The Discovery Institute’s Bruce Agnew is spewing insanity again, this time in a Seattle Times Opinion piece. He’s saying he’s got the region’s transportation problems figured out, and here are his ideas:
The Puget Sound Regional Council is working to help better coordinate signalized intersections; there are 2,300-plus in our four counties. Greater synchronization, where signals actually talk to each other, could significantly cut congestion. Related strategies use real-time traffic information to alter electronic roadway signs, signals and even lane configurations, maximizing capacity. Applying developer contributions to higher-tech traffic operations is a natural under the state’s Growth Management Act. The Eastside is an ideal proving ground.
Signal Synchronization? Is he serious? That’s the first in his ideas? I’m sure that it can provide a small amount of help, but I can’t imagine how it could solve the fundamental problem: too many cars trying to go through the same intersection on the same streets.
Then, let’s improve the bus experience. On the Eastside, crucial suburb-to-suburb transit remains a challenge even after the 2006 Metro measure added new express bus routes. Microsoft’s private Connector buses with their reservation system, Wi-Fi and that magical morning-commute invention, the cupholder, are the gold standard. Other Eastside companies could copy this approach, utilizing grants from the state’s Trip Reduction Performance Program and, eventually, carbon-tax credits.
I don’t agree. As a Microsoft employee, I can say that my only connector experiences have been dreadful. It departs extremely rarely, and is constantly waiting for people who have made reservations but are not considerate enough to show up. I know a lot of people do take the connector, but the 545 “microsoft express” bus is still getting huge ridership gains. Anyway, what other employers make enough money and have enough employees to afford this sort of scheme? Few I am sure; Microsoft is the second largest in the region.
Then he completely flies off the handle:
The Eastside is also prime territory to jazz up the dead zones we call park-and-ride lots. They’re transformable into high-tech hubs with joint housing, retail services, plug-in electric vehicle stations, technology-office clusters and many transportation choices. One could be a new idea called flexible carpooling, pioneered by a New Zealand entrepreneur named Paul Minett now seeking regional business and political support. Prescreened drivers and commuters pair up in designated park-and-ride areas for trips to different employment clusters, under a market-based credit and debit system. Missed your car pool? Catch the next one!
What on earth is he talking about? Credit/debit car pool exchanges with strangers? What kind of person would sell space in their car like that? That’s totally nuts, I’m not paying to sit in the car of some random nut who shows up to the park-and-ride.
This makes a bit more sense:
The abandoned BNSF rail corridor from Snohomish to Redmond and Renton offers a potential 42-mile rail and trail combo that, with track rehabilitation, could feature quiet, high-tech, double-decked, biodiesel-burning, bike-carrying, north-south trains to connect to east-west express bus lines on Highways 522 and 520, and Interstate 90. Private sector cost-sharing is distinctly possible. One example: At the nexus of the rail line, Highway 520 and Interstate 405, where an old Safeway distribution center stands, Wright Runstad is proposing a 36-acre office and housing development (the Spring District). The company could share costs for the trail and a commuter rail station complex.
Back to the insanity:
At stops in Bellevue and South Kirkland, why not add a remote airport clearance station for future transit connections to Sea-Tac Airport that are actually convenient for Eastsiders, as suggested by Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant? Utilizing commuter rail that could eventually go as far as Renton, and then a speedy connecting bus, you could first check your bags and then go through all the plane preboarding paces with no stinting on security. Upon arrival at the airport, you’d go straight to your gate.
What does Commuter rail have to do with security screen off-site from the airport? I’m so confused why this makes sense. What exactly is the advantage to off-site screening other than a looser security standard? Seems like an extremely odd proposal and a security risk since there are so many more chances to subvert security between Bellevue and Sea-Tac, especially when you need a transfer. Bruce Agnew is just sitting around dreaming up crazy ideas I think.
Please no more of this, let’s stick to ideas we know will work.
One of my biggest frustrations with the WA Assn of Rail Passengers/All Aboard Washington, is their close relationship with Agnew and the Discovery Institute.
Let’s not forget that DI is at the nexus of the wingnutosphere’s attempts to erase evolution from our schools.
What exactly is it that they are ‘discovering’ there?
Casual carpool systems work where transit doesn’t work, commutes are on the order of hours, and carpool lanes speed you by stuck traffic. It works in San Francisco (though not using the strange credit system described), but I doubt it would work here.
“They’re transformable into high-tech hubs with joint housing, retail services, plug-in electric vehicle stations, technology-office clusters and many transportation choices.” What? Is he talking about stacked parking connected to retail/residential? Just try to put these things on a park-and-ride and the commuters will have to spend more time parking plus the shoppers (/tenants?) will have to walk further. What would make them “high tech hubs”?
I’m not really against eastside rail, though this stuff is nuts.
what’s really sad is how much bruce agnew must get paid to come up with uninspired and utterly loony dreck.
“policy”
sure, signal timing, better transit experiences, and improved P&R utilization all make sense (i’ll leave the rail stuff out of it because, well, it’s just too early in the AM for me to translate the discovery institute newspeak) but the real flaw in this “policy” work is that it suggests that we can fix all of our problems with duct tape, baling wire and a few well-placed band-aids. if only….
No great love for the Discovery Institite from me, either, but that doesn’t mean some of these aren’t reasonable, fairly cheap ideas.
Casual carpooling also goes on in the DC area, in addition to the SF Bay. If we put tolls on the floating bridges you can bet it’ll appear here one way or another. It may not be for you, and it may not make a huge impact overall, but it’s hardly insane.
As for “transforming” the park-and-rides with housing – ah, like Metro did to the Renton TC, building a bunch of apartments on top of the parking garage; new housing, instantly well-connected by transit. Seems worth considering to me, though I don’t know what he means by “high-tech hub” either; maybe wifi?
Eastside rail is the only thing in this article worth building. BUT, and this is a big but, it must connect to the regional system at Tukwila and Everett. I understand Renton wants to kill this by not allowing ST or another agency to extend the rail through their city. I say work with them to come to some common ground. A Tukwila connection will help Renton expand their own economy without increasing traffic.
Reference checking in for a flight at Bellevue or Kirkland, this is being done right now in Germany. Lufthansa allows passengers to check in at Cologne, Bonn, and Stuttgart and fly from Frankfurt. You get you train tickets and, boarding pass, and luggage tags at your origin, then take an ICE train directly the airport. You drop off your bags at the Frankfurt ICE terminal. Bags still get scanned and you still go through security and passport control. There is very little infrastructure involved; it is mainly an operational change for airlines.
I don’t think this should be financed with public funding, but if United or Alaskan wants to partner with ST and ticket passengers all the way to and from Bellevue, it would be an interesting concept to try in the states. A similar change would be airline code-sharing with Amtrak to points along the Cascades route (another concept from Europe).
The Lufthansa link: http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/de/info_and_services/from_to_airport?l=en&nodeid=2063552&cid=18002
That’s a good idea jon, though I think the BNSF corridor ends is quite a long way from Everett (correct me if I’m wrong).
As for Renton, it definitely needs to connect to Sounder and/or link somewhere!
This is vintage Agnew for ya… “if we just close our eyes and wish really hard, we can think our way out of this transit mess for FREE!!”
Sooner or later someone’s gotta start pouring expensive concrete (and preferably laying track atop much of it) and let the chips fall.
Also, Lufthansa codeshares with Duestsche Bahn, a railroad doing so much of a good job hauling passengers(and possibly making money), that their is talk in Berlin of privatizing it.
So what exactly is the difference between a government-sponsored pre-screen program OR having the airlines pay for it, while the federal government continues to dump trillions in those same airlines whenever they need a bailout?
Seems more efficient for us to pay for it directly.
Agnew and the Discovery Institute have an annoying habit of placing transit where there are no people. Several years ago, they were the only organization which got behind the freeway monorail effort (joining that genius Ken Schramm). Lately, Discovery has been pushing hard for passenger ferries – which will literally serve dozens of people, and connect a couple nowhere locations to a few sortawhere locations. Now, Agnew wants to spend hundreds of millions beefing up the dinner train rout without doing any serious analysis to estimate ridership (which will be very low by most back of the napkin exercises.
It’s only natural Agnew would be synching up with Timmy Eyman on this stupid traffic signal synch plan. Discovery and their clueless friends at the Times ed board keep citing LA as the beacon of hope, but anybody who has actually been along Wilshire Blvd knows we have nothing resembling that here.
And what about this “hyper park & ride” concept? In, well, KC Metro and ST already have several in operation and several in the pipeline. But those lots are usually always full. What, does Agnew want to double park everybody now?
Cascadia’s big bizarro master plan is what sends them down the wrong path time after time. Their mission is to foster this one singuls Cascadia region, stretching from Vancouver to Portland, including all the rural out-of-the-way places in between (may have something to do with the fact Agnew lives up towards Bellingham and commutes to Seattle). As such, Discovery’s master plan says we blow billions on intercity rail (or MagLev) and throw crumbs at the rest of us (Argosy tourist ‘ferries’ and crappy buses- thank God for the cupholders, though!)
In other words, don’t expect this band of washed-up Cold Warriors and Reaganites to get same anytime soon. First, Bruce Agnew has to find a way to get Whatcom County in to Seattle or Bellevue via magic carpets and jetpacks…in 12 minutes or less!
Oops – I meant ‘get sane’. Sorry for the typos.
cdc, the DC example of sharing seats with strangers is a rare one. First off, N Virginia commuters are desperate. Thanks to a continuing massive expansion at the Pentagon, the roads in these suburban nightmare areas are jammed with government workers all on the same work schedules. Once Metro is able to expand to some of these areas, you will likely see the car sharing concept disappear. Afterall, the whole point of driving your car is to be alone.
Secondly, N Virginia boasts an extremely homoginized commuter class. In other words, all those military and intelligence guys (and I mean guys) don’t have a problem hopping in strangers’ cars, so long as the strangers all look, think and talk alike. Same way Curitiba’s BRT, LA’s synched lights, Shanghai’s maglev, and San Fran’s foot ferries ain’t gonna fly in Seattle, car stands simply don’t fit the local mold here.
But, on paper, all this stuff looks good. Which is why the Discovery Institute burns through so much paper, and remains firmly planted in theoretical land.
I could see the car stand concept go into effect if the state finally followed its own guidelines, and designated most of the HOV 2 lanes to HOV 3 or 4. The reason the state has not lived up to its 45 mph HOV standard is understandable: such a move would create major gridlock in the general purpose lanes, and cause all-out rebellion w
among the commuting public. Tim Eyman would have a field day!
You can take public transit from Bellingham to Seattle. Once I’m done this quarter I’m going to update my website to show how it’s done. It costs only $5.25 one way.
djstroky – I take Amtrak from Bellingham to Seattle sometimes. The comfort is generally worth the lack of transfers for me.
Yeah, it’s $4 for Sounder, 50c for the connector to Mount Vernon, and then 75c for the Whatcom connector, right?
Ben – On buses, it’s the 510 ($2.50), Everett Connector ($2) and B-ham connector ($0.75)
We should do a STB field to Bellingham… :D
About getting into cars with strangers…I HEARD that desperate UW SOV drivers will stop at popular UW bus stops to pick up 2 random kids with U-passes so they can park for cheap in one of the parking lots.
jojo, I have actually heard of something similar with microsofties. You need three people to get into the carpool lane on 520, and so two-person carpools will pick up a third at the bus stop.
You can travel between Blaine (possibly even Vancouver, BC if you’re willing to hoof it about a mile and half across the border) and Olympia (and vice-versa) on nothing but public transit in a single day. I’ve mapped it out and thought about doing it for a “vacation.”
It’s also not much slower than driving (assuming you make the connections) but good luck getting BACK on the same day. ;)
Thanks, djstroky. :) So it’d be more expensive using Sounder.
jojo and daimajin, I’ve actually been picked up at the Overlake freeway stop by 2-person carpools.
It only works because of the trust between people who work for the same company.
Actually Ben, the connector you had at 50-cents would be $2.00.
Now if you took CT to Stanwood and connected with the Intercounty Connector there, then there would be no charge for the Everett to Mount Vernon portion of the trip as your transfer/ticket would be valid on CT.
Sorry Kaleci – I’ve only taken it once, and I remember it being really cheap. :)
Several comments dissed our flexible carpooling proposal. And judging by the comments, without doing any research into what our system is and how it would work.
Transportation uses a third of all energy and creates an equivalent carbon footprint. Single occupant cars are really bad on an efficiency basis. What is surprising is that a high occupant car is about as efficient for fuel and carbon footprint (per passenger mile) as most diesel buses, unless the bus averages almost half full.
Most buses don’t achieve an average of half full because of the deadhead miles that they need to do to collect passengers.
Carpooling and vanpooling are good answers. Our corporate mission is to find ways to make it easier and more rewarding for people to share rides. Our system of flexible carpooling includes pre-screening of participants, and technology to make it easy to identify screened members, and to track participation and share in the savings.
We believe people will use flexible carpooling because it will save them time and money, and be a real option for taking action against climate change.
You can learn more by looking at http://www.flexiblecarpooling.org
Probably the best reason for considering flexible carpooling is that it can create commuting capacity without spending money on buses or more lanes. Its not a panacea, but it can be a very low cost way to help make things better.