State senator Haugen says there isn't one.
Failure [of Proposition 1] means transportation planners must start over from scratch.
"There is no Plan B," Senate Transportation Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen said.
State representative Clibborn appears to agree.
"We'll have to look when we get to the end. Is it the money or the program list?" said House Transportation Chairwoman Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island. "I have no good feeling for why people are saying no."
Haugen and Clibborn should read Sound Politics more often. As I said just before the election, we should replace elected leaders who are unwilling to make realistic* plans with those who are, starting with Governor Gregoire. And definitely not excluding Haugen and Clibborn.
(*I have a simple definition of "realistic", one widely used in transportation. To be realistic, a transportation improvement must, at the very least, pass a simple cost/benefit test, must be worth more than it costs. Is that idea too hard to understand? It was for the people who put together Proposition 1.
Note to Andrew Garber of the Seattle Times: In general, it is a good idea to give the winners, not the losers, top billing in election stories.)
More: An astute reader passed on this link to a King 5 video showing Julia Patterson and Representative Clibborn. Both made interesting comments. Patterson went on and on about the "consensus" behind the plan. (The reporter did not ask her why that consensus did not include the majority of the voters.) In fact, though Patterson may never understand this, consensus is often evidence for a failed decision making process. I'll be doing a post later on that subject.
Clibborn wasn't happy either, blaming the defeat on voter ignorance, and telling the reporter that the next plan would do less and cost more. In other words, Clibborn thinks opponents of Proposition 1 are ignorant and will be punished.
Posted by Jim Miller at November 07, 2007 02:31 PM | Email ThisPosted by Belltowngirl at 11/7/07 11:26 a.m.:Posted by: airfoil on November 7, 2007 02:44 PMJust thought I would pass this along. About 8:45pm last night - right after the first returns came in showing Prop 1 going down to an ignomanious defeat - I got an interesting phone call. This was a computer generated "voters poll" (you know the kind - press 1 for this and 2 for that) asking how I'd voted on Prop 1. When I indicated I'd voted against it the poll then had a number of questions about why and if I would vote for other smaller packages and if I liked/disliked various local pols such as Gov. Chris Gregoire and County Exec Ron Sims. So folks who were for this proposition, take heart - they're already polling to figure out how to put it up for a vote again.
Take a look at the old codgers who say a retrofit is a good solution to the viaduct issue.
Get rid of some of the environmental rules and regulations so that highway projects have smoother sailing. How about exercising some of those 'emergency' powers?
I'll shut up. I have too many ideas. As Hillary Clinton once said recently, I have a million ideas to help the poor, but the US can't afford them". Except mine are cheaper.
Posted by: swatter on November 7, 2007 02:48 PMThis is, for example, how she could say with a straight face that she is willing to allow more people to die on Route 2 just because the 39th District's representatives voted against the gas tax.
In light of her callous disregard for her duty to the people of Washington, I don't give a damn what Haugen thinks about anything.
Posted by: pudge on November 7, 2007 02:56 PMThere have also been a couple of gas tax increases which have resulted in zero improvement for our congested highways.
The one project that has helped congestion is the addition of the second Tacoma Narrows bridge, but to use it you have to pay a toll.
We're just tired of paying through the nose for nothing, Rep. Clibborn.
What's so hard to understand about that?
Posted by: Kevin S on November 7, 2007 02:56 PMBut again, when Haugen won't even use the funds they HAVE for fixing US 2, why should we care what new bills she wants to sell us? Oh, but there's more important things to pay for than trying to help save lives: $108 million of the $7.1 billion gas tax increase is earmarked for environmental projects. Well good, I guess those additional fish spawning habitats are worth a few citizen's lives.
Posted by: pudge on November 7, 2007 04:03 PMThe article "Fuel-Efficient Cars Dent States' Road Budget" (Page B1, 4/25/07) addressed solely the revenue side of the road-building equation. Equally as important is to consider the expense portion. Significant reductions in cost could be achieved by reducing political and union interference in road projects. Common sense steps such as streamlining the permitting process, eliminating Byzantine regulations and following rational environmental and safety guidelines would be a good start. Layer in fair wage rates, and soon the need for additional taxes and fees is minimized. The citizenry is increasingly demanding road projects that are managed with the efficiency of the private sector; raising taxes should be the last alternative, not the first.
Take the 1% art set-asides and shove them.
Streamline permitting.
Eliminate the waste and inefficiency in WDOT.
Replace the Governor and the whole lot of the tax wasting bureaucrats.
Posted by: Norm on November 7, 2007 04:43 PMIf a transit package is pursued, keep it separate from the roads package. Stop blackmailing the voters with transit solutions that will have little overall impact on the problem. Transit has received a disproportionate focus and funding and we need to increase road capacity where it is needed most.
Do not fund capacity improvements where demonstrated congestion doesn't already exist. Leave road capacity to support new development for the next taxing plan.
Get it done and ignore the cries from the growth industry!
Posted by: MJC on November 7, 2007 04:57 PMThis state has excess road capacity and an unrivaled bus transit system.
The only ones demanding spending is Gregoire -- not the people.
Posted by: John Bailo on November 7, 2007 05:15 PMSP doesn't do posts on dating problems and not getting laid...if that is your neighbors issue... Sorry couldn't resist. The back seats in those flex cars are just so small though...
On a serious note, I am reminded why I hate the hypocritical speak of the talking heads and those mandating that I should get out of my car (F-150 actually), when I drive by big signs on the freeway that states "Freeway Expansion improves traffic".
Well, no shi.......
I love the point about 9,000+ bus stops for 12 light rails stops. Did they think, even with the pathetic math scores we post as a state, that people cannot make the jump that $157B would buy a poop load of buses....
The message sent yesterday is "Stop spending more and more of my money. It's mine, I'll spend it. Damn it, I earned it. You get enough of it, live within the means, just like I have to."
Jesus, this is simple stuff folks.
Posted by: Chris on November 7, 2007 07:06 PMSP doesn't do posts on dating problems and not getting laid...if that is your neighbors issue... Sorry couldn't resist. The back seats in those flex cars are just so small though...
On a serious note, I am reminded why I hate the hypocritical speak of the talking heads and those mandating that I should get out of my car (F-150 actually), when I drive by big signs on the freeway that states "Freeway Expansion improves traffic".
Well, no shi.......
I love the point about 9,000+ bus stops for 12 light rails stops. Did they think, even with the pathetic math scores we post as a state, that people cannot make the jump that $157B would buy a heck of a lot of buses....
The message sent yesterday is "Stop spending more and more of my money. It's mine, I'll spend it. Damn it, I earned it. You get enough of it, live within the means, just like I have to."
Jesus, this is simple stuff folks.
Posted by: Chris on November 7, 2007 07:10 PM$30 tabs Going once, Going twice, Going threee times, Hello all of you in Olympia?
PS: Haugan, we are taxed out! Especially with respect to two straight 150k increases on Camano Island property
Posted by: GS on November 7, 2007 08:20 PM$30 tabs Going once, Going twice, Going threee times, Hello all of you in Olympia?
PS: Haugan, we are taxed out! Especially with respect to two straight 150k increases on Camano Island property
Posted by: GS on November 7, 2007 08:21 PM"Plan B
State senator Haugen says there isn't one."
That shows what a lousy political leader she is. Make no mistake - she's the one the party in charge put in the top transportation leadership role. Well, her and numbnuts Chopp.
That she could rise to a position of leadership in the cabal running this state speaks ill of the handful of politicians running this show.
So the people should put the heat on her NOW. Make her come up with some excellent ideas. We'll banter them about. Let's see whether or not she has any talent, or reliable advisers, or ANYTHING worthwhile going for her.
Produce good alternatives now, Haugen.
Posted by: Coot on November 7, 2007 09:23 PMGet all the Itches outa here from the Queen to the new Princess of HATE at WSDOT - Hammhate or something. To these Bitter angry chicks in the legislature we said stop it. Stop the Hate!
Sierra Commies your day izza comin'
This is the most cynical ballot measure ever!
Then when WSDOT does build something they spend hundreds of millions take years and in the end we have nothing new except a HOV lane. What happens with HOV lanes?? Increased accidents due to speed differences. Listen to how many of those wrecks are in the left hand lanes on the traffic reports.
We can do this without rebuilding freeways from end to end BUT that is the arguement they are going to put forward. Look TRILLIONS and we only were only going to spend Billions here is your new income tax and a bad haircut.
Get the heck out of here all of you bitter pissed off hate mongers. We made a choice and we nicely said get outa here. We coulda been mean but you cornered the Hate Market. You got my money and a new 2008 government going to build freeway improvements, new/wider arterials and there ain't going to be any tolls.
Folks don't stop until the Witches of Olympia are burned at the ballot box. Hammhock resign now!
Can it really be that hard to add more lanes to the highways? Or -- God forbid -- build more?
A practical rail system for this area would have to, at a minimum, cover the I-5 corridor, the East side, and probably run out I-90 as well. No one is even talking about doing that, because the costs would be horrendous. What IS being talked about would benefit so few people, assuming anyone used it at all, that it is inherently unfair to ask the voters of the state to pay for it.
Posted by: jvon on November 8, 2007 07:05 AMBut per design, the Board of Sound Transit, and all our seething legislative cabals who 'crafted' Proposition 1, are shielded from such honorable accountability. This factor is arguably the biggest obstacle to any solution of the deadlocked stupidity we find at State, County and local levels when addressing congestion and the facilitation - not obstruction - of movement of citizens between all their diverse points A and B.
Largely, these 'solons' are frozen in place with such antidemocratic mantras as 'get people out of their cars' and 'mass transit by rail is the solution'.
Not that I think that said learned representatives are capable of learning from their experience - again, mass resignations are in order - but give us a public vote of our preference between roads and fixed rail. That would be a start toward a solution.
Seriously (NOT half-heartedly) improve an existing road network? That would include replacements of the Viaduct and 520, not just gibber in their direction.
Or just slice a symbolic, hideously expensive linear monster serving 5% of our daily commutes with only 12 stops through the middle of it?
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on November 8, 2007 07:58 AMSorry, Mr. Sobrie, we have infinitely more points A and B than just Brussels and Antwerp. Or even Seattle and Bellevue. Are you suggesting that all Belgians must give up cars today and ride those splendid trains between Brussels and Antwerp?
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on November 8, 2007 09:51 AMSorry, comparing apples to prunes when comparing dead Europe to the Puget Sound region just don't cut it.
Posted by: swatter on November 8, 2007 10:02 AMJoanie Earl (Sound Transit Director) in the Everett Herald: 11/08/07 states," she dosen't know what the public thinks because so few voted on the issue". Typical arogance of the political elite. Joanie, try Websters Dictionary, Look up the meaning of the word: NO!
Posted by: Jim T. on November 8, 2007 11:57 AM