Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, October 24, 2012
City City Council May Be Plotting to Cut Funding for High-Capacity Transit to Ballard, U-District
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 12:28 PM
I would rather balance a turd on my nose than balance a budget, so I completely understand how you might be avoiding the HOURS UPON HOURS of Seattle City Council budget meetings happening now through November 2, as the council adjusts aspects of Mayor Mike McGinn's proposed 2013-2014 budget.
BUT: If you care about transit, tune in at 2:00 p.m. today as the council discusses McGinn's transportation budget, which includes $5 million to study and design four new high-capacity transit lines (think streetcar) connecting downtown to Ballard, Queen Anne, and the University District, as well as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system servicing Madison Park. If this ambitious budget is approved, the new lines could be up and running within five years.
A month ago, council transportation committee chair Tom Rasmussen said that the council's support for this funding was "all but guaranteed."
However, I'm hearing a lot of talk that select council members are working to cut the funding to pay for other pet projects. We'll get a better sense of how strong this opposition is at 2:00 p.m., as council members attempt to frame the discussion to suit their interests.
The best way to combat the potential cuts before the council votes on their budget (which will happen after Election Day) is to email them all and tell them not to fuck with transit funding. Make sure to add an emoticon, so they can better read your emotions! >:(
In other budget news, council members are also talking about imposing fines on dog owners for using offleash dog parks and hiring new parking enforcement officers but cutting McGinn's cool parking pay-by-cell program—basically meaning we'd have more people ticketing cars without the added convenience of allowing drivers to update their on-street parking by phone.
If you care about these issues, email! Emote! Repeat!
1
Or ...
They could just cancel the ALREADY OVER BUDGET Billionaires Beep Tunnel they want to build but can't afford for SR-99.
Decisions have consequences.
One provides more capacity for cars - increased transit.
One reduces capacity for cars - the Deeply Borrowed Tunnel build underwater that we can't afford and never could.
They could just cancel the ALREADY OVER BUDGET Billionaires Beep Tunnel they want to build but can't afford for SR-99.
Decisions have consequences.
One provides more capacity for cars - increased transit.
One reduces capacity for cars - the Deeply Borrowed Tunnel build underwater that we can't afford and never could.
2
In what way are dawdling old streetcars "high-capacity transit"? They're vanity transit, it seems to me -- stylish but useless, less usable and less capacious than buses.
High-capacity transit means grade-separated trains. They're building one of those to the U District as I type this. Ballard, of course, is fucked; Ballard will always be fucked for transit (look at the ridiculous cock-up with "RapidRide", and all the other plans --read "zero" -- for transit there).
High-capacity transit means grade-separated trains. They're building one of those to the U District as I type this. Ballard, of course, is fucked; Ballard will always be fucked for transit (look at the ridiculous cock-up with "RapidRide", and all the other plans --read "zero" -- for transit there).
3
Um, Fnarf, the suicide lanes in Ballard make it grade-separated ... Just look at the BRT on Aurora N of the Ship Canal.
4
@3, you're the stupidest person on the planet. WHAT "BRT" on Aurora? RapidRide E hasn't been implemented yet, moron. And Aurora buses are grade-separated? Cerebral cortex separated more like.
And "suicide lanes", whatever the fuck those are -- I can't even be bothered to try and figure out what you are misinterpreting here -- are not "grade separated". Words have meanings. You should maybe take a few seconds to look up what "grade" means, and what "grade separated" means. Better yet, blow your fucking brains out, or cut your hands off with a power saw so you can't type inane bullshit about stuff you don't understand here anymore.
Seriously, Will: eat shit. Eat shit and die. Eat a barrel of cockroaches and die horribly, and soon.
And "suicide lanes", whatever the fuck those are -- I can't even be bothered to try and figure out what you are misinterpreting here -- are not "grade separated". Words have meanings. You should maybe take a few seconds to look up what "grade" means, and what "grade separated" means. Better yet, blow your fucking brains out, or cut your hands off with a power saw so you can't type inane bullshit about stuff you don't understand here anymore.
Seriously, Will: eat shit. Eat shit and die. Eat a barrel of cockroaches and die horribly, and soon.
5
^^^
I'm stealing this rant and modifying it for use while debating conservatives on Facebook or HuffingtonPost.
I'm stealing this rant and modifying it for use while debating conservatives on Facebook or HuffingtonPost.
6
A "suicide lane" in normal human -- i.e., not Will in Seattle -- usage is a lane that changes direction at certain times of the day, like the I-5 express lanes, or the center lane on the Mercer Island Floating Bridge before they built the second bridge (or on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge today).
There are no suicide lanes in Ballard, of course; RapidRide (fake BRT) system involves no suicide lanes OR grade separation; and suicide lanes have nothing whatsoever to do with grade separation, which is when travel systems cross at different levels (grades) so that they don't interfere with each other at the crossing. Bridges, tunnels, subways, monorails, elevated trains, viaducts, and overpasses are all grade-separated. The LINK is grade-separated (in a tunnel) downtown and above Tukwila; it is NOT grade-separated down MLK.
None of this is remotely confusing to any sentient person, at least those with even a passing interest in transit -- even a once-a-year bus rider is likely to understand it. Will, on the other hand, understands nothing. He sits and stares at his refrigerator all day wondering when the Number 16 is coming by.
There are no suicide lanes in Ballard, of course; RapidRide (fake BRT) system involves no suicide lanes OR grade separation; and suicide lanes have nothing whatsoever to do with grade separation, which is when travel systems cross at different levels (grades) so that they don't interfere with each other at the crossing. Bridges, tunnels, subways, monorails, elevated trains, viaducts, and overpasses are all grade-separated. The LINK is grade-separated (in a tunnel) downtown and above Tukwila; it is NOT grade-separated down MLK.
None of this is remotely confusing to any sentient person, at least those with even a passing interest in transit -- even a once-a-year bus rider is likely to understand it. Will, on the other hand, understands nothing. He sits and stares at his refrigerator all day wondering when the Number 16 is coming by.
7
As a bicycle commuter, I'm highly skeptical of tracks. Westlake, for example. Used to be a good bike route. Not so much now, thanks to the street car. Broadway too. Sure we'll get a cycle track someday. Still not sure how that's going to work out, but for now Broadway is officially off limits to bicycles. Grade separated rail can be awesome. On street rail destroys bicycle routes.
8
I had much the same reaction as Fnarf @2. I saw "four new high-capacity transit lines (think streetcar)," and thought, "When I think high-capacity transit, I really don't think streetcars," especially with Seattle's track record (no pun intended) with streetcars.
Listen, we all know what the only long-term answer is for Ballard and the southwest portion of the city. It's not much different from the ill-fated monorail Green Line. Seattle needs a second north-south light rail trunk--grade-separated through downtown--and it needs to be part of Sound Transit 3, however far off that is. See: http://seattlesubway.org/
Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention, but what's frustrating to me is that we never hear that kind of long-term vision publicly from the mayor or the City Council. And McGinn has already done such a sorry job delivering on his light rail campaign plank, which was somewhat sketchy to begin with.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm against this streetcar proposal. Mark me down as ambivalent. To the extent such a network distracts us from westside light rail and makes taxpayers less inclined to pay for westside light rail, then mark me down as no. To the extent such a network is built to the same low standards as the SLU streetcar, then that hardens me on no.
If we're serious about so-called "high-capacity transit" on the cheap, let's start by carving out some real right-of-way for the RapidRide lines through the city.
Listen, we all know what the only long-term answer is for Ballard and the southwest portion of the city. It's not much different from the ill-fated monorail Green Line. Seattle needs a second north-south light rail trunk--grade-separated through downtown--and it needs to be part of Sound Transit 3, however far off that is. See: http://seattlesubway.org/
Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention, but what's frustrating to me is that we never hear that kind of long-term vision publicly from the mayor or the City Council. And McGinn has already done such a sorry job delivering on his light rail campaign plank, which was somewhat sketchy to begin with.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm against this streetcar proposal. Mark me down as ambivalent. To the extent such a network distracts us from westside light rail and makes taxpayers less inclined to pay for westside light rail, then mark me down as no. To the extent such a network is built to the same low standards as the SLU streetcar, then that hardens me on no.
If we're serious about so-called "high-capacity transit" on the cheap, let's start by carving out some real right-of-way for the RapidRide lines through the city.
9
@7, especially when the tracks are in the curb lane, where bicycles ride. Worst of all possible worlds. Get some fat tires (Jack Brown 33-1/3 from Rivendell).
10
Two lanes no cars on 15th. Fnarf says they don't exist. I say they do. Traffic cameras say they do.
Oh, who to believe. It's like nobody ever did a loading platform at a crosswalk ever in the history of man ...
Well, except in Seattle. We use kayaks. Right?
Oh, who to believe. It's like nobody ever did a loading platform at a crosswalk ever in the history of man ...
Well, except in Seattle. We use kayaks. Right?
11
@8, I agree, more or less. If the streetcar results in more seats covering more ground more often, then it's OK, even if it's less than ideal. If it means the loss of bus routes and further consolidation of service, then it's horrible. And the West Side needs to be included in transit planning more; I would probably argue that an east-west link to LINK (Seattle Subway purple line, change at Brooklyn, or Roosevelt, or the stadium) is more valuable than another route to downtown, but whatever.
12
The city council votes for a 4th sports palace, because Seattle needs 4 sports palaces, but can't find funding for transit. Okay now we all know the priorities in Seattle. I'm thinking a 5th sports palace for little league and Ice skating is vital.
14
@12, get in line! I've already submitted my proposals for (5) velodrome (6) jai alai fronton and (7) NASCAR track. You're (8) and (9). Actually, I think that numbering is off -- Key Arena, Safeco, CenturyLink, New Hec Ed, New Husky Stadium, Chris Hansen Arena -- I'm (7), (8), and (9); you're (10) and (11).
15
@13, that's a poor definition, but whatever; I'll accept it. Needless to say a shared turn lane doesn't have anything to do with grade separation, so Will's comment still makes zero sense. He's the Madlibs of Slog commenting.
16
My mother, from New York, taught me how to drive in Seattle. I was horribly confused when she kept calling the two way turning lane the suicide lane. She told me that was the only lane emergency vehicles could get through with ease on New York's grid locked streets. However, when we went back to visit, I noticed that the streets were one way or no turning lanes at all. Of course, my mother thinks New Jersey is a lovely vacationing spot. Love her lots... but I kind of just kind of nod my head and smile.
17
now we need a streetcar from downtown to the U?
i thought buses and our $500M/mile light rail does that....
i thought buses and our $500M/mile light rail does that....
18
Save your phone call to the city for something other than this gimmick. $5 million won't get this project anywhere. The city DOES NOT have the capital funds to actually pay for more transit infrastructure now or in the near future. They should use the money to support the transit operations we still have.
19
A suicide lane is any lane that supports two way traffic. Like a shared turn lane.
Excellent. So we can blame your shithead hipster mayor for putting all those suicide lanes on the streets to facilitate the 3% of city residents who use bicycles. This is the same shithead who says it's impossible to license bicycles but wants to go after unlicensed dogs. What an asshole, along with all the idiots who voted for him.
Excellent. So we can blame your shithead hipster mayor for putting all those suicide lanes on the streets to facilitate the 3% of city residents who use bicycles. This is the same shithead who says it's impossible to license bicycles but wants to go after unlicensed dogs. What an asshole, along with all the idiots who voted for him.
20
The city council votes for a 4th sports palace, because Seattle needs 4 sports palaces, but can't find funding for transit.
That's right. This is your "progressive" mayor and your "progressive" city council at work. As for transit, the best transit is buses, but the privileged "progressive" white yuppies of Seattle don't want to ride with the dark and the poor. So they'll push for antiquated fixed rail, at the cost of a shrinking bus system.
And then you wonder why people look at you and laugh.
That's right. This is your "progressive" mayor and your "progressive" city council at work. As for transit, the best transit is buses, but the privileged "progressive" white yuppies of Seattle don't want to ride with the dark and the poor. So they'll push for antiquated fixed rail, at the cost of a shrinking bus system.
And then you wonder why people look at you and laugh.
21
@19, your inability to comprehend even the simplest concepts continues to impress. Left turn lanes have never been put in for the convenience of bicycles; that doesn't even make sense. How does a turn lane help a bicycle? Who it helps is CARS TURNING LEFT. That's why it's called a LEFT TURN LANE. It also moves cars waiting to turn out of the main through traffic lane, which speeds up the through traffic -- CAR through traffic.
You're an idiot.
You're an idiot.
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