Jul 27 2009
Sound Transit’s Light Rail Opening: People Will Come
After decades of talk and debate, Seattle now has light-rail to add to its transportation options. The opening of the new 14-mile segment is our 1st down play to move people in this region more effectively. I voted in favor of the Sound Transit 2 measure on last year’s ballot, supporting an expanded system totaling 55 miles and 19 stations in the next 15 years. Light rail is the most effective mode to move a lot of people from urban center to urban center. As one link is built to the next link, between 50,000 to 110,000 will be riding the system in the upcoming decades. Pulling a quote from the movie, Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come”, in this case, “If you build it, people will use it.” By the way, for you movie buffs, it is “he” will come, not “they.” The phrase is often misquoted.
As you may know, I serve on the Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) Transportation Policy Board and its Executive Board. In this capacity, I review and approve numerous regional transportation projects using federal funds. At our July 23rd, 2009, meeting, I was successful in receiving federal funding allocations for two projects known as the “Mount Baker Light Rail Station pedestrian lighting” project and the “Rainier Avenue/Jackson Street Transit Priority Improvement” project. These projects will directly benefit bus riders and users of the Rainier Avenue/Jackson Street transit corridor and other SE Seattle residents. Currently, more than 7 million transit patrons use the services that serve this corridor. The City of Seattle forecasts that transit patronage will increase by 10% when the improvements are implemented.
