Web: www.EffectiveTransportation.org
Email: CETA@EffectiveTransportation.org
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Key Effective Transportation IssuesCETA's mission is to research, educate and advocate for effective transportation projects and governance in the Puget Sound Region. This section of our Web site contains in-depth information on a range of key transportation issues. Our technical advisors and members spend hours working on any document we produce, verifying and re-verifying with other members and other professionals in the field. We also get our original data from Sound Transit, the FTA, the Inspector General, the GAO and other government agencies.
Light Rail Costs>> NW landscape poses challenge, boosts costs of light-rail system - "I've tried to listen to both sides of the debate, but the Seattle project borders on the least cost-efficient of any rail project I can think of." - former Federal transit official Kenneth Orski - Seattle Times, May 7, 2003 >> Sound Transit's light rail capital costs are six times the national average - Maggi Fimia, Dec. 6, 2002 >> Costs and Consequences for South, East, and North King County - Emory Bundy, Nov.26, 2002 >> Costs have risen while stations have been reduced - by Emory Bundy >> Costs Have Risen 200 percent - by Emory Bundy Federal Funding>> USDOT Inspector General issues report on Link light rail - Auditor confirms latest project budget, but expresses concerns. The "highly recommended" rating was not examined. - July 7, 2003
>> CETA Releases Light Rail Report to Congress - View full or summary version. - June 2, 2003 >> CETA's Additional Comments for the Inspector General Audit on FTA Review of the Link Light Rail Initial Segment John Niles has done an excellent job of identifying, documenting and analyzing the unresolved process, financial and operational problems of this project. - May 13, 2003 >> GAO report citing BRT's "potential to expand the benefits of limited federal funding" - June 20, 2002 >> Letter from Rep. Harold Rogers to Dept. of Transportation Inspector General - June 11, 2002 >> DOT Inspector General's Interim Report on Seattle Central Link Light Rail Project - "Our audit found that Federal Transit Administration did not perform satisfactory due diligence in the grant application review process and the agency's December 2000 review of the Project was not thorough enough to serve as a predicate for approval of the Project on January 19, 2001" - April 4, 2001 Sound Transit Budget>> KOMO-TV's Ken Schram decries Sound Transit hiring more PR "spin doctors" - December 11, 2002 >> Sound Transit's marketing and communication budget is more than five times Metro's - Maggi Fimia, Dec. 6, 2002 >> Sound Transit's bus operating costs are twice what it costs Metro - Maggi Fimia, Dec. 6, 2002 Subarea Equity>> Eastside worries money will be siphoned to light rail - Dec. 18, 2002 System Performance>> Seattle Times: Light rail - VERY lightSeattle Times columnist Bruce Ramsey highlights CETA analyst Jim MacIsaac's striking illustration of light rail vs. I-5 carrying capacity. For more details, see MacIsaac's full report on The 12-Lane Myth. - May 21, 2003 Bus Tunnel>> Downtown Seattle Association opposes joint bus/light rail use of tunnel >> Licata to Propose Amendments to Tunnel Agreement >> Please Save the DSTT - The Real Cost of Link Lite - by James MacIsaac >> King County voting to turn over Downtown Bus Tunnel to Sound Transit - by Maggi Fima Safety>> Light rail plans still raise ire in Rainier Valley - Seattle PI, April 23, 2003 >> Serious safety problems in design of Link light rail - Overview of safety issues by CETA technical advisor John Niles, including testimony to the Sound Transit Board About Link Light Rail Safety Certification. >> Blue Line takes a troubled route chronicles the mounting death toll of surface light rail in LA. See also sidebar on light rail fatalities across the US. - USA Today, January 6, 2003 >> Central Link Light Rail Initial Segment Safety Briefing - Nov. 25, 2002 Initiatives>> The Spinning and Re-spinning of I-776 - Ruth Korkowski, Dec. 30, 2002 >> Maggi Fimia's Testimony to Sound Transit Board regarding I-776 - Nov. 21, 2002 >> Post-election report from Sound Transit Executive Director Joni Earl regarding effects of the passage of Initiative 776 on Sound Transit - Nov. 8, 2002 >> Why I-776 will cut Sound Transit's funding (despite what Sound Transit says) - Bonding language doesn't legally prevent repeal of MVET. Governance>> Seattle Times Editorial: Give us an election Sound Transit taxpayers deserve right to initiative. - February 20, 2003 >> Seattle Times calls for direct elections of Sound Transit and monorail boards - February 10, 2003 >> Sound Transit Boardmember Julia Patterson supports directly elected board - South County Journal, December 16, 2002 Extending north of downtown>> Judge fines Sound Transit for withholding info - Seattle Times, March 14, 2003 >> Sound Transit reveals high cost of extending light rail north - March 14, 2003 >> Sound Transit's downtown to UW route stirs up trouble Agency delays releasing controversial cost estimates for northern route. - Seattle PI, March 8, 2003 >> Sound Transit vexed by tunnel under canal - Seattle PI, January 31, 2003 Rainier Valley>> SHA, Sound Transit plans for Alaska Street property leave tenants, landlord in the dark - April 30, 2003, South Seattle Star Light rail elsewhere>> DART layoffs, bus cuts, rail delays likely Dallas experience shows the danger of "best case scenario" transit planning when economy slumps. - The Dallas Morning News, 4/30/2003 >> Taken For A Ride? Charlotte newspaper details Sound Transit lead contractor Parsons Brinckerhoff's history of deceiving the public and transit agencies about the true costs of projects. - January 29, 2003 Bus Rapid Transit>> Seattle Times editorial: Buses for the region, not light rail - July 20, 2003 >> White Paper comparing Link light rail versus Bus Rapid Transit trunk (main) line capacity - Richard Harkness, PhD, March 11, 2003 >> Bus Rapid Transit for the Puget Sound Region - Report describing specific BRT improvements that could provide similar transit enhancements to Central Link Light Rail for a fraction of the cost. - December 2001 >> Metro impressed by hybrid buses. Also includes item about how Sound Transit already serves airport well with buses. - Seattle Times Bumper to Bumper column, February 2, 2003 >> Busway vs. Rail Capacity: Separating Myth from Fact -Peter Samuel, Reason Public Policy Institute, February 8, 2002 >> International Energy Agency (IEA) publishes "Bus Systems for the Future: Achieving Sustainable Transport Worldwide." The report studies bus rapid transit experiences around the world and provides a very comprehensive review of new bus propulsion technologies. Read more information about the report or download the entire report (188-page PDF). >> Charts comparing costs of BRT and other modes >> Does Honolulu provide answer to Seattle's gridlock? - Neal Peirce op-ed, Seattle Times, August 25, 2002 >> GAO report citing BRT's "potential to expand the benefits of limited federal funding" - June 20, 2002 >> Bus Rapid Transit: high capacity sans rail - Seattle Times op-ed by Jerry Schneider >> Bus Rapid Transit proven approach to mass transit - Seattle PI letter by John Niles HOV Lanes>> Testimony from John Niles on HOV/HOT Proposal - January 9, 2003 Vanpools>> Metro recognized nationally as vanpool leader - King County press release, May 31, 2002 Least-Cost Planning>> A dozen ways to spell congestion relief - Northwest Environmental Watch Trust in Government>> PBSJ columnist Glenn R. Pascall says "Shut down Sound Transit" - Oct. 18, 2002 Transit-Oriented Development>> Redmond residents like village by the (bus) bay - An experiment with transit-oriented development shows that the concept can work well with a bus-based system, but that its overall impact on regional transportation is minor. - Seattle Times, January 20, 2003 >> Transit-Oriented Development: Moving From Rhetoric To Reality - Dena Belzer and Gerald Autler, The Brookings Institute, June 2002 Intelligent Transportation Systems>> You can track your bus on the Internet - Seattle PI, February 1, 2003 Regional Transportation Package>> Times Editorial: A flexible transportation plan without exec veto - "The light-rail money is a mistake. The regional plan should not be hijacked by Sound Transit's insatiable desire for money." - March 31, 2003 >> Light rail bottles up transit plan Light rail continues to block progress on regional transportation. - The Seattle Times, March 13, 2003 >> Nick Licata summarizes options for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct and advocates retrofitting as a cost effective alternative - Urban Politics #144, December 5, 2002 Sounder Commuter Rail>> Every ride on Sounder North costs taxpayers $273.44 Cost per ride analyzis and charts by Jim MacIsaac - June 2005 >> It's not 'all aboard' for Sounder Commuter rail to Everett will cost more than double what was promised to provide two-thirds as much service as was promised. - Seattle Times, June 8, 2003 >> Sound Transit's "preliminary agreement" with Burlington Northern doesn't live up to promises See also the full text of agreement (PDF). - May 30, 2003
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