There will be a lot of local-interest races on the fall ballot, but none with more local impact than a regional issue, the joint transit/roads tax package.
The plan – still facing some key approvals – could be pushing $20 billion by the time voters see it. It is the offspring of an arranged marriage, thanks to the Legislature, of Sound Transit’s request for more transit-related money and a three-county amalgam of road projects.
Most voters in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties will see the measure on their ballots.
Even ardent supporters say that amount still won’t address everything that needs fixing. Some, including Pierce County Executive and Sound Transit Chairman John Ladenburg, are expressing second thoughts about local impacts when taking the high road of regional cooperation.
The flaw in these concerns and second thoughts is believing that some grail, an ultimate fix, exists for traffic congestion.
Thinking that transportation issues can be fixed and forgotten is like believing that school clothes that were fine in the fall should still fit in the spring.
This region is growing and in some areas, pant legs and sleeves are getting a smidge short. Sure, we can unroll a hem here and there, but eventually, seams will burst under the pressure. The growth spurt isn’t over and the same is going to happen next year, too.
The combined package of people-moving projects is huge, giving plenty of opportunities for needle-toothed naysayers to tear off a chunk, hold it up in isolation and say, “See? Why should I pay for this? Down with it all.”
The problem with that approach is that it leaves us without the proper clothing we need to continue to grow and mature as a world-class place to live, work and play.
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