SUNDAY: Walk potential light-rail route with supports of ‘no-build alternative’

Tomorrow’s the day that advocates of the “no-build alternative” lead a walk along much of the potential West Seattle light-rail route. Organizers, now under the banner Rethink the Link, have an update on what they plan to discuss. As laid out here:

-You will pass businesses likely to be demolished or affected adversely in some way.
-There will be explanations of the environmental impacts on Pigeon Point, the Duwamish Greenbelt, and Longfellow Creek.
-The Walk will pass where we THINK the route and Delridge Station will go. Walkers will be able to get an idea of the scale of the structure.
-You’ll cross Avalon Way and look back to see where the proposed route will weave its way through the various Transitional Resources buildings.
-At the top of the hill, you’ll see where the proposed route transitions from an elevated track, to tracks at grade, into a “retained cut.”
-You’ll also get a general idea of where the Avalon Station will be, if it remains part of the plan

Organizers say they have one change from the list of speakers mentioned here – Longfellow Creek will be discussed by Pamela Adams of BeaverInsights. Walk participants are meeting at 11 am tomorrow (Sunday, September 17th) at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW).

87 Replies to "SUNDAY: Walk potential light-rail route with supports of 'no-build alternative'"

  • Jl September 16, 2023 (8:13 pm)

    I’m so glad there is an organized effort to opt out of link rail in West Seattle!  Count me in…LINK OUT!

    • Jim September 16, 2023 (8:39 pm)

      💯

    • Mel September 16, 2023 (10:06 pm)

      Yeah, we didn’t want to really connect to the city anyway. Next, can we push for our own city government?

  • NW September 16, 2023 (8:22 pm)

    I’m on board and keep the buses rolling no light rail to west seattle. Sound transits established route has lots of service issues and construction aswell. I take transit the bus almost daily. 

    • John September 16, 2023 (8:39 pm)

      100% agree with this! I used to love the convenience of the 54 bus that ran out to West Seattle and downtown had lots of stops in West Seattle and I felt like I could get anywhere on the buses 10 years ago that’s changed now

  • Admyrl Byrd September 16, 2023 (8:27 pm)

    Just curious – have we also done this for all the single story buildings being knocked down for generic 7 story work/lives – “hey, here’s where the sunlight used to come down….that’s where Lee’s Asian used to be”.We need the link, we’ve been paying for it with our plates, so we’re just gonna pull out now?  I guess since the gondola went nowhere….

    • Joe September 17, 2023 (12:35 am)

      Thanks Admiral. Good perspectve

  • pro rail September 16, 2023 (8:30 pm)

    We need light rail in West Seattle. I think the proposed alternative route going north of the high bridge would be best, though. We need to be able to move more people in and out of West Seattle. We are only growing and adding density. Shared transportation routes with buses will only get more and more congested. Light rail affords a future proof to moving people around the Seattle area including West Seattle without having to negotiate packed surface routes. 

    • Niko September 16, 2023 (8:38 pm)

      Tooich density!! West Seattle is only so big and can only hold so much. We used to get along just fine with the previous bus route layout and things have only gotten more inefficient under “rapid” ride. Light rail is billions over budget and decades beyond schedule

      • Seth September 17, 2023 (7:20 am)

        I like the rapid line sincerely a n delridge resident

    • PDiddy September 17, 2023 (9:52 pm)

      We dont. This could be achieved with dedicated no car bus lanes and little disruption and a lot less cost. light rail has been a disaster from start to finish.

  • Niko September 16, 2023 (8:35 pm)

    Can we just please do away with this disastrous expansion into West Seattle? Along with all the other overbuilding and destroying of West Seattle’s character!

    • Patty September 17, 2023 (10:44 am)

      What character? 10 years ago WS was mostly single family homes and auto shops. You miss the gas station, Chevrolet, and used car dealership where the Whittaker Apartment is now? The auto parts store where LA Fitness is? Or the loan lenders where the Huxley is?

      • K September 17, 2023 (3:08 pm)

        It was the Super Supplements in the heart of the Junction.  Definitely the Super Supplements.

      • E September 18, 2023 (1:38 am)

        This. Lol. All this NIMBYism and yearning for a past the people don’t even remember. It’s clear to anyone thinking rationally that busses cannot possibly take the place of an efficient rail system running every few minutes (ideally) during peak, especially when you’d hit transfers in downtown traffic rather than at efficient stations. I have a close friend in West Seattle and would love to visit but rarely do because the easiest way to get there is by renting a car because it was going to be such a nightmare to take the light rail, transfer to a bus (in a sketch area I don’t feel safe in a night), and then transfer to another bus. 

    • heartless September 17, 2023 (10:46 am)

      No.  Cities change. 

    • neighborcharchter September 18, 2023 (10:38 am)

      bring back the porn store on california!

  • bill September 16, 2023 (8:36 pm)

    Why walk when you can experience the future here and now, idling in the traffic jams on the bridge and freeway? Link won’t magically unstick traffic, but it will ameliorate how bad traffic will be without alternatives.

    • marie September 16, 2023 (9:25 pm)

      Actually, according to Sound Transit, light rail will take only 100 cars off the bridge during peak hours. https://www.whereiamnow.net/post/sound-transit-presents-an-excellent-case-for-the-no-build-option

      • foop September 17, 2023 (10:19 am)

        Strange how this highly editorialized website contains no links to actual sources for data…

      • E September 18, 2023 (1:40 am)

        That seems… unlikely. I also echo the other comment in asking where the links are to the original data.

    • Marie September 16, 2023 (9:50 pm)

      Read Sound Transit’s Draft Environmental Statement. In it they tell you that they expect West Seattle Bridge traffic to be just 100 cars less during peak drive times. 

      • AMD September 17, 2023 (8:30 am)

        100 cars is a lot, and sufficient to alleviate congestion.  I don’t know if this was meant as a “gotcha”; I hadn’t seen the number until you brought it to my attention.  But I’m really encouraged to see that Link will reduce traffic by that amount during peak times.  I think that math works out to, what, a 5-7 MPH increase in travel speed with that reduction, even if the 100 is calculated as a total for the whole rush hour and not just a snapshot.

        • Whoosh September 17, 2023 (4:40 pm)

          especially if those 100 cars end up downtown. drivers continue to forget that cars don’t stop taking up space when their off.

        • PDiddy September 17, 2023 (9:53 pm)

          Enough to justify a billion dollar price tag? I will keep the 100 cars…

  • Rhonda September 16, 2023 (8:38 pm)

    I’d love to join them but I have to work. I’m so proud of the Rethink the Link group. I hope the resistance grows even stronger.

  • K September 16, 2023 (8:40 pm)

    Maybe they can walk the proposed gondola route while they’re out there and quit wasting everyone’s time.

    • WS Res September 17, 2023 (10:12 am)

      I laughed. :)

  • WS Guy September 16, 2023 (9:13 pm)

    Self driving vehicles are the future.

    They can tailgate each other, practically like train cars, thanks to the instant reaction time and communication between vehicles. They can sync speed with traffic signals making them very energy efficient.

    They can deliver passengers to their doors rather than to a handful of fixed locations.  They can operate on existing roads or dedicated roadways rather than expensive, single purpose track.  

    They can be a mix of private and public vehicles.  They limit exposure of passengers to COVID and fentanyl fumes.  You can but do not have to own one – you will call one like a taxi or a dynamically routed minibus. 

    Light rail is obsolete.

    • Theo September 16, 2023 (9:58 pm)

      Self-driving vehicles are the future.They can even be hacked easily and sabotaged, which will make roads all the more safe.They will be wildly expensive because of the extremely low volume and will put millions on roads, necessitating even larger roads which will sprawl out cities further distancing people.  And best of all they will entirely destroy any walkability by making every single road and street uncrossable by pedestrians.

      • Whoosh September 17, 2023 (4:39 pm)

        it’s amazing when I see people advocate for continuous lines of bumper-to-bumper cars or intersections that have cars constantly moving through them. it is clear they never walk, or they’d understand what a nightmare that sounds like to a pedestrian. they can only see problems that occur to them while driving, and refuse to empathize with other transit modes. the car is their one and only solution, and everyone needs to learn that they’re right!

    • SA September 16, 2023 (10:11 pm)

      This is a very long way off. Even more than the train.

    • Whoosh September 17, 2023 (1:54 am)

      so the reason for self driving cars is… to get the same benefits of trains and buses which do all those things better, cheaper, and they exist right now?

      • WS Guy September 17, 2023 (10:00 am)

        No, it’s to deliver those benefits to your door where people will actually use them; a version with the flexibility of privacy and cargo for passengers who need them.  Imagine an efficient transport network with 80% usage rate instead of the 5-15% of bus and rail.  At a fraction of the cost to operate (no human drivers).

        • Whoosh September 17, 2023 (4:33 pm)

          no human self driving is most likely an unsolvable problem within necessary constraints that it won’t be paywalled for the very few. you’re trying to amortize probably trillions of dollars of research and ongoing maintainence in environments that are already car centric, which as the future ticks on is optimisticly decreasing (EU, Asia, pockets of the US). the obsession with door-to-door transit is symptomatic of the sprawl we currently live in. no one is going to be able to tell the difference if they have to walk 1-3 minutes from a transit stop to their destination given pedestrian-centered infrastructure. the future you advocate for is setting up all streets to become congested highways of rapidly moving cars. that is not an environment that humans will thrive existing in. think outside the status quo for the future; not a continued spiral into car dystopia by investing in what corporate interests want you to.

          • E September 18, 2023 (1:54 am)

            Thank you. I’m all for autonomous vehicle research because as a cyclist I see all the crazy stuff that drivers do (and that other drivers just seem to tolerate…I guess it’s easy to ignore people running clear reds at the end of a cycle, changing lanes without looking, etc. when they’ll scratch their paint instead of end up in an ambulance most likely). Forcing ton-plus metal vehicles to follow the laws as written is probably a good thing for the society as a whole. But there’s no way we should be moving towards furthering our reliance on individual vehicles. They’re just too space inefficient. Even if a bus only has two people on it, your still no worse than you would be from a traffic congestion standpoint versus single people driving in cars. And every person after that is huge win. Every bicycle that’s not taking up a car of space driving alone is also a huge win–devoting a parking lane to a bike lane is a clear boon to traffic congestion reduction. And then you get to the really efficient means like light and heavy rail and it’s no question. Trains of cars with one or a couple occupants versus light rail? Ha! They’re not even in the same ballpark in terms of ability to move people where they need to go. So sure, we do need to work to build the infrastructure quickly, but single occupancy vehicles are never going to be the future. The math can never pencil out–even if they’re perfectly efficient electric vehicles powered by solar–because they take up so much space compared to literally any other current alternative. Autonomous vehicles will be nice eventually as a replacement for personal vehicles when they become safer than humans for those who truly need a car, but we need to make sure those who want and need a car are.few and far between if we’re going to have a functioning transportation network. 

        • Eddie September 17, 2023 (6:08 pm)

          “Right to my door…”. Why can’t they pick me up right from by bed? I can’t be expected to walk my fat A*s to some transit stop two blocks from my house, it’s terrible!

        • Brett September 17, 2023 (10:15 pm)

          Do you realize how long it would take for all cars in WS to be replaced with self driving cars?  Even half the cars?  Decades.  Probably at least 3 for the half-life.  Add that to how long it will be before we even have fully autonomous self driving cars.  SMH, if you want to make meaningful change, it has to be done with technology we already have that can be practically implemented.  If you don’t want to make meaningful changes…well then you are part of the problem.

    • JG September 17, 2023 (1:15 pm)

      Self driving cars would have to actually work first. Multiple companies have been trying to make that technology work for almost a decade. It still hasn’t gone anywhere. Let me know when it works

  • Admiral Resident September 16, 2023 (9:31 pm)

    Once again, the usual tiny squad of anti-rail trolls come out to try to convince the majority of us sane people that no, in fact, every other city with good public transit is wrong, and that a rail system is somehow bad for reasons that make very little sense when considered thoughtfully.  Perhaps they’ve never been anywhere else in their lives, or lived in a place with actual good public transit, or simply hate the concept of a city that’s not reliant on wasteful, single-occupancy vehicles occupying most of the right of way.  Whatever the reason, they’ve been wrong in the past, are wrong now, and will continue to be wrong long into the future when we actually have a decent rail network and the city not only survives this terrible imposition but thrives because of it.

    • Scarlett September 17, 2023 (8:41 am)

      No, it simply doesn’t pencil out for many of us who are pro transit. There is no need to lash out angrily and brand everyone as an anti-transit NIMB Y.   By the way, if you’ve been to the places you claim to have been, you’d know that light rail has been an expensive, abysmal flop,  In cities like Sacramento,  LA and Phoenix, there are gleaming, brand new lines, costing hundreds of millions of dollars (Folsom, Arcadia) that run in endless loops without a single occupant.  Who is pushing construction of these lines and who really benefits?  Special interests, of course.   

      • LookedItUp4You September 17, 2023 (12:13 pm)

        Sacramento light rail daily ridership: ~40k.  Phoenix light rail daily ridership: ~30k. LA light rail daily ridership: ~100k! [1] and these are all from Q1 2023, so post-COVID and still off from 2019 peaks, rising YOY. but just look at us: we have the 4th busiest light rail. those other places could be a “flop” but you can’t even look to your own backyard to see a successful transit project? it sounds like you’re regurgitating anti-transit fantasies about there being empty rolling stock and haven’t looked up anything yourself to form your opinion.[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_light_rail_systems

        • Scarlett September 17, 2023 (7:55 pm)

          Have you ever ridden light rail in LA? Nah, you go to your friend google and pluck some cool sounding numbers that don’t begin to give anyone a real picture of the fiasco it has been.  There is close to 100 miles of light rail/subway line in LA “serving” a greater metro population of somewhere around 18 MILLION people.  That 100K?  LOL!  It does more to clutter traffic and create a nightmare than solve any transportation woes.  Seattle?  Strip away the airport as a destination and the Central Link is an absolute ghost train.  You’re the one regurgitating light rai fantasies, my friend.   Get out from behind your computer, get out of Seattle where you can believe all kinds of magical things, and  travel around the country.  

          • foop September 18, 2023 (3:28 am)

            Anyone saying the 1 line is a ghost train outside of airport traffic is not living in reality. I’ve never been on an empty car aside from peak pandemic times. I often take the rail from Downtown to Cap Hill or Northgate and it’s often very full.

      • JG September 17, 2023 (1:17 pm)

        If you’re anti link light rail you’re not pro transit and you are NIMBY. It’s very simple.Some of the lines you mention are new streetcars, not light rail.And as the person you replied to said, tons of world class cities have great transit systems. It’s crazy that people here don’t want the same.

        • Scarlett September 17, 2023 (7:59 pm)

          Here we go again:  “World class cities have X, Y and X.”  Yep, that settles everything, because every city is exactly the same and every situation where we are considering public transit, regardless of mitigating factors, should have light rail.   

          • Brett September 17, 2023 (10:22 pm)

            Scarlett, if you want to be against light rail, that’s your right, but either offer up a better option (with substance) or sit down and let the adults speak.

          • K September 18, 2023 (6:14 am)

            Dude, you can’t argue “X didn’t work in cities Y and Z” to counter one argument and then LITERALLY argue “you can’t compare different cities” like two posts later.  I mean, you can, but it screams “I just don’t like this and I’ll say anything to try to convince you to take my side.” 

  • sgs September 16, 2023 (10:12 pm)

    This would be fine and dandy if we could get a bus that goes all the way to the link station at Lander.  

    • sgs September 16, 2023 (10:33 pm)

      There is a direct bus, apparently the 50.  

  • West head September 16, 2023 (10:26 pm)

    Yes for light rail. We have been needing one to connect us to th city more conveniently.. west Seattle had electric trolleys spanning all of west Seattle up until the 50’s we are going backwards with buses and falling under par with the rest of the city’s transportation. 5 min to downtown sounds way better than wasteful  use of gas,parking,and crowded streets for single non car poolers. Why on earth would some folks be against the light rail?  Seriously some party poopers . Unless we are talking jobs for drivers of course we need busses but a light rail to downtown is in need.,. West Seattle has too many choke points that slow effectiveness in transportation time to the city’s most hard working class we need to support that now and in th future. 

    • D-Ridge September 17, 2023 (1:43 pm)

      They claim the buses are enough… just took the Route 50 and it took 20 minutes to go one mile and was stuck behind construction on Genesee. You can walk that distance in that time. Also it was only running every 30 minutes to boot.

      • E September 18, 2023 (1:59 am)

        Here here! And the transfer points from the light rail feel unsafe at night. The frequency isn’t nearly high enough. And what about what happened when there was construction on the bridge with the crack. Resiliency is a good thing!

        • Scarlett September 18, 2023 (8:32 pm)

          Correct.  Bus transit offers flexibility in terms of stops, frequency and ability to add capacity.   I’m not sure why this is such a difficult concept for the light railers to grasp.  

  • FH September 16, 2023 (10:31 pm)

    NIMBYism will be the downfall of West Seattle

  • Unfortunate September 16, 2023 (10:32 pm)

    We needed light rail long ago. Better late than never. 

  • Neighbor September 17, 2023 (12:16 am)

    The best time to build light rail was 50 years ago.  The second best time is now.

  • Jon Wright September 17, 2023 (7:19 am)

    Shocked to see a gondola advocate involved in this latest anti-transit effort!

  • Pete September 17, 2023 (8:05 am)

    Seems there is no new information being presented here. This has been discussed repeatedly in public meetings and forums for over six years. AND this group is making assumptions of what might happen since final decisions have not been made yet. If I had to bet I would place my money that this an alternative to us not getting the much desired, and talked about, gondola. 

  • Jon Mathison September 17, 2023 (8:19 am)

    A better walk through idea would be through West Seattle Streets to discuss how the current car-centric infrastructure has ruined West Seattle. We could stop at all the accident sites, all the places that people are killed, all the backups, and then we could talk about the future that we want for our children and ask why children don’t walk or bike anymore? As we’re walking we could talk about how it’s too dangerous to walk because of the car drivers.  We could talk about how much money the city wastes on parking and infrastructure for the car dependent.   We could even talk about the fallacy of hitting net zero using cars for transportation.Is it too much to ask these car-dependent geniuses they get their act together and get their cars off the road first?

    • E September 18, 2023 (2:02 am)

      Exactly this. Change always feels scary, but the Link is clearly the right choice. I’m sorry if someone’s business is going to need to be moved because of the construction but all cities go through this and Seattle is well behind the timeline when it should have started this. Transiting away from car dependency towards other options will be a win for everyone, even people who want or need to drive. 

  • NW September 17, 2023 (8:31 am)

    Would the lite rail from west seattle end in Sodo then transfer to lite rail into downtown?

    • WSB September 17, 2023 (9:17 am)

      For the first seven years – assuming the current schedule is what actually happens, WS line in 2032 and Ballard line in 2039.

  • Christine September 17, 2023 (9:52 am)

    Does Ounces have enough parking if a bunch of people show up? I am thinking of joining the walk. 

    • NW September 17, 2023 (10:27 am)

      One of the only King County park and rides is quarter mile away in the west seattle bridge beside steel mill. Are there plans to build a park and ride next to lite rail station in West Seattle?

      • WSB September 17, 2023 (10:48 am)

        No.

    • heartless September 17, 2023 (10:45 am)

      Wants to protest mass transit.  Worries there won’t be enough parking.  Peak West Seattle behavior. 

      • Lol September 17, 2023 (12:21 pm)

        I hope it’s satire. can’t imagine they couldn’t see the irony in what they wrote before posting 🤣

  • Peter September 17, 2023 (10:02 am)

    These are anti-democracy extremists who want a legal vote that won by a huge margin, and that still has overwhelming community support, to be overturned just because they disagree with it.

    • Jeff September 17, 2023 (3:54 pm)

      This should be the beginning and end of all discussions on this subject.    We had a vote, it passed strongly.    Any attempts to stop rail without a change in that circumstance is explicitly anti-democracy.    How effective or expensive or anything else…. irrelevant.   It was voted upon.

      • Martin September 17, 2023 (9:07 pm)

        Since the vote in 2016 Sound Transit has dropped ridership estimates from 37,000 to 27,000 and since the pandemic ridership has dropped further. In the meantime, the cost has doubled, and the timeline has been extended several times. The ST3 measure explicitly gave the Board the option to modify lines which are infeasible (it already did so on prior measures: Sound Move and ST2). Until the Board decides what to do the voters only gave them the option to collect taxes until approved projects are paid for.

  • Jay September 17, 2023 (1:43 pm)

    The 100 cars argument is leaving out the fact that many more people will be traveling that route, and that induced demand means than any time traffic on a road is alleviated more people will choose to drive. The NIMBYs know this. They are trying to trick people with oversimplified arguments and lies into supporting the anti-transit position. Their real motivation is that they’re upset about density, diversity, and change. They don’t like that the “golden age” of 1950s West Seattle is going away. It’s a really gross and upsetting situation. Listen to their online discussions when they let the mask slip occasionally and reveal what this is really all about.

    • Listening September 18, 2023 (11:43 am)

      actually a point i didn’t consider: that the 100 figure could be w/ consideration of induced demand. Jay, do you know where we can find the methodologies that ST used to calculate this number and others like CO2, etc.? i’ve tried going through the drafts with no luck, but will keep trying.

  • Curious September 17, 2023 (5:57 pm)

    anyone have an update on number of folks that went, and what their talking points were besides the usual?

    • Lagartija Nick September 18, 2023 (10:16 am)

      I caught up with them for their Longfellow creek presentation. There were a out 50-60 people there at least 20 of which were pro light rail. There was even a guy with a “build light rail now” sign. It was comical, they didn’t know whether the track would go over the culvert at Andover or the daylighted portion of the creek and they didn’t know whether the track would take out the health club or not but they assured us that it would be devastating to both. There was a presentation about the beavers in the creek (who doesn’t love beavers!) by a woman who had just moved to Washington from California a whole year ago and she was heartbroken about their potential loss (something about vibrations from the tracks 150’overhead). Then there was a short mention of the salmon spawning in the creek and how they would be wiped out by this project. Nevermind that they have to travel through a culvert under T-5 and Nucor to reach these spawning grounds, they would surely die if there was a concrete guide way 150′ overhead. My curiosity sated, I skipped out on the rest of the tour. Too much misinformation, disinformation, hyperbole and fear mongering for my taste. 

      • Curious September 18, 2023 (11:40 am)

        thanks for the info, Nick. glad we got you and others out there showing support for the rail. tho i agree about environmental concerns and want an alternative that could use existing car right-of-way rather than demolition, using those concerns as a cudgel to stop any rail is incredibly myopic.Cheers

  • LAintheJunction September 17, 2023 (6:50 pm)

    I for one and looking forward to having light rail in West Seattle. Having lived in Portland and taken Max all around the city, having light rail is fantastic. So much better than buses that get stuck in traffic. Bring it on!

    • Martin September 17, 2023 (9:15 pm)

      Even if the light rail only takes you a few stations to SODO where you will have to go up an escalator and down an escalator to another track and wait for the next train from Rainier Valley? (which may be full)Sound Transit doesn’t plan to continue the line until it builds a new tunnel through downtown. That plan just got delayed for further studies.

      • foop September 18, 2023 (3:25 am)

        Are light rails a flop or are they going to be full? You folks can’t seem to make up your minds.

      • Patty September 18, 2023 (9:10 am)

        Why does everyone act like this is a good argument? Mindlessly stand on an escalator while I browse the web on my phone vs driving in traffic and having to concentrate on not being hit by other cars while switching lanes? I can’t wait to take 2 escalators and spend my travel time focusing on something productive. 

      • Another One September 18, 2023 (11:03 am)

        You really haven’t been on any long-established rail-based public transportation systems, have you?  Many cities have multi-level rails where you have to go up and around to make a transfer. That’s pretty normal.  Maybe you didn’t even use the buses back in the day when you’d take a bus downtown into the bus tunnel, get out on the street level and take another bus. 

      • WS Res September 18, 2023 (12:00 pm)

        You mean like you do on… the London Underground?

  • Millie September 17, 2023 (11:00 pm)

    Sound Transit does not have a good track record for either being on time or on budget.  Every few years we get a progress report and future construction proposals prior to a new levy request for increased tax collection.   Look at the many delays (siting, construction, re-builds of previously completed work) due to a lack of a truly comprehensive work plan to address transportation needs for the current tri-county population, let alone the future growth.  In the interim available land is used for new home/condo/office construction – increasing future land acquisition costs for light rail.   

  • sgs September 18, 2023 (10:58 am)

    Light rail is a great idea, except for our current cultural norms of not paying for rides, smoking/doing drugs on the train, and/or urinating/defecating…..all of which plague other lines.   If we could solve these problems first, then the billions are worth it.

  • Jl September 18, 2023 (6:00 pm)

    Scarlett has valid comments and opinions!  

  • Scarlett September 18, 2023 (9:22 pm)

    Picture yourself ten or so years from now.  You’re at a sparsely populated WS light rail station that you had to be dropped off at, or had to take a bus to get to.  Maybe you walk because you are lucky enough to live close by or you rode your bike to the station – great – but you’re thinking “why didn’t I just ride all the way downtown?”   Anyway, the train pulls up, you get on, and the door closes. You head towards one of the hard, uncomfortable seats, almost losing your balance as the train shimmies, and you’re off to the races. 

    Along the way, you begin thinking of the tremendous cost, materials, and labor that when into the contruction of a few miles of line,  and still the same clogged traffic.  Even you – a light rail fan – begin to think if it was all….well, you know.  You get downtown and now, because of limited stops, you have to walk a good distance to the office, or wherever it is you are going.  Heading back later in the day, you head for the light rail station, but then stop suddenly.  Across the street there’s your old friend, a C line bus waiting just for you and another behind that one.  Suddenly you’re running.  Hold up!   

    • Heidi September 20, 2023 (11:54 am)

      Scarlett you are spot on!  This train project is a train wreck.  Wasteful and destructive. 

Sorry, comment time is over.