Prop 1

A reader wanted to alert me to the Proposition 1 campaign in the Seattle area, which is basically a plan for a massive upgrade in the region’s transit offerings. The plan is impressively multi-modal, including light rail, commuter rail, and express buses which is exactly as it should be. As I’ve never been to Seattle, it’s a little bit difficult for me to evaluate the details of the proposed route map, but it seems to hit the right bases — linking the airport, downtown Seattle, downtown Bellevue, the Microsoft campus, etc.

At any rate, best of luck to the campaigners. It’s worth observing that it’s in the nature of these kind of things that as you improve any one part of the network it becomes more worth contemplating additional improvements. For example, based on their distance and population size, the Seattle-Portland corridor looks like a pretty good candidate for a high-speed rail link. But of course the problem with these kind of situations is that if once you get to Seattle you need a car to get around, then you may as well drive. That, in turn, casts some doubt on the wisdom of a HSR link. But build some transit in Seattle, and then getting to Seattle on the train looks like a better option. And, of course, if the California high-speed rail initiative goes forward, we can perhaps someday look forward to HSR all up-and-down the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Vancouver.