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More License Requirements 2022

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Sound Transit's projections are the Yin to the Washington Policy Center's Yang on the argument. The truth is somewhere to one side or the other of the middle. Currently the work from home phenomena has taken a lot of high tech workers off the road and out of the usage of the trains. The other side is that the freeways are plugged as much or more now as they were before the pandemic. I have recently traveled south and north on I5 at rush hour and witnessed the mess. I know some people who have been affected by the high cost of fuel and the limitations of parking in the cities who jumped on the trains if they had that option. The fallacy of heavy and light rail is that it assumes everyone works on a schedule that fits the transit schedule. I've never worked for anyone that didn't have things like shift changes, overtime or even just crazy weather that would preclude catching a train or buss. The other issue is the last mile or two of travel. I don't mind a good walk when I want to take one. I'm not inclined to walk two or three miles in the morning and evening from a work site or have to run to catch a transport and again to catch a different type of transport in the morning or evening. I suspect the deciding consideration in the future, for people who have to travel to get to work will be the cost of a car, parking and fuel against the cost of mass transit and property taxes.

I currently don't plan on staying around here to find out how it works out.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
I was able to reconcile the transit schedule and work construction, which is typically the earliest start time in the workforce. My employer would work with me for minor start time adjustments. They wanted to do their part to keep my car at home.
That Bellevue scramble was a 50 yard walk from train to bus, then 4 blocks at the Bellevue end and repeat on the way home.
The Expedia job was a two block walk to catch a bus, to across the street from the job. There was nothing long.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
How about the building projects in Seattle? I've done plenty of inspections there where the train station is on the south end and the building project was up at Pier 91, or West Seattle, Ballard or Sand point. How many busses run from the train station in Tukwila to the Hyatt Regency project in North Renton? How would I get to points north of Seattle. Say Shoreline, Edmunds, Mountlake Terrace, Kenmore and so on. Train direction only runs with rush hour traffic. What if I have a family emergency and have to return home just after I get to work? I suppose the only recourse would be a taxi or Uber or something. But then we are back to using a car.

The truth of mass transit here is that it is only designed to bring people into and out of the metro areas if they live somewhere along the I5 corridor. Those that live along the foot hills have to drive to a park and ride and catch a train or buss so the elimination of cars is impossible. People who live in Enumclaw, Buckley, Hobart, Monroe, Carnation, Duval, Monroe, Snohomish and Lake Stevens are out of luck, plus there is no buss system between those points. All that and now they can't get enough people to drive all the busses. King and Pierce County metros will pay you to get trained for the license.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
the busses go everywhere from that train station, and the light rail is a block away. I could always get where I was going and the bus runs all day for getting home mid-day in an emergency. When something happened on the train line I could take a bus.
I worked a water job next to pier 51 for American, on Fire station #5. I drove to the Lakewood train station ( see that, both the sounder and a bus at the same parking garage ;) )
Got on the 594 for Seattle. It went a few blocks to the 512 park and ride, then got on I-5 and the driver turned off the interior lights. It was am MCI so more like a grayhound with reclining seats. The entire bus goes to sleep, and it does not get off I-5 till the Seneca street exit. It uses the HOVs and moves faster than I ever could with a solo car.
The lights come back on and the entire busload groans after a ~45 minute nap. I get off at the second stop on Seneca and it's 4 blocks down to the waterfront. I did it both ways. Parking was $16. The employer paid either way.
This country boy grew up in Selah and did not even ride the school bus, I'd rather walk the mile to town.
 
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John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
So lay out the routes for getting home from Seattle to Enumclaw at 11:00 AM. How many changes do you have to make and what time will you arrive in Enumclaw?
I wouldn't have any problem paying taxes for a buss system that is flexible with growing populations and changing location patterns of employers. I don't even mind the heavy rail options on established track. This light rail program though is a license to steal that may be made obsolete before it is even completed. It is by far the most expensive transportation project per mile.

Here is another article from the Washington Policy Institute.
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/pu...-transits-light-rail-is-becoming-more-obvious
 

brianbulldozer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Messages
186
Location
W. Washinton, USA
I wouldn't have any problem paying taxes for a buss system that is flexible with growing populations and changing location patterns of employers. I don't even mind the heavy rail options on established track. This light rail program though is a license to steal that may be made obsolete before it is even completed. It is by far the most expensive transportation project per mile.

Exactly. And given that, despite what politicians may think, the ability of the taxpayers to provide tax revenue is not infinite, it has the effect of sucking the oxygen out of the room for everything else. Case in point is Hwy 167. For those not local, all but the southern six miles was built in the early 60’s as a two lane each direction freeway, it is a major commuter road and a main arterial to get freight off the docks in Tacoma to the distribution warehouses of the Kent valley. It has severe congestion and has had years of construction to add a third carpool lane for most of it’s length. The state has now begun construction of the last six miles and linkup to I-5 and the Port of Tacoma. What are we going to get on those six miles in 2028 after waiting 64 years? (Drum roll please…) Two lanes each way and a toll. The road will be at capacity the day after they cut the ribbon. Maybe if we weren’t pouring so much into light rail, the resources would be there to build out projects like this with capacity for future growth.
 

brianbulldozer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Messages
186
Location
W. Washinton, USA
Taking that bridge down with all the regulations for a million is far from making anyone a millionaire.:D

They were talking about the bridge here and I thought it was an interesting story that folks might want to read about. I made reference to the television show “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” only as an attempt to be humorous. My apologies if anyone construed this as a serious suggestion of how to make a million dollars.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,250
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
They were talking about the bridge here and I thought it was an interesting story that folks might want to read about. I made reference to the television show “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” only as an attempt to be humorous. My apologies if anyone construed this as a serious suggestion of how to make a million dollars.

Just yanking your chain.:D
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,556
Location
WWW.
The problem with Seattle is all the water ways, rivers, lakes and the sound. Only so many places to
build new roads without condemning land. And with the land values the way they are that would
get rather costly.
 
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