Comments

1
We don't need cycletracks just on Broadway. We need them everywhere. I just returned from Amsterdam, where cycletracks and tram lines criss-cross the city in perfect harmony. It was bliss.

It would definitely attract more cyclists. It does make you feel safer, even when you do have to ride in traffic in Amsterdam, it is not long before you are redirected to your own right of way. This is also a city where bikes definitely outnumber cars, and probably outnumber people. What a fucking fantastic model for Seattle's streetcar integration.
2
@#1--Def! I spent last winter working in Spain and took my bicycle all over Spain,portugal, copehagen, algeria,--and I rarely ride in Seattle..riding in traffic there took some skill and getting over my nervousness...the cycletracks in Madrid and Barcelona and Segovia, are fantastic, often inbetween cars and the curb, and the streetcar networks seem to work very well with the bike riders--there are definitely more bikes in copenhagen than people..it was so nice...let's push to make broadway and the streetcar a prime example of how to fully integrate bikes with the hood-scape..riding in traffic had never been easier.
3

In your world, people take up arms to fight for "more transit".

In reality, no one cares.

4
let's just ban cars on broadway and make it a big streetcar cycletrack.

(delivery trux for da biz excepted).
5
I think we just need a tow rope and roller blades.
6
@3:

Poll: American voters want more public transportation
A recent poll shows 82 percent of voters think the U.S. would benefit from improved public transportation, including rail and transit... http://blog.seattlepi.com/transportation…
7
American voters support more public transportation because they think it will clear the roads they continue to drive on

also, when a dollar sign precedes the amount ($20 million), "dollars" is redundant
8
It would be idiotic NOT to do this. Even if we don't build the extension right now, design decisions need to be made so that it can be easily extended later.
9
It would be nuts to build this streetcar for the entire length of Broadway up to Cal Anderson Park and then turn it around before serving the north end. There's a lot of small businesses that would suffer if they are cut off first by construction to the south and then by being left out of the new line. There's also a lot new development going on and a lot of existing residential density in that area.

Aloha was essentially promised a real light rail subway station in 1996 when the original proposal was passed by the voters, creating Sound Transit. It did not pencil out, but the least we can do is some up with $750K to do the engineering for this line.

We've got years to come up with the $20m, as the streetcar construction can't happen north of Pine St. until Capitol Hill Station construction is complete in 2016. Before then, it will turn around at Pine.
10
#9

Nope. New plan to build straight shot to the north in tandem with Sound Station/tunnel stuff. Will finish before the light rail stuff.

Don't know exact details.
11
Hi, Tony Russo here. Just to clarify, the preliminary engineering study does not need to be completed by June of this year. In fact, doing so would be close to impossible.

It would certainly be very helpful if the funding for the study could be allocated at the time that the city finalize their agreement so that the work could be started by June of this year, but SDOT is correct that it is not strictly necessary.

This does not mean that there is not at least some urgency. The preliminary engineering cannot begin until the funding is allocated, and we will not be able to apply for federal money until the preliminary engineering is completed. The federal grant process itself takes some time, and while Obama is throwing money at streetcars right now, that does not guarantee that we will get funded in the first round or at all. The more lead time we have, the more time we have to secure funding external or local sources.

In case anyone is interested, a more detailed description of the Community Council's proposal was written up on the Seattle Transit Blog a few months back. That article also has a link to the full text of the "Capitol Hill Community Council's kickass Broadway streetcar proposal" in case anyone is interested in reading it in detail.
12
The problem is that while the streetcar should come in under budget, it's Sound Transit's money, and being very short on projected revenue due to the recession, it's going to be very hard to get ST to give us any of the savings to plan/design the Aloha extension.
13
no Capitol "Hill" in Amsterdam; it is flat.

how long would the cycle track be? at its endpoints, what would cyclists going in the opposite direction of the traffic on that side of the arterial do? is the track wide enough for two-way travel?

it is not quite ST's money. Note that three governments collect taxes from almost the same set of taxpayers to help almost the same set of riders. Seattle is 90 percent of the North King County subareas of both ST and Metro. if ST did not fund the streetcar, it could only use the funds inside the same subarea.
14
True, the city, county, and ST all collect taxes to provide transit. But this project is funded by ST--not Seattle or King County. It was approved in Nov. 08 as part of the ST2 package. Yes, their "subarea equity" policy (grumble argh grrr) means funds raised in North King County still have to be spent here, but they do have other spending needs in our zone like North Link and possible Sounder stops at Broad St. and/or Ballard.

I'm not saying this is how I want it--I absolutely think ST should at least fund the design so we can leverage it for federal money to build the extension. It would even be a good incentive generally to give entities that manage to do projects under budget a share of the savings; if we're talking $750,000 out of $7M in savings, that's a pretty round ~10%. I'm just reporting what I've been told from reliable sources who've discussed this with high-level officials. It could change; I hope it does.
15
Tony Russo here again. I am a bit uncomfortable with this line from the story:

"...Tony Russo, who designed the Capitol Hill Community Council's kickass Broadway streetcar proposal, and has lobbied the city hard to extend the streetcar to the end of Broadway Avenue."

While I did compose the text of the Community Council's streetcar proposal, the proposal itself is an embodiment of a collaborative effort involving many community activists over several months. It also is built on years of planning going back to at least 2007. I have also been only one of several people that has "lobbied the city hard to extend the streetcar to the end of Broadway Avenue."

I would particularly like to thank Daniel Goddard, an architect and active Community Council member who prepared the graphic elements including the streetscape diagram and 3D rendering contained in the proposal. These visual designs have been instrumental in communicating our vision to both elected officials and the public.

Thank you as well to everyone else who has put so much time and energy into the Community Council's Complete Streetcar Campaign.
16
Well the Stranger and Mayor McGinn have begun their push to fight the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel project. This fight reminds me of the 3rd Runway Sea-Tac Airport project. In the end, the runway was built and the costs for the runway increased by almost $2 billion and 10 years!

The tunnel will be built because putting 200,000 cars on Seattle streets is as ludicrous as hoping that even half that many will suddenly disappear from the traffic system. According to the State Dept. of Transportation, the delays will amount to $25 to $50 per MONTH! Let's see, 3 months equals $150 million. Every three to five months of the SR99 delay equals the cost of the ENTIRE streetcar extension.

If McGinn and the Stranger were realistic AND serious about traffic congestion, not to mention the Aloha street extension then YOU would not support such folly as to waste time fighting something that has already been debated as the best choice.

The only winners in the SR99 will be the Law firms--everyone else including the Capitol Hill community loses!
17
Well the Stranger and Mayor McGinn have begun their push to fight the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel project. This fight reminds me of the 3rd Runway Sea-Tac Airport project. In the end, the runway was built and the costs for the runway increased by almost $2 billion and 10 years!

The tunnel will be built because putting 200,000 cars on Seattle streets is as ludicrous as hoping that even half that many will suddenly disappear from the traffic system. According to the State Dept. of Transportation, the delays will amount to $25 to $50 per MONTH! Let's see, 3 months equals $150 million. Every three to five months of the SR99 delay equals the cost of the ENTIRE streetcar extension.

If McGinn and the Stranger were realistic AND serious about traffic congestion, not to mention the Aloha street extension then YOU would not support such folly as to waste time fighting something that has already been debated as the best choice.

The only winners in the SR99 will be the Law firms--everyone else including the Capitol Hill community loses!
18
Shouldn't it go to Prospect instead of Aloha? If it ends at Prospect people would be close to the Park, water tower and museum.

Please wait...

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