Both the Times and the PI had articles about effects of Tuesday’s NO monorail vote.
From the PI:
Monorail board members brushed aside a plea from City Council members who asked the agency to slow down so there could be talks about what to use the land for. Board members barely disguised their anger at the city’s request, given the recent withdrawal of city support and the push for the do-or-die ballot measure that killed the project.
Oh the irony! Aren’t these the same city officials who supported Mayor Gridlock’s abitrary deadline for the SMP board to correct the $11 billion mess? “Hurry up and fix it! We don’t have time!” and then “Oh, take your time selling property. We’re in no rush.” Idiots.
From the Times:
Seven members of the City Council on Wednesday signed a letter urging SMP to preserve the station land for use in some future transit system.
I can’t even comment on this one.
Some Q&A from the Times:
Q: Does the monorail’s demise leave the western side of the city out of luck, as far as getting rapid transit?
A: Maybe. Any other rapid-transit system reaching Ballard and West Seattle, out of other traffic, would seem years away. There is no other money for the corridor, and eventually the Alaskan Way Viaduct would close through either an earthquake or reconstruction — isolating West Seattle.
Sound Transit’s available funding is earmarked for a $1.7 billion tunnel serving Westlake Center, Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium.
Sorry David, you and the rest of West Seattle are screwed.
Q: What’s being done about this?
A: As Mayor Greg Nickels and City Council members turned against the monorail this summer, they instructed Seattle Department of Transportation to study other options. Director Grace Crunican said the research would take about a year.
One problem is how to link West Seattle to existing bus lanes or future light-rail tracks in Sodo; Crunican does not want commuters forced to transfer midway to downtown.
In other words, nothing. Thanks Mayor Gridlock.
So maybe killing a viable, planned, and affordable tranportion option for the western half of Seattle wasn’t such a good idea.
Study other options? That’s bureaucra-code for “spend money doing nothing,” which is exactly what killed the monorail in the first place. Seattle is the only city I’ve ever seen that can spend a million dollars a week “studying” something.
Any guesses where this gem came from?
The No on Monorail campaign.
Yep, more at-grade light rail - a visionary transit solution. And we re-elected the council members that after 5 years still don’t understand that you can’t run light rail over the West Seattle Bridge.
Any guesses where this gem came from?
The No on Monorail campaign.
Visionary, like at-grade light rail that avoids 90 percent of the population of Seattle and almost gets to the airport. (Well, it will get to the airport if you and I pony up more $$$ to rebuild the airport roads to accomodate light rail.)