Comments on: Questioning ST Design Decisions http://www.orphanroad.com/blog/2008/05/questioning-st-design-decisions Puget Sound Transportation and Land Use Issues Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:55:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bernie http://www.orphanroad.com/blog/2008/05/questioning-st-design-decisions/comment-page-1#comment-440 Bernie Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://wp.orphanroad.com/?p=661#comment-440 This is an old thread but everything old is new again, right? bgtothen did a great job of explaining and in it's twisted sort of way it all makes sense. And, while it takes longer now to get from downtown to the airport in a few more years traffic will certainly reverse that stat ;-) The most important thing with respect to airport travel is; Link involves no transfers or possibility of getting on the wrong bus, trip times are consistent and trains provide a comfortable "upscale" mode of travel which will appeal to businessmen, convention goers and tourists. Although I understand the reasons for the airport route and can see already how it is having a positive effect on shaping development along the route similar logic should not be applied to East Link. Don't expect a lot of mixed income housing to sprout up around south Bellevue. Don't expect the typical Bellevue Broker to walk to the train in the rain. And if you think securing ROW in the Rainier Valley was expensive.... hold on to your wallets. Of course Bellevue is already suffering tunnel envy which may make the current route proposals seem like chump change! This is an old thread but everything old is new again, right? bgtothen did a great job of explaining and in it’s twisted sort of way it all makes sense. And, while it takes longer now to get from downtown to the airport in a few more years traffic will certainly reverse that stat ;-) The most important thing with respect to airport travel is; Link involves no transfers or possibility of getting on the wrong bus, trip times are consistent and trains provide a comfortable “upscale” mode of travel which will appeal to businessmen, convention goers and tourists.

Although I understand the reasons for the airport route and can see already how it is having a positive effect on shaping development along the route similar logic should not be applied to East Link. Don’t expect a lot of mixed income housing to sprout up around south Bellevue. Don’t expect the typical Bellevue Broker to walk to the train in the rain. And if you think securing ROW in the Rainier Valley was expensive…. hold on to your wallets. Of course Bellevue is already suffering tunnel envy which may make the current route proposals seem like chump change!

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