus attention on a system within the city, especially on the Ballard-West Seattle side. You know, like a streetcar. Except one that ran on its own right-of-way, not in the street.
Posted in orcacard
By Frank on January 31, 2008
As frustrating as this region can be sometimes with its transportation sclerosis, our transit agencies still manage to put a smile on my face every once in a while.
Case in point: Sound Transit selected an artist to do the Capitol Hill station art whose recent work includes this beautiful piece at Burning Man.
Posted in orcacard
By Frank on January 30, 2008
The Seattle Times editorial board is generally opposed to taxes. People who use Zipcar/Flexcar are specifically opposed to the extra-high taxes they pay to use that service. So, naturally, the two agree that taxes on car sharing services are bad.
(Mike from CIS reports on the bill after spending the day in Olympia)
I’m generally supportive of the view that the state should incentivize car sharing. But I gotta say, I find the exorbinant taxes we levy on people who don’t vote — 9.7% on car rentals, a staggering 15.6% on hotels, etc. — kinda annoying. I can’t say I blame the legislature too much. It’s hard to raise revenue, and apparently Tim Eyman neverrents a car or stays in a hotel in Seattle, so that’s what gets taxed. And the revenues do fund worthy local institutions, after all.
Posted in seattle transit
By Frank on January 29, 2008
A press release on KC Metro’s website says:
By 2006, passengers will be able to easily transfer from one system to another without digging in their pockets for extra fares and tickets. It will just take a wave of a “smart card” embedded with a microchip that automatically calculates any fare due. The cards can be reloaded and used indefinitely, and will eliminate the current system of more than 300 types of tickets, passes and tokens.
Well, as you can see, it’s 2008 and the fabled ORCA card is not here yet (and is probably a year or more away). What happened?
Well, KIRO says that the problem could be the contractor, ERG. ERG was recently fired by the city of Sydney, Australia, for completely failing to deliver a smart card for that city, after 5 years of delays.
ERG has pushed back hard, countersuing the city and arguing that it was bureaucratic disinterest and incompetence that doomed the project. The company also designed Hong Kong’s Octopus Card, which by all accounts is incredible successful, so I wouldn’t be so quick to put all the blame on them.
Posted in prosperity, ST
By Frank on January 29, 2008
Larry Lange reports on some proposed changes to Route 17 in Ballard. Some residents are opposed:
They’ve sent out notices of the meeting, arguing that the change will mean fewer buses on 32nd during the day and evenings, and seeking Metro statistics to justify the proposal. The notices question how making service less usable in their neighborhood is compatible with combating global warming.
They question why Metro is scaling back service on 32nd when voters in 2006 approved a major Metro expansion. Dublin says Ballard is growing, as shown in its burgeoning number of apartments and condominiums, and Metro just reported a record-setting growth in ridership overall.
“To me it is kind of a red flag when you’re getting ridership like this, to be cutting back in this neighborhood,” he said.
Obviously locals will fight any proposed change, whether it’s for increased density or decreased bus service. That’s not in and of itself a bad thing, and it’s something public servants have to weigh with every decision. This is why we have these public comment periods.
But the group’s thinking here is not very logical. With respect to global warming, one has to ask the inverse question: how effective is it to have a bus that gets 3.5mpg rolling up and down 32nd Ave with one or two passengers? I’m definitely in favor of using effects on global warming as a metric for land-use planning, but there has to be some sense to it.
Finally, I’ll just add a note to anti-bus people who complain every time they see nearly-empty bus trolling down the street, that this is an example of how difficult it is to reduce service on some of these routes.
Posted in alternative commute, policy
By Frank on January 29, 2008
Seattlest says the Greyhound bus station in downtown Seattle is going away, replaced by a shiny hotel tower.
Every time I heard about a new high-end development going in around the Stewart Ave area, I thought to myself “who’s going to spend $1M to live next door to the Greyhound station?”
Well, that takes care of that!
What would be a good location for a new Bus station? Obviously I-5 access is essential, as is proximity to downtown. Assuming that there’ll be no room in the Stewart triangle area they’re getting booted from, SoDo/Pioneer Square is an obvious alternative.
Posted in policy
By Frank on January 28, 2008
I just made a few changes to the way comments are displayed on the site, to make it work like other blogs.
1. Oldest comments are now on top, newest on the bottom.
2. You no longer need to give your comment a “subject.”
I’m contemplating ways to remove the registration requirement (and not get inundated with spam). I’m also wondering about “threaded” comments. Feedback is welcome, as always in the comments or via the contact form.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Frank on January 28, 2008
I’m disappointed to learn that it’s not illegal to keep your headlights off in the rain. Several other states have laws on the books like this, wherein you have to keep your headlights on any time your windshield wipers are on.
It’s genuinely unsafe — I’ve had several near-misses in rainy conditions with cars who don’t have their headlights on.
Posted in legislation
By Frank on January 27, 2008
State Sen. Cheryl Pflug has a rather incoherent and semi-unhinged rant the the Seattle Times arguing for … well, it’s not exactly clear. She’s mad at the Governor for a bunch of stuff, the Democratic majority, too.
While I grant that the Ferry system has a lot to answer for, her argument really runs off the rails when it turns to a new 520 bridge:
Now the governor wants to take money from the viaduct and give it to 520. She wants to build a smaller version of the bridge — six lanes rather than the eight we really need. Her hurry-up plan will not relieve congestion or provide for future transit options.
Worse, in 2008, the governor and majority will propose to fund the 520 floating bridge through tolls — penalizing people for driving cars. They point to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge as an example that has worked well. The public knows better.
With the Narrows Bridge, drivers do not have alternative routes. There are many alternatives to driving over 520. Some say regional tolling is a way to avoid the congestion caused by drivers trying to avoid toll roads. But regional tolling brings other problems.
Sure, there are alternatives to 520. Like I-90. Which is exactly why the Gov proposed tolling that, too. And I’m sorry, but the line “penalizing people for driving cars” has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read. What, does Sen. Pflug really think that the State should be rewarding people for driving? “Sweet ride, here’s a check!” Sorry Senator, but even eight lanes across 520 won’t be enough to handle the demand caused by that policy.
Posted in real time bus information
By Frank on January 27, 2008
Neat post at Autopia comparing transit fares in major cities between 1952 and today. Seattle’s still a pretty good deal.
Posted in ST
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