Leaders must remain focused on traffic fixes

At first glance, it seems like good news: The Puget Sound region’s traffic congestion is easing, according to a respected national report.

Below the surface, though, lie a darker reality and a danger. The reality is that the report from the Texas Transportation Institute used different criteria than in the past, making the picture look rosier than it truly is. The danger is that political leaders in Olympia might use the findings to throttle back on the urgency of fixing our inadequate transportation system.

Anyone who sits through the daily bottlenecks in Snohomish or King counties will scoff at the notion that things are getting better. Some decrease in congestion could be traced to the high unemployment numbers of the past three years, but even that undesirable “solution” hasn’t had much of an impact. The latest national report added Tacoma to the region, which made the overall picture look better but didn’t change the fact that Snohomish County commuters still waste far too much time in gridlock.

What has long been needed is political leadership from both parties in Olympia to finally bring achievable, long-term traffic solutions to fruition. Both parties must realize that it can’t be all highways or all transit – a workable balance must be struck. Politicians who favor an all-or-nothing approach should be seen for what they are: roadblocks to real solutions.

Ideas like dedicated transit and carpool ramps (scheduled to open soon off I-5 in Lynnwood and at 164th Street SW) are steps in the right direction. So is planning that encourages growth closer to freeways and existing transit routes. Snohomish County is taking important steps toward the latter, seeking to establish “urban centers” where commuter and pedestrian lifestyles can be accommodated. Such efforts are to be applauded.

Still, there’s no escaping the fact the more highway lanes are needed throughout the region. Explosive growth along Highway 9, for example, is making that route a bigger headache for those commuting from Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Granite Falls, Marysville and Arlington. Widening the highway is a must, and the state must find a way to pay for it.

Every year that passes without major progress toward a fix makes the final solution more expensive. Voters should demand that candidates for governor and the Legislature make regional transportation a priority issue, electing candidates who support balanced, achievable solutions.

National reports don’t change the facts. Our transportation system remains woefully inadequate to the task of moving people and goods reliably and predictably. We need leaders who will actually lead us to solutions.

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