During the meeting, Licata cited that cost of the monorail to be $11billion- The truth is, that $11B finance plan that Horn and Weeks released in June, without the approval of the Seattle Monorail Project (SMP) board, was dead-on-arrival. It is irresponsible and misleading for people, especially politicians and members of the press, to keep citing $11B as if that?Äôs what it would have cost to build the monorail. I find it difficult to believe that Licata was unaware of this fact, since it was he who wrote a letter immediately after the release of that plan in June, calling for the resignation of Horn and Weeks. Thankfully, they resigned the first weekend in July.

The SMP Board then did a nationwide search and hired John Haley, perhaps the best transit expert in the country, who immediately began work on a new finance plan. By Sept. 15, the arbitrary date mandated by the mayor, the SMP was well on the way towards drafting a new finance plan- and indicated that by sending a letter and outline of a new finance plan to the city council and the mayor. However, even with four previous pro-monorail votes over eight years, that was not good enough for the mayor and city council to have another month to work out the details. Citing ?Äúexperts?Äù who were hired to find fault with the SMP?Äôs dead plan (gee, they could have saved the taxpayers some $ and just asked the SMP board why they hadn?Äôt approved it three months ago), the council and the mayor gave the SMP the choice of shortening the line or raising the MVET (motor vehicle excise tax) rate, or the council/mayor would withhold the use of the public right-of-way.

In mid-October, a new finance plan was submitted by the SMP under the leadership of John Haley. The debt service on this now shortened line was reduced by nearly two-thirds, bringing 10.5 miles of separated grade rapid transit to a total of $3.9 billion to DBOM: design, build, operate, and maintain- INCLUDING debt?Ķ less than the cost to BUILD the mayor?Äôs proposed tunnel (not including design, debt,…). In John Haley?Äôs assessment, had this project received political support and not been forced on the ballot before the new finance plan was completed, we would be breaking ground on a 14 mile (not 10) rapid transit line next year- at a FIXED-price of $1.9 billion ($1.7 was the cost to DBOM the shortened line) that was negotiated prior to this year?Äôs spike in energy and materials costs, on the property the taxpayers, via the SMP, now own.

BTW- What does the council plan to do with this land now? The members of the city council delivered a letter to the SMP board the day after the election asking the SMP to hold onto the land for a few weeks- they said they thought they might want to use it for transit?Ķ Interestingly, the are two city council meetings this week, a whole council meeting at 2 today (11/21) and a transportation committee meeting tomorrow (11/22) at 9:30am. The 14 mile transportation corridor we (taxpayers) own isn?Äôt on the agenda of either meeting.

Anyone else have a problem with that?

I was there too. I found Councilmember Licata to be the most reasoned voice, aside from Erica Barnett of course. My personal summary of what I heard tonight is “Roads, Roads, Roads” and perhaps we’ll get a few more buses out there for ya while we study this whole transit thing.

I actually think that a pay-as-you go construction plan, that used zero bond money, and brought small sections on line as they were completed would sell quite nicely. Also, I think that we have to get out of this total project concept. Having one set of politicians oversee the technology selection, operations setup, operations management, neighborhood negotiations for route selection, construction contracting and construction financing is a sure formula for disaster, which I think we have now proven beyond a doubt.

What we need to do is to break these several functions into separate teams that are experts in their respective fields. But it starts with simple choice, should Seattle have a dedicated right of way mass transit system, and if so, should we start building it? I think that we have that answer, and it is a definitive “yes.”

So let’s put together a package that is split into four separate teams. Each will require its own separate initiative to be put on a ballot. Team #1 would be the route and neighborhood planning team. It would be a public body whose sole function would be to work with every last neighborhood in Seattle to develop a mass transit system route plan. Part of this would be to work with those neighborhoods and the cities with their zoning and building permit process, to start having the neighborhoods slowly adapt to the target rights of way. No matter where the routes are put, virtually every property along the way is going to have to adapt in some ways. This route development and adaptation does not have to wait until construction is imminent. Thinking of State Route 522 as an example, the rights of way and some initial grading to eventually make it a freeway all the way to Monroe was actually begun decades ago. Gradual adaptation to a target route has worked very well.

Team #2 would be the transit ways and means team. It would be their job to plan the budget allocations for both system construction and operations. They would be required to maintain forward looking plans in five year increments, with each five year plan becoming more solid as it draw nearer. As a baseline legal requirement, this team would be forbidden to use bonding as a source of funds. Tell the public that we are going to pay as we go and make every dollar count, and they will support it.

Team #3 would be the technology and construction management team. Their number one charge would be to build a safe system. It has to be safe for riders, and for pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles operating in the vicinity of the lines. A zero death rate due to preventable system design and operation characteristics is an imperative. As an aside, this would rule out doing light rail at grade, except in special no-conflict zones, such as freeway medians. Beyond safety, this team would be charged with minimizing environmental impacts due to noise, equipment emissions, visual impacts, and total system energy consumption. They would also be charged with developing the system such that it reduces total congestion, including all existing transit elements, along the routes as they are installed.

Finally, Team #4 would be the operations team. This team would be charged with providing a least cost approach to daily operations, such that the system is both maintained, and provides maximum usability. My thought is that the right way to craft this team?Äôs authorizing initiative is to reauthorize the Metro portion of King County?Äôs charter, such that the transit arm is put in operations charge of all locally funded public transit systems in the area. That would combine all bus, street car, and dedicated right of way systems. This would simplify the whole HR system for managing staffing levels, and negotiating wages and benefits.

Four proposals, specialized, and each within a reasonable scope of management for human beings.

Excho’ing one of the postings above, it needs to be done by separating West Seattle and Ballard into two lines and finding the right solution for each. With Light Rail now in place between Downtown, SODO and Rainier Valley and with the existing monorail in place north of Westlake there are unique opportunities that can be explored for each

If 2045 is the conduit to get these two done then great. At the very least, the obviously like-minded folks here need to be hooking up with their like-minded cohorts elsewhere.

If folks are interested in pursuing this farther, we should get together and discuss rather than waiting for some of the more establishment folks to make it happen for us. Please feel free to contact me at chad@clear-power.com 206.390.0518

Real transit solutions are needed. Light rail is a tinkertoy. Think it’s cheap? Check out how much the one in Miinneapolis cost. It’s a tinkertoy.

Definitely hold these people’s feet to the fire for their failure. They didn’t have a better idea. They didn’t have any plan at all. Just like Bush. Who cares if they’re Dems? WE EXPECT RESULTS.