Comments on: Thank You

By: Matt the Engineer

Matt the Engineer — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:28:05 +0000

What Davi said. Our new digital democracy might just turn out to be more intelligent than the old paper one (it’ll certainly beat the recent TV one by a long shot).

By: tres_arboles

tres_arboles — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:10 +0000

No, Thank YOU! While I hate the term “netroots,” without blogs like STB, there is no voice, no source of info, no wonky advocate FOR these important types of proposals. And these projects are important because they force us to assess the future of our city and region and plan for them in ways that are difficult or displeasing to “main street” (take a long time, cost a lot, price tag appears to be a moving target). Without places like STB, the anti’s of the world have to do little more than scare voters about taxing issues to win the day. And then the region loses it’s opportunities to move forward and modernize, decade by decade, until the region becomes little more than national backwater.

Call it what you will, netroots or otherwise, STB and it’s ilk help inform a new electoral playing field, where information actually matters, and voters learn to vote to tax themselves, even when that’s uncomfortable, because they care about this place too much not to.

Glad to be a reader. Thanks again.

Davi

By: Brian Bundridge

Brian Bundridge — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:22:23 +0000

Feb or Sept 09 (depending if work at L Street Yard in Tacoma gets finished) for the 9th train. The 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th will not come online until after Lakewood opens since there is no more room in Tacoma. The platforms will be extended to allow 8 car trains between 2009 and the opening of Lakewood. Lakewood and South Tacoma already support 8+ car long trains per the contractor working at the site.

The 9th train should be a mid-morning train from Tacoma to Seattle and a late evening train to Tacoma. My understanding is that it’ll only be a smaller 3 or 4 car train.. that’ll be odd to get used to since all of the South corridor trains are 6-7 cars long.

I think the ST Express service increase starts in Feb 2009 for the schedule change?

By: Brian in Seattle

Brian in Seattle — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:34:19 +0000

I am enjoying the victory as well. However, one nagging thought I have is how conservative were the forecasts for sales tax revenue in relation to the ST2 measure? Depending on how bad the economy gets,sales tax receipts could easily dive off a cliff.

Sorry to be a downer,a post dedicated to this topic would be appreciated..

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:47:13 +0000

I’d like to thank all of you at STB for making it easier to convince the naysayers.

I’ve always been a transit supporter for a number of reasons, but since I started reading the blog, I’ve learned a lot about how transit works and the impact it has. I’ve gotten a lot of great talking points from all of you, and that has made getting the message out even easier.

I can’t express how happy I am that this passed, but now we need to get working on getting our transit agencies through the budget crisis, as well as ways to further improve the region’s transit options for the future. I think though that things will be a little easier from here on out.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:23:51 +0000

2011-2015, I’m afraid. But I think you get one more before that. :)

At least Tully’s has wifi!

By: Andrew Becherer

Andrew Becherer — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:40:59 +0000

I was so happy to see Proposition 1 actually win in Pierce County (so far). We are getting a lot out of the plan. More Sounder rail and more express buses in addition to the light rail extension to Federal Way at Redondo with money for preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition for a Tacoma expansion. I’m skeptical that we will actually see a Tacoma Link expansion by 2015. That part of the plan does not appear as well thought out (or funded) as the rest.

As I just missed the 5:10 leaving King Street Station for Tacoma (sitting in Tully’s at the moment) I want to know when the four new round trips between Lakewood, Tacoma and Seattle start.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:35:02 +0000

Progress has definitely been made.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:51:46 +0000

You said it, Ben!

By: AJ

AJ — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:46:30 +0000

All the arguing and back-and-forth with the anti-transit crowds I “endured” was worth it!