dpk’s weblog

Danny Westneat’s editorial on Ron Sims changing his mind about light rail. I agree with his main point: it sounds like Ron Sims could use a break. In an earlier story his wife had to remind him of his duty to the people that, as a public figure, he needs to speak out for or against matters of public interest — especially those that he himself worked so hard to promote. That is in my non-expert opinion a classic sign of burn-out.

I also agree with Ron Sims (assuming he’s quoted correctly). It is disappointing that it will take so long and cost so much to complete the light rail project. It’s disappointing that when we put out a request for bids for a key rail station, we get one response, and it is double what we expected it to be. I would also like to see some toll roads built, and some additional congestion reduction plans (specifically, bringing 520 all the way in to Seattle, instead of only to I-5. How many man-years/billion tons of CO2 would that one act save?).

That all said, the fact remains: we need to do something about our region’s roads and our woefully inadequate transit system. More lanes, built smartly and in the right places, can reduce congestion. Faster, more attractive (read: frequent, clean, and not full) transit options can reduce the number of cars on the road. Doing nothing will only mean more congestion and an ever-less-viable transit option (as buses and trains run over capacity), and ultimately an even more expensive bill when we eventually do decide to address it.