I wouldn’t go so far as to call the waterfront streetcar efficient. When I used to work down on the waterfront it took me about as long to walk to the ID as it took to ride the streetcar.

It was neat and all, but not something I’m going to shed a tear over. And the Mayor has said that his intention is to have a double-tracked streetcar running through the center of the post-Viaduct boulevard.

I wouldn’t be so sure that is permanent paving. Keep in mind that same type of stuff was over the rails of the SLU streetcar as well. I think it is the same stuff when I walked by and noticed it a while back. Soft and easy to remove. I hope at least?

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call the waterfront streetcar efficient.”

Actually, if Metro just used the rickety heritage vehicles for tourists on the weekend (+ midday during the summer) and bought a couple modern vehicles for weekday – and if a first hill street car is ever built, connecting at 5th and Jackson – this could be a productive run and a good way for Belltown residents to avoid slow bus service along
1st Ave. The key is expanding the Streetcar network, and letting go of this idea that the uncomfortable & low capacity Waterfront Streetcar needs to remain a relic of a bygone transportation era.

But since Ron Sims has decided he needs to pump-up his bus ego, don’t look for anything dynamic coming out of that shop any time soon. The better the quality of rail service, the worse his crappy buses look.

Btw, no matter how nicely Sims paints his buses, the roads around here are going to remain in terrible shape. All the real time technology he can throw at Rapid Ride will never change the big cracks in the road, and the loud, bumpy ride.

Just to seal the deal, Sims’ super-heavy “green” hybrid diesel buses chew up the asphault, and speed up the surface streets’ demise. When Sims’ people run more of these bogus cost benefit analysis to try and compete with light rail, you can bet they won’t include the hidden cost of road damage “BRT” incurrs.

At least Metro can tout a couple hundred people a day on their foot ferries.

Keep in mind that the SLUT is poised to effectively eliminate another form of transport–bikes–along its line (bikes can’t safely travel across rails and the SLUT was built in the natural biking zone–the right lane). If new streetcar lines are built, they need to be positioned in center lanes so as to allow (and not effectively prohibit as they will on Westlake) for the free passage of the most efficient form of travel–bicycling.

congrats, daimajin.

running across tracks is one thing. running parallel and trying to run perpendicular to tracks is another thing. that’s why businesses along the burke gillman trail’s missing link have first aid kits–because it’s a death trap for bikers.