Here we go again! Voters express their disapproval of Sound Transit’s $50 billion light rail plan, and all of a sudden, they come up with another plan wherein every concern is resolved, and eight of the proposed new projects will be completed an average of 3.6 years sooner — amazing! How did that happen?
ST officials say they now have “a more complete financial picture” and that it will cost just $4 billion more.
Voters should remember that in 1996 Sound Transit promised to build 21 miles of light rail in 10 years for $2.5 billion. Five years later (when ST officials had “a more complete financial picture”) they revised that to 14 miles in 13 years for $3.6 billion — a 33 percent cut in the project scope, a 33 percent delay in completion, and a 44 percent cost overrun!
Dave Earling says light rail could help relieve traffic congestion. Really? The last study I read said light rail could reduce congestion by as much as 1.3 percent — which means a 45-minute commute could be reduced all the way down to 44 minutes. Is that really worth $54 billion and a 20-year wait?
It’s high time we voters really thought this through rationally instead of blindly following the whims of these public officials who live off of our earnings. Light rail makes no financial sense, and is based on never-ending (literally) new taxes — with provisions for another tax hike in the plans. Bus rapid transit, however, does have merit and is a fraction of the cost.
Let’s keep our taxpayer-funded ST board members from picking our pockets for more wasteful and ineffective transit dollars. Vote no on ST3.
Kent Hendricks
Bothell
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