The Wall Street Journal reports that: Minnesota spends $1.6 billion a year on transportation-but nearly $1 billion of that has been diverted from road and bridge repair to the state's light rail network that has a negligible impact on traffic congestion.
Last year part of a sales tax revenue stream that is supposed to be dedicated for road and bridge construction was re-routed to mass transit.
The Minnesota Department of Economic Development reports that only 2.8% of the state's commuters ride buses or rail to get to work, but these projects get up to 25% of the funding.
Seattle should prioritize transportation dollars to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the 520 floating bridge FIRST, before considering expensive light rail projects that, at best, would only serve 2-3% of future transportation trips.
Oddly enough, expanding roads does nothing to reduce congestion either. That's not what light rail is about, nor is that what expanding roads is about. Rail is about drastically increasing the capacity to move people on specific, congested corriders. Expanding roads is about making voters happy, even if it isn't rational behavior for a government.
Posted by: Carless in Seattle | August 21, 2007 at 08:56 AM