2007 OPINION-EDITORIAL

November 02, 2007

Rethink Transportation

By Amber Gunn

Any Puget Sound resident can tell you about our region’s traffic afflictions, but not many know what should be done about it. Over the years, lofty public officials have formed various committees and task forces to deal with the problem. What we got from all that rhetoric and tongue wagging was a monorail nose dive and a very expensive light rail system more than a decade behind schedule.

The good news is our state’s recent performance audits have pinpointed the cause of many flaws in the transportation system and how we can go about fixing them. The audit examining congestion in the Puget Sound makes it clear that more money will not solve congestion.

The audit holds two key recommendations that could curb congestion drastically. First, the Legislature must make congestion relief a key priority for the Department of Transportation (DOT). Second, the governance process must be simplified.

If these and other recommendations are carried out, the reduced hours of traffic delay could save our region some $300 to $400 million a year in vehicle operating costs and travel time.

One of the main reasons traffic has become worse over the last ten years is because the Legislature has not enforced the law that made congestion relief a priority for the Department of Transportation (DOT). In the 2007 legislative session, lawmakers just gave up and passed a new law directing DOT to focus on broad goals such as “maintenance,” “preservation” and “environment.” Congestion is simply not in the mix.

To make matters worse, no one person, group or agency has taken charge of the comprehensive transportation policy. In fact, according to the audit, 128 entities play some role in governing highways along Puget Sound. Among them, a commitment to congestion management is severely lacking.

The audit suggests streamlining the governance process for transportation—a conclusion similar to that of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation in 2001, which has been ignored by former Governor Locke, Governor Gregoire and the Legislature.

Amidst all the traffic policy debates, light rail has lovingly been billed as the “sustainable” answer to our region’s congestion problems. Trouble is it is managed by an agency that has clearly demonstrated an inability to control project costs or timelines.

According to the audit, cost estimates for the light rail line were underestimated substantially. This under-estimation combined with delays and cost overruns in the planning, designing and building of light rail, led to a final product that is over-budget, over-timeline, and under the original scope promised to taxpayers.

Sound Transit officials claim they’ve learned their lesson, that they’re sorry for the delays and extra costs, and that all those regrettable mistakes are in the past. But this is a predictable predicament. The real problem is that this agency has virtually unfettered access public money with no serious accountability.

Sound Transit cheerleaders still contend that despite the agency’s problems, the end product is worth the high cost. Too bad evidence does not support them.

If Portland’s tragic experience with light rail is any indication of what will happen here, we’re all in for a rude shock. Turns out, more people walk to work (0.8%) than ride the light rail (0.5%).

The numbers may not be as dismal here based on current predictions, but they’re still unnerving. The congestion audit noted that for every 100 commuters, only seven would take light rail while the other 93 remain stuck in traffic. This is because light rail commuters “will primarily consist of current transit users and attract few highway commuters.”

Even worse, based on Sound Transit’s Phase II ridership numbers, the cost to move one passenger out of a car and into public transportation would range from about $90,000 to $100,000. Despite the high cost, congestion would actually get worse on I-90 because of the plan to remove two lanes from the span across Lake Washington to make room for light rail.

If that doesn’t get your goat, perhaps the cost of light rail art will. Sound Transit Art allocates 1% of the existing construction budget for station art to “help patrons feel welcome.” So far, that amounts to nearly $45 million. I’d rather get a refund.

Sound Transit is clearly not the agency we should depend on to solve congestion. What we’ve learned so far is that if they can’t build light rail within the cost and timeframes promised to voters, they just get more money and more time. It doesn’t make sense to continue pushing utopian ideas that won’t solve our transportation dilemma.

The bottom line is congestion is a solvable problem if the right policy choices are made. The transportation performance audits made it clear that a few key changes can put us back on track. It’s time to rethink our region’s transportation policy. The Legislature must make congestion relief a top priority.

Amber Gunn is Director of EFF’s Economic Policy Center. She serves as a voting member on the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force and is often consulted by media outlets and legislative staff for issue briefs and policy analysis. Prior to joining EFF full time, she was a Charles G. Koch Fellow in partnership with the State Policy Network. Amber holds a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Washington.

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