Samples of Letters We've Sent

Reply from King County Councilmember Cynthia Sullivan

June 6, 2002

in reply to Letter to King, Snohomish and Pierce county councils

I have gone through that analysis many times. The issue remains mobility, not congestion. If a system, regardless of technology, is going to be efficient and provide a mobility alternative it must have its own right of way. Therein lies the cost. There exists an enormous pent up demand for trips. (ie, trips we don't take because traffic is too bad). So as soon as the concrete is hard the freeways are full. You are right about one thing there are cheaper alternatives like buses and vanpools. But in order to get more people to ride them they will need their exclusive right of way, they cannot remain stuck in the same traffic we all sit in. We provide as many vanpools as the public wants. Some would argue that we ought to force people into buses at times when they don't need or want to ride, or force them into vanpools. I think we lose our democracy when we attempt that. The solution is and always has been an exclusive right of way system, monorail or tunnel makes little difference in cost. The issue is mobility not congestion.

I would be happy to discuss this with you further.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Sullivan