FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
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Q.
I drive and will never use transit. Why should I have to pay transit taxes? A. Even if you never use transit, you will benefit from a good mass transit system. Many people will find they can save time and money by using public transit, and leave their cars at home. Fewer cars on the road means the traffic gets better for those who still drive. So the taxes you pay will help you save time and money in driving, and make your drive less of a hassle. Q. Why are their so many different transit agencies. Wouldn't it be better just to have one system for the whole region? A. Each county has its own transit system, and the City of Everett has theirs. Then Sound Transit was created to provide regional express service. In November 2002 the people of Seattle voted for a new monorail system with its own administration. A group is pushing for another monorail system primarily east and south of Seattle. I think eventually we will have an overall agency operating or coordinating mass transit throughout the region, but for now, for historical reasons, we have several agencies, with considerable degree of local control, but with a high level of cooperation between them. I think that they are doing a good job of coordinating their operations to provide good service between systems. Q. But if Sound Transit is supposed to provide high-speed regional service, why aren’t they the ones building the new monorail lines? A. My opinion is that they should be building a regional monorail system. Unfortunately it appears that their only concept of high-speed, high-capacity mass transit is light rail. As a result the people of Seattle decided to go ahead on their own with the Seattle Monorail Project, and other groups are proposing other monorails. Q. So why not build light rail lines? What are the advantages of monorail? A. Monorail is cheaper, faster, and safer than light rail, along with other advantages. For more about monorail, please go to my monorail site. Q. What is the controversy about light rail and the Downtown Bus Tunnel? A. A tunnel was built under Downtown Seattle for buses. This reduced the number of buses on surface streets and provides faster bus service through downtown Seattle for buses. The Central Link Light Rail Project will travel through Downtown Seattle in the Bus Tunnel. This means closing the tunnel for a couple of years, during which time the tunnel will be modified to accomodate both buses and trains. I am opposed to the concept for a number of reasons. My reasons for opposition include the mess created during modification when all the buses now running in the tunnel will have to run on the surface, creating congestion and slowing service. After modification, the capacity of the tunnel for buses will be reduced because there will also be trains. I really think it makes a lot more sense to leave the tunnel for buses and increase dramatically the number of buses using the tunnel. |
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©2003 Robert M. Fleming Jr.
This page was last updated 9 May 2008.