Cascadia Report

Category: Politics

  • FEEDBACK on Why Seattle’s buses don’t work

    This account of a recent bus commute drew a lot of feedback. Two emails came from Rep. Judy Clibborn, the chair of the state House Transportation Committee.

    She explained that she’s arranging to ride through the 520 corridor with the Department of Transportation to see what can be changed. Yet there will be opposition to any tinkering with the status quo:

    I agree that we have some issues and will be working to get some of that merger smoothed out before we reach the new bridge and later implementation of tolls etc. I am interested in what comes out of the Urban Partnership regarding some of what you mentioned but I am also aware of the political reality of what we can do without support from the citizens. It will take a lot of education.

    For info on the partnership, see the link for the Puget Sound Regional Council.

  • Economy gets reprieve from passport rule

    The U.S. federal government was forced to postpone plans to require a passport to cross into the country from Canada, giving a temporary reprieve to regional business.

    The new rules have already caused confusion without much indication of improved security. Surely the answer is better coordination of screening of visitors from third countries into the U.S. and Canada, not just requiring a particular document.

    In any case, the delay should help business in U.S. towns that rely on cross-border traffic. Vancouver Island, which was expecting a double hit from the border rules and the exchange rate, now has more time to develop to a convincing tourism strategy.

  • Another port under fire for bad finances

    Leaders of Olympia’s port are the latest in the region to take fire for sagging financial performance despite a boom in trade.

    A new shipping facility at the port has been repeatedly delayed by an environmental review and has had ripple effects throughout Puget Sound. The port commissioners reportedly declined to comment on the costs at their latest meeting.

  • Vancouver wants fewer homeless than athletes

    Vancouver is considering measures to make sure there are fewer homeless people than athletes in the city during the 2010 Olympics.

    Plans call for rent support and new housing, though the idea has been derided as too little too late since market trends could swamp any progress. An analysis can be found at TheTyee.ca.

    At first glance the idea sounds similar to Seattle’s comprehensive plan, which seeks to curb the causes of homelessness in advance and then integrate the remaining homeless people into permanent housing.

  • Lesson from Japan: Leadership needed

    One surprise I found during my recent visit to Japan was the frequent discussion of what Nicolas Sarkozy might accomplish in France. The new president was on magazines and TV shows, and I had several conversations with Japanese who were enthusiastic for the tough reforms he seems to represent.

    The issue matters for Cascadia because, as Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire likes to put it, in a globalized economy we’re more like a small nation than a state. The economy of Cascadia is in better shape than in either Japan or France, which makes it more difficult to generate the leadership needed to fix our fundamental problems.

    The weekend I arrived, the former longtime leader of the Socialist Party — the only true opposition to hold briefly hold power in Japan in the postwar era — was on the top Sunday TV talk show discussing opposition to changing the no-military clauses in the constitution. Setting aside the specifics, what’s remarkable is that the entire political opposition seems to think that saying no is adequate policy. The comments were amazing because she said exactly the same things when I interviewed her six years ago.

    The same is true for economic leadership. Though Japan’s huge economy continues to grow and there are far more opportunities than ever before thanks to reforms, there hasn’t been nearly enough deregulation or revamping of policies. With a sclerotic opposition and lack of strong leadership, cynicism will only spread. Sarkozy came up as an example of the sort of change agent Japan needs.

    You could argue that our situation isn’t much different. In King County, the passing of Prosecutor Norm Maleng opens up opportunities for younger politicians. Someone needs to spell out a not just that globalization is an opportunity, as Gov. Gregoire has, but a vision for how this region can prosper. Today’s properity is all the more reason to develop this leadership now.

  • Thinking big about urban spaces

    Here’s an example of the kind of grand thinking that the Seattle area can’t seem to do anymore: a contest to design an urban park.

    Governors Island Preservation and Education CorporationNew York City is asking desgn firms for ideas how to configure Governors Island, a chunk of land a half mile off Manhattan. Check out the latest in last week’s New York magazine.

    Then contrast that with the process to revamp the Seattle Center to meet the current and future needs of this city. There’s a citizens’ panel hashing out ideas, which appear likely to yield a series of half steps that satisfy no one.

  • The case for transit and roads

    A package of transit and road projects for the Seattle area is nearly ready for this November’s ballot. It deserves support because it’s the best compromise.

    Roadstransitmap0529071The plan approved last week extends light rail beyond the starter lines currently underway. It also fixes several road bottlenecks that would make bus transit more workable (such as along 520 and 167). True, it would expand 405 perhaps too much, but it also has money to study how to incorporate the Eastside rail corridor into the future transportation network.

    The package is barely ready but there’s already plenty of opposition. One viewpoint says I should vote against any project that doesn’t directly improve my commute. Maybe the standard of living will deterioriate so much that people will stop coming here?

    I’d argue that that point is still far in the future because, even if it deteriorates, the Puget Sound will remain a better place to live than other big cities. Instead, we should invest in transportation projects that are finally beginning to be paired with development planning. It’s not enough, but it’s a start to capturing the benefits of more people and economic activity without destroying this place.

    Financing for this transit-and-roads package remains an issue, but not in the way this Seattle Times article frames it. The true cost isn’t the debt to pay for the projects, which may still be less than perfect. It’s the crippling cost of — yet again — doing nothing.

  • Seattle approves criteria (but not a plan) for 520

    Solving obvious transportation problems around Seattle is like establishing peace in the Middle East: endless plans, criteria and road maps but very little progress.

    The latest example is the Seattle City Council’s agreement on criteria for replacing the 520 bridge, a decision they delayed a week ago citing an outpouring of comments. The latest plan calls for a mediator to negotiate with all sides and present a plan in 20 months. They couldn’t even get behind the governor’s call for a replacement that would include transit lanes.

    Remember this isn’t an optional project. Just like the viaduct freeway, there’s a real chance that the bridge could collapse in a natural disaster, costing lives and the economy.

  • Why we need regional transport planning

    An opportunity for an integrated rail and bus transportation hub at Seattle’s Husky Stadium may be squandered according to this story and this op-ed article.

    The ludicrous lack of coordination (one planner is quoted as saying the inefficient routes are “pretty much set”) is the latest example of why the region’s transportation planning needs to be better managed.

    In a major step in the right direction, the state legislature is considering bills that would create a single government agency with authority to prioritize, plan and finance transportation projects for the entire metropolitan area.

    This week the Municipal League of King County sent this letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire and legislative leaders Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen and Rep. Judy Clibborn urging a package that coordinates planning without undermining support for existing projects. (Note: I’m a trustee of the League.)

  • Missing the cause of high gas prices

    Legislation introduced in Olympia takes aim at Cascadia’s high gas prices but misses a root cause: lack of competition.

    Sen. Joe Zarelli, a Republican from southwest Washington, proposed a study to determine if the single pipeline that serves the area stretching from Vancouver to Eugene is adequate. One potential fixes, of course, is to relax permitting rules or reduce taxes to encourage construction of an additional pipeline.

    It’s no secret that gas costs more in this region than elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada. While supply and demand is part of the equation, close coordination of refining and distribution by oil companies is apparently a bigger factor. There don’t appear to be any attempts to crack that.

    UPDATE:

    The original post above suggested that Sen. Zarelli advocates relaxed rules or reduced taxes to encourage construction of a new pipeline. Catherine Trinh of the Senate Republican Caucus emailed to say that the bill doesn’t specifically mention either.

    The exact language of the bill can be found here.