Money, Money, Money...
Sound Transit has come up with some extra, unexpected money, according to a report in the King County Journal. So, what are they going to do with it? Fund ROADS:
Sound Transit's growing pot of unexpected tax money collected on the Eastside might wind up helping to squeeze two HOV lanes and building Mercer Island bus ramps on Interstate 90.
The Eastside Transportation Partnership voted Friday to ask the agency whether $40 million in Sound Transit's taxes collected on the Eastside could be spent on I-90.
The I-90 project, at $128 million, is a strong candidate: Of all the Eastside projects, it is most in need of money to be completed.
Now, to be fair, the money would be used to pay for all-day, two-way HOV lanes, something I'm firmly in favor of. But I'm not any happier about it, because it simply reinforces the fact that if a transit company has extra money, it gets sent to use roads. And if roads are underfunded, the money gets pulled from transit. So, no matter what the economic conditions, transit gets screwed.
$40 million can buy a lot of buses or light rail trains and can be used to build better transit stations. It can be used to encourage people to stop driving and therefore reduce the need to build more lanes on I-90. It can be used to extend operating hours.
But instead, $40 million that should be used to fund transit is going to fund America's habit of driving.
Post Author:
amg | 9:47 AM |
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