Initiative 745 advocates predict that dedicating 90 percent of Washington transportation funding to roads would relieve traffic congestion – regardless of what fraction of present public transportation survived on the remaining 10 percent.
When transit routes are pruned back, to live within public transportation’s means, who in your household could take time off from work to drive Grandma to her appointment at the vision clinic? Would you drive a neighbor whose car broke down to his part-time job downtown? To the library? To the senior center? Who volunteers to transport community college students home to their outlying households after afternoon classes – including the students taking job training with children to pick up from day care?
Whose front yards and small business parking strips would the proposed additional lanes and connector roads be built through? And at the far end of each added trip, how much will you pay for the additional parking space needed – assuming you find any?
Building more roads hasn’t shown itself effective in decongesting traffic; just like additional airport runways have not been successful in relieving air traffic. An increase in capacity can instead expand traffic congestion. Why expect a different outcome under I-745?
Everett
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