Regarding Mr. Dave Aldrich’s June 15 op-ed column, “Building roads won’t help traffic congestion”: All he says istrue and I’m sure the math is correct, although I have not run the numbers. They are impressive and comprehensive and should garner a much larger audience than they will.
To accomplish what Mr. Aldrich foresees will take a complete shutdown of the expressway system in the Seattle/Everett/Tacoma corridor. When the only things left running are the buses then, and only then, will automobile drivers leave their second home and ride public transportation – even if it were free. Today’s commuter is not to be blamed. Our national experience for at least two generations has produced a population completely inexperienced in any other mode of getting to work other than the automobile. Our political response is, and has been, to build more roads and keep getting re-elected. So our response to the question of “what do we do now?” is to, as Mr. Aldrich said, build more roads. We help the short-sighted politicians by rewarding them with re-election.
I doubt if there is any person with any political interest who would attempt to run for office on the promise of no new roads, but a new bus-based commuter/home to town and shopping system. The voter just couldn’t understand such a concept.
All the amounts of money Mr. Aldrich included in his epistle could pay for all that he described, but the automobiles would have to be stopped, and parked. It is not going to happen.
Maybe we could involve the automobile manufacturers in our traffic problem, by not allowing the sale of any new autos until there were places for them to drive and park.
There is no way for any public transportation system to be a profit maker, or even a break-even operation. But if we ever want to get our drivers out of one-in-each car, we will have to furnish the public system going every direction and to every destination. That means the system will have to be operational (free, dependable, on time) and supported by public funds of some description.
No matter what we want or do, it will not happen without pain and several years or tears and much aggravation.
Mukilteo
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