That is, “Seattle never misses a chance to miss a chance” on light rail. This article at Crosscut by Jon Talton is awesome. Talton breaks down the anti-light rail arguments one by one, and – in addition to the quote above stolen from that article – there’s this great quote: “The only thing keeping it from succeeding here are the myths propagated by foes”.

Nice, definitely read the whole thing.

I don’t have time to write a real post today, but these links should satisfy your transit fix:

• Erica Barnett went to yesterday’s debate betweenPro Prop 1 Mayor Nickels and Anti Prop 1 Kemper Freeman. It’s a rather long post, but here’s the one-sentence summary: ” Freeman was so outmatched by Nickels on charisma, statistics, and general coherence, however, that it seems almost unfair to call it a ‘debate.’”
• The city wants input on parking near light rail stations in the South End. The Rainier Valley Post has the details
• Rossi acknowledges he may not be able to go forward with his transportation plan. I am sure that plan is impossible, so at least Rossi is able to admit it as well.
• The Stranger also has a post about the artist for the Capitol Hill station and another with some nice photos of the art that will go into the station. I really love both sets of work.
• Nickels is voting ‘No’ on the parks levy, but urges people to vote ‘Yes’ on both the Pike Place Market Levy and Prop. 1. If you’re going to vote for only one tax increase, please vote yes on prop 1.
• Here’s a nice, succinct argument for Prop. 1
• The state is beginning work on SR-519 just south of the stadiums. The work is aimed at continuing to improve ferry and freight traffic to the harbor.

The City of Seattle’s gradual introduction of “Business Access and Transit” (BAT) lanes throughout the city is one of the more under-reported and commendable trends.  The North Seattle Herald reports that NE 45th St is now up for consideration using Bridging the Gap funds, on the Westbound side between 7th Ave and University Way.

There are a ton of buses (including many from Community Transit) that use this stretch, so this kind of investment could have a very big impact on the overall performance of the system.  If Proposition 1 passes and these lanes are ultimately approved, it’ll serve as the backbone of a feeder system into the Brooklyn light rail station.

I haven’t found an obvious outlet for citizen comments on this, but the BTG Citizen Oversight Committee might be a good place to start.

Capitol Hill Seattle when to the, well, Capitol Hill station 90% open house. There are a few slides of the presentation, and the obvious question: what happens to all the dirt that gets removed for the underground station?

Two separate collisions are blocking multiple lanes on the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in both the north and southbound directions in Seattle. The northbound collision is currently four miles. The southbound backup is currently one mile. Check your traffic.

Also….

A large chunk of cement has fallen from the Seneca St. offramp of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and onto Western St.

The No Campaign has opportunistically argued that the state of the economy makes it the wrong time to be raising taxes.  The Yes campaign has engaged this argument on its own turf by pointing out the stimulative effects of new construction.

What all the short-term positioning about the recession misses is that this is a 15-year plus project.  Regardless of whether the vote happens during a boom or during a depression, we’re going to pass through several business cycles before ST2 is completed.  There will be times the sales tax is a brake on an overheating economy, and other times construction jobs are a needed safety net in a down year.  Similarly, there will also be times the sales tax isn’t particularly helpful, and the rail building makes it more expensive to complete other construction projects.  I point this out not as a particularly pro-Prop. 1 assertion, but as a criticism of this entire line of argument.

The argument for more rail is clearer in the longer term.  Cost-benefit analysis, supposedly beloved of No campaigners, is fiendishly difficult to do in this context.  When you consider the benefits of a functioning rail line, you have to consider the net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.  That’s an enormously complicated evaluation, and that’s before you attempt to attach a cash value to those reductions.  Put 10 climate economists in a room and you’ll get 10 different opinions on how to value a reduction in CO2.

And that’s a tiny part of the overall computation.  You also have the jobs attracted to the region by a better infrastructure, the efficiency gains when more jobs are reachable from a home thanks to reliable transport, positioning for potential petroleum shortages, improvement to public health from walkable neighborhoods and less pollution, reduced operating costs compared to buses, etc.

All the things mentioned above are benefits that continue essentially forever, while the tax to enable it (minus a continuing operating subsidy — perhaps a 0.1% sales tax) will wind up in a matter of decades.  As someone constitutionally inclined to spend a little now to save a lot in the future, that seems like a winner to me.

Alternately, I can personalize it.  Is this improvement to my ability to get around worth $5.75 a month to me or not?  I don’t know where I’ll be living and working in 2023, nor where my son (17 in 2023) will be living and working soon afterwards, but if it’s in the Seattle area I know I’d like to have an option that makes ever-increasing gridlock and ever-increasing fuel prices irrelevant to my — and his — travels.  I’m a saver for the future by nature, so I’ll vote YES and donate to the campaign.  What about you?