Sound Transit 3 - Time for Feedback (Seattle Forward)

April 11, 2016

Sound Transit 3 - Time for Feedback

The City Council received a briefing this morning about the proposed Sound Transit 3 expansion of our regional light rail and bus network. The draft includes several large projects in Seattle, including lines to Ballard and West Seattle and a second transit tunnel through downtown.

The light rail has gotten a lot of positive press recently with the opening of the Capitol Hill and UW stations and the resulting large uptick in ridership. A front-page Seattle Times story this morning highlighted our city as having the fastest growing bus ridership in the nation.

Put simply, transit matters and it is important that our local leaders get this plan right. To do that, we need robust public engagement.

The Sound Transit Board is currently accepting feedback and will vote in June on a final plan to send to voters for the November ballot. The Seattle residents have a few representatives on the Board, including Mayor Murray, City Councilmember Rob Johnson, County Executive Dow Constantine, and County Councilmember Joe McDermott.

More information on the plan can be found at soundtransit3.org. This website also includes a link to an online survey and a comment form. There are also a few open houses coming up in Ballard (April 18), West Seattle (April 26), and downtown (April 28) where attendees can learn more and submit feedback.

Posted by Tim Burgess on April 11, 2016 at 04:41 PM in Cities, Future Agenda, Transit, Transportation | Permalink

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Burgess Bookshelf

Snyder, Timothy: Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary
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Putnam, Robert D.: The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again
Here's a hope filled historical review of how America has made itself more inclusive and equitable and can do it again. Very encouraging.
Sacks, Jonathan: Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times
Rabbi Sacks' book is essential reading, in my opinion, especially now when freedom is under such attack. His wisdom fills every page, his defense of liberal democracy is compelling.
Epstein, David: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
This is a compelling and great read. I love it since I'm a generalist.
McCaulley, Esau: Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
While the white Christian church, especially evangelicalism, was the dominant influence in my family of origin and my youth, I've learned so much more recently from the Black church. McCaulley's book is a very good introduction to Black theology and biblical interpretation.
Yglesias, Matthew: One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger
A critical thinker and blogger, Yglesias lays out a vision for America that is more inclusive and equitable; includes good sections on early learning and the crucial value of immigration.
Thomas E. Ricks: Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom
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Timothy Snyder: The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America
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Greg Weiner: American Burke: The Uncommon Liberalism of Daniel Patrick Moynihan (American Political Thought)
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Steven Levitsky & Daniel Liblatt: How Democracies Die
This is a must read for people concerned about the future of our democracy. One of their main points is that democracies begin to fail when the norms of civil discourse and the rule of law begin to crumble. We are seeing that happen before our very eyes today.