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December 10, 2008 at 9:00 pm #588963
cooldsterMemberSo, I was just thinking the other night, ‘I wonder how many people in West Seattle still support a “good” monorail project to downtown..’
I remember before the “SMP” formed, the “ETC” was what it was called. And when I went to RiseAboveItAll’s HQ in West Seattle, I told myself: “I want to move to WS and use the monorail!”
As much as I hate to bring this up again, it is for a purpose: how many of you still support (or are new) a monorail system? And what do you think of the idea for an “Express Monorail” from WS to downtown [to help counteract the viaduct closure]?
Then, after some time, that system could “expand and upgrade” itself as need be in the future (i.e., south to airport, north to ballard area, etc.).
Thanks!
December 10, 2008 at 9:10 pm #649740
villagegreenMemberAye. It makes me too angry to expound upon it further, though.
December 10, 2008 at 9:15 pm #649741
WSBKeymasterThe whole thing just makes me cry. I was thinking I’d be walking down the hill to the monorail station (M-Junction station would have been a mile directly north from WSB HQ) with my son before (a) I turned 50 and (b) he was grown and gone. (The whole monorail thing unfolded before we were doing news, so all my past-voiced opinions live on in our archives.)
December 10, 2008 at 9:22 pm #649742
JenVMemberSeattle will never have a decent transportation system. that’s that. If you want viable transportation that actually works, move to Portland. :(
December 10, 2008 at 9:51 pm #649743
WSBKeymasterOr San Francisco. Seriously, riding Muni/BART is an enjoyable highlight of any visit there.
December 10, 2008 at 10:26 pm #649744
celeste17ParticipantI have always said that we should have done our Monorail at the same time as Portland did theirs. We could have had federal money to do it with but no our city fathers said Seattle will never need that type of transportation. I would love to go out my door walk two or three blocks and get a ride that would take 10 minutes and no traffic verses walking three blocks (one across a busy four lane road) and then have to wait for a bus that may or may not stop at that stop depending on how full they are and then have to put up with standing or if I am lucky a seat for 20-20 minutes depending on traffic. Ah they joy of a monorail.
December 10, 2008 at 10:30 pm #649745
villagegreenMemberOr any other medium-sized city with its shi*t together. Heck, even Minneapolis is a decade ahead of this supposed “World Class” city. It’s so pathetic you gotta laugh.
December 10, 2008 at 10:32 pm #649746
villagegreenMemberWhoops – guess my subconscious won out and I got the entire ‘S’ work in there. Sorry.
December 10, 2008 at 10:33 pm #649747
JoBParticipanti would settle for good bus connections to a year round water taxi… and a passenger only ferry from the current dock at fauntleroy..
December 11, 2008 at 2:29 am #649748
JulieMemberI think we should have done it; I still think we should do it. Of course, now that the opponents have had their way, it’ll be way more expensive. But it’s the cheapest way I can think of to get a grade-separated (that is, dependable), carbon-responsible transit system. So, is this the 6th vote?
What might have been….I’m still angry and still sad about that last vote and the absurd misrepresenation of costs that the opponents used to kill it.
We could have been riding it all last year–and planning an expansion now with money from a more transit friendly administration.
I believe that the light rail, when it opens next year, will have people all over the city realizing what real city transit could be.
But, lowmanbeach, I think West Seattle will be lucky if our grandchildren get something other than buses stuck in traffic to get out of West Seattle.
:(
December 11, 2008 at 9:36 am #649749
HeavyMetalConservativeMemberThe problem is voting. Nothing gets finished if we vote. Two examples are the Viaduct and the last Monorail.
What we need is a West Seattle Sugar Daddy like Paul Allen.
Have you jumped on the S.L.U.T.? (South Lake Union Trolley) I didn’t vote on it (that I am aware of) and it was built.
If you build it, they will ride!!!
PS – Although I have always liked the idea of a monorail going downtown, I have to ask. How are we gonna pay for it? Can we tax the hot air all these local politicians expel? As a home owner i must admit I am a bit wary. My property taxes just keep going up. HMMMMMM.
December 11, 2008 at 6:45 pm #649750
JoBParticipantHeavyMetalConservative…
paying for public transport is a problem.. but shouldn’t be if the priority for transportation dollars was public transport…
the viaduct project is a good example… why is there no public transport component being proposed as part of that project?
i know the short answer… that it is a state hwy.. but the entire project is within the city of seattle and the downtown area…
perhaps we could fund public transport by simply raising the cost of parking in the downtown core… with rates more in keeping with game parking at the stadium… it would suddenly become cost effective to take the bus.. and the increased demand would necessitate better service.
We could still make exceptions for people with disabilities…
and maybe those who bought an expensive all parking pass..
hehehe.. this has possibilities..
but not if you have to vote on it.
after all.. this is the city that called for a vote to avoid paying for the increased costs associated with plastic bags at the supermarket…
penny wise and pound foolish to the extreme…
December 12, 2008 at 12:23 am #649751
ellenaterMemberI’m from Portland. There is no excuse for Seattle’s complete transportation retardation…and I mean that in the literal sense. Sometimes I think there is too much privilege here. People talk about the most inane issue in regards to transportation. I am proud of Portland. My mom lives 30 miles outside the city and can go to the zoo, downtown, to the airport, and everywhere in between. Portland’s population has multiplied exponentially since i’ve lived there but it’s a pleasure to visit. Last year we went down for a wedding, stayed at a hotel that gave us vouchers for the streetcar, and never even used our car. Somebody in Seattle needs a really big spanking!
December 12, 2008 at 4:41 am #649752
DunnoParticipantMake it light rail. Can be in the air like at South Center or on the ground. Hook it up with what we will soon have. West Seattle to Sea-Tac.
In the future expand up Delridge thru White Center, and Burien to Sea-Tac.
Logical to have just one System rather than several. Makes it cheaper for parts, rail cars, authority, policing, ticketing, ect. Lets get it done!!
December 12, 2008 at 6:12 am #649753
JulieMemberDunno: I’ll go for it, absolutely. But it’s going to take decades–we’re not even in line, yet; the UW expansion won’t be operating until 2016, and the latest expansion we voted for doesn’t come online until 2023. So, yes, let’s do it, so our great-grandchildren can ride it. If the Obama administration commitment to infrastructure, together with Biden’s passion for railed transit, comes to fruition, maybe it will be there for our grandchildren.
But it still rankles that the monorail would have already been operating by now–for us! (And much more cheaply.)
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