John Chao’s recent letter advocating that light rail needs its own bridge raises some valid concerns about Sound Transit plans for East Link. The more basic issue is whether the Eastside needs light rail connections to Seattle.
Sound Transit could get far greater cross-lake capacity at a fraction of light rail’s cost and in two years rather than 12 by converting the center bridge section to two-way bus only lanes.
Buses can easily operate with 5-second intervals between them. Converting the bridge center section to two-way bus-only use would accommodate 720 buses an hour in each direction, more than enough to meet cross lake requirements for the foreseeable future. This cross-bridge capability would allow every Eastside P&R lot to have as many bus routes as needed to meet demand.
During the peak commute, every Eastside P&R lot would have buses departing at regular intervals on a non-stop route into Seattle to one or at most two drop-off points along Fourth Avenue. Each express bus route would be assigned separate drop off points to minimize congestion. Fourth Avenue will be restricted to bus only operation during the peak commute so, if needed, the left hand lane could be used for drop-off. Second Avenue would also be restricted to buses to provide each return route with one or two afternoon pick-up points.
Every Eastside resident would have the option to drive to their local P&R lot, get on a bus that will take them downtown in 15-20 minutes in the morning and back to their P&R lot in the afternoon. None of the current routes would be affected so those riders who need intermediate stops, or different drop-off and pick up points would not be affected.
The fundamental problem with any light rail connection to Seattle is the vast majority of current and future cross-lake commuters will have little if any access. For example, the only place they can park along the proposed East Link route is in south Bellevue.
Very few commuters who, after enduring long lines of traffic along northbound or southbound I-405 or westbound along 1-90, will choose to take an off ramp leading to the South Bellevue P&R lot. Those who do so will face long delays in getting to a parking space in the morning and back to the freeway in the evening. It is difficult to envision any cross-lake train route that wouldn’t fact a similar problem.
Bill Hirt, Bellevue
