This was published in Rob Butcher's "Kirkland Views"
Brian Mistelle has written an opinion piece for the Seattle Times which explores the reason why ST3's $54 billion plans are a waste of money -- because technology will pass it by long before much of it is even built. The piece argues against the fundamental technologies employed by Sound Transit without even getting into the politics and wastefulness criticisms levied upon this boondoggle of gargantuan proportions.
Brian Mistelle has written an opinion piece for the Seattle Times which explores the reason why ST3's $54 billion plans are a waste of money -- because technology will pass it by long before much of it is even built. The piece argues against the fundamental technologies employed by Sound Transit without even getting into the politics and wastefulness criticisms levied upon this boondoggle of gargantuan proportions.
From the article:
"As Puget Sound taxpayers weigh Sound Transit’s $54 billion proposed expansion — a plan calling for 10 times the investment spent doubling the Panama Canal’s capacity — it’s important to ask whether it will be obsolete before it is done?
"The light-rail and rapid-ride bus proposal called ST3 will be on the November general election ballot. As proposed, it would be constructed over the next 25 years and is projected to provide transit an additional 1 percent of daily trips by 2040. Some say “we must do something” to address the growing traffic congestion in the Puget Sound region and that ST3 is our best bet. But several major trends are fundamentally changing the nature of mobility around the world and will likely cause ST3 to be obsolete before the ribbons are cut."
Read the whole piece at http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/sound-transits-expansion-will-be-obsolete-before-its-built/
The answer to subway is cars! That drive themselves. Only problem is that the density problem still exists. You simply can't create enough space when a single person takes up 45 square feet on the road. It's unlikely that a private car company is going to solve that problem.
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