WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL? What Sound Transit heard about ‘draft plan’

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Sound Transit has gone public with some of what it heard in its just-concluded comment period on the draft ST3 plan (here’s the official news release).

Going through toplines, one thing surprised us: ST says that in a telephone survey it conducted – separate from the online survey linked to the ST3 website – respondents in areas far from West Seattle considered the WS-to-downtown light-rail route a priority. The “Project Priorities” start on page 25 of this presentation and include the Top 5 projects as ranked by 1,000 respondents in five areas. West Seattle-to-downtown light rail was in the top 5 for four of the five areas – in order of how they appear in the presentation, Snohomish respondents ranked it fifth, North King respondents ranked it first, East King respondents ranked it first, South King respondents ranked it third. Pierce is the only area where it didn’t appear in the Top 5. As for the online survey (whose respondents, ST notes, were “self-selected”), its toplines are here. According to breakouts in that document, West Seattle zip codes accounted for about 2,400 of the 34,706 online survey responses around the region.

WHAT’S NEXT: As reported in our coverage of the ST3 discussion at last week’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, the final ST3 proposal for the November ballot is due next month. Then, the plan and its funding, including a mix of sales, motor-vehicle, and property taxes, is in the voters’ hands.

Oakley34 May 6, 2016 (11:33 am)

Encouraging

S May 6, 2016 (11:45 am)

If I get taxed one more time I think it might be time to look at moving out of West Seattle. I find it hard to say being a true West Seattle-lite

WSB May 6, 2016 (11:52 am)

You may know this but – Sound Transit is not just a Seattle agency. These would be taxes for a three-county (King, Pierce, Snohomish) area.

trickycoolj May 6, 2016 (11:59 am)

You know your traffic is bad when that wide of a radius recognizes the priority.

Junctionite May 6, 2016 (11:59 am)

The viaduct closure has made it abundantly clear that creating more options for moving people efficiently between West Seattle and downtown Seattle is critical.

We can’t wait 17 years to address this, I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, but the timeline on this project must be dramatically improved. If I hear 5 years, I am listening.

Apparently even folks who don’t live in West Seattle see this.

Stuart Jenner May 6, 2016 (12:14 pm)

The single biggest question is where people are actually going to be able to afford to live. Cle Elum and Poulsbo, per Seattle Times this morning. It is very hard to believe 1 million people are going to be able to afford to live in central Puget Sound. The homes are just too expensive.

old timer May 6, 2016 (12:40 pm)

I think that installing a completely separate bus only route from The Junction to Downtown could be done in really quick time, making the longer term light rail connection, with it’s necessarily longer timeline, more acceptable. IMO, even 5 years more of the daily traffic circus is too long.

Anonymous Coward May 6, 2016 (2:04 pm)

If only there were an existing rail line and bridge that could be utilized. Yes, yes, it’s privately owned by a rail company and all that. Given the cost of a new bridge, I suspect arrangements (sale, right of way agreement, etc) could be made for a fraction of the price of a new bridge. But I thought we should’ve used the train tracks paralleling I-405 along Lake Washington for trains instead of ripping them out for jogging path and then spending decades and hundreds of millions on new bridges across Lake Washington, so what do I know.
- Tyler Simpson May 7, 2016 (1:29 pm)
  
  You think wrong. BNSF charges a ridiculous sum for access. The subsidy per ride for the Sounder commuter rail line that operates on BNSF freight track is like $30, compared to $2 for brand new construction Link LR Ballard to Downtown.
seaBruce May 8, 2016 (8:24 pm)

Sadly, even now they don’t use the bus-only lanes that exist between the Spokane Viaduct and downtown for buses from West Seattle. Even during the Viaduct shutdown, they used 4th instead. And when the Viaduct is open, the insist on using it and having buses stuck in traffic.

supernova72 May 6, 2016 (1:59 pm)

What ever happened to that monorail RTA tax money they collected for 3 yrs (just kidding!).

supernova72 May 6, 2016 (2:01 pm)

On a serious note it’s great to hear it being discussed. WS to DT SEA to Ballard would be fantastic!

Carole May 6, 2016 (2:58 pm)

I was one of the lucky folks with June renewals who had the pleasure of paying for the non existent monorail FOUR times.

David May 6, 2016 (3:37 pm)

Just hoping that when the light rail is up and running from WS to DT it doesn’t hit any of those flying pigs…….

K to the F May 6, 2016 (3:46 pm)

If I see 5 years and underground I’m totally in. It’s really hard to believe they’ve gone under every other hill but are talking about going surface on ours. Unacceptable, in my opinion.

Les May 6, 2016 (4:01 pm)

Buses would make a lot more sense than a 50 BILLION DOLLAR light rail expansion that I will never use because those additional PERMENATE tax increases to sale tax , car tabs and property taxes will force me to move out of Seattle long before this latest boondoggle will ever be completed.

Meyer May 6, 2016 (4:44 pm)

Everyone here keeps saying how these new taxes (which are not permanent by the way) will cause them to move out of Seattle yet they will only cost the average person less than $17 a month. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who was living on such a tight budge that $17 a month would force them to move far away. Also that estimate will likely be less for those who have lower home values and don’t own a vehicle.

Roxy May 6, 2016 (5:37 pm)

The most recent property tax for me was $27.50/mo on my 700sf $200K house. Add to that the future HALA increase plus ST transit increase. If you are retired that is a significant hit for many people. I expect I will be taxed out of my little house.

Meyer May 6, 2016 (6:25 pm)

Sound Transit expects the average cost for an adult to be $200 a year. From a recent Sound Transit

The estimated additional annual and monthly costs of the new taxes for a typical adult in the Sound Transit District are the same: approximately $200 annually or $17 a month. Additional information on funding for ST3 can be found at http://soundtransit3.org/document-library release

Les May 6, 2016 (5:46 pm)

Meyer, If mass transit costs $20 for a bus ride and a Sound Transit train costs $100 per trip would anyone use them? No, that is why the taxes are permanent. Have we stopped paying the old Metro or Sound Transit taxes Yet? NO

Please explain how this will only cost a family with 2 cars( a median value) half million dollar house and the additional .5% sales tax increase only $17 per month.

Meyer May 6, 2016 (6:23 pm)

Those are the numbers that Sound Transit released

The estimated additional annual and monthly costs of the new taxes for a typical adult in the Sound Transit District are the same: approximately $200 annually or $17 a month. Additional information on funding for ST3 can be found at http://soundtransit3.org/document-library

I feel like a lot of people who are against this haven’t bothered actually reading up on it which is exactly why I initially brought this up.

Lez May 6, 2016 (6:28 pm)

Hey Meyer. That’s $17 on top of…on top of…on top of… And temporary? Have you ever seen a levy in Seattle that wasn’t only renewed but increased? Name ONE.

Meyer May 6, 2016 (6:39 pm)

It’s unfair to blame past levy costs for this one. This proposal will cost an estimated $17 per adult and I want to make sure people understand that.

But I do feel you, we are being nickel and dimed to the poorhouse. However, this is one proposal that I agree with and believe it is worth the cost.

Stuart Jenner May 6, 2016 (10:31 pm)

$200 per adult means $400 for a couple. Couples with kids buy some items that are going to be taxed as well, so a typical family can expect to pay more than $400 per year. The biggest element for most people is the car tabs tax .But the $25 per 100,000 of assessed value does add up too. It appears this amount would not decrease per thousand over time, so if someone is paying $75 for a $300 K condo, and then the assessed value goes to $500K, they would pay $125. This is a difference from school bonds, where if the assessed value increases, the rate per thousand is likely to drop. The taxes are essentially permanent, it seems they can go as long as 50 years.

Tyler Simpson May 7, 2016 (1:26 pm)

Even West Seattleites should be able to see it shouldn’t be the top priority, just looking at the ridership numbers. The Ballard line will dwarf us in usage by several times over, and the 30 year fare subsidy per rider is a fraction of ours. They’ve just got the density and existing lower car dependence that we don’t have outside the Junction core. Definitely within the top four or so though.

Sorry, comment time is over.