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| May 09, 2008 |
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by David Earling Is light rail the answer to all urban transportation problems? No. Is light rail an essential component in addressing urban transportation problems? Absolutely! The key word is "component." I was a real skeptic about the value of rail transit when I was appointed in 1993 to the regional board of elected officials that was tackling transit issues in the greater Puget Sound region. Reports of light rail's high capital costs and history of not achieving its projected ridership caused me to question seriously whether it would be cost effective. However, the more I delved into transit issues and transportation in general the more I became convinced that a transportation system has to be viewed as just that, a system. Transportation systems are textbook examples of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. To single out one component for analysis completely misses the point. No one component – light rail, buses, commuter rail, van and car pools, taxi cabs, private vehicles, walking or bicycles – by itself provide the "silver bullet" solution that everyone seems to be looking for to address our region's transportation problems. However, put all together as a system they can achieve goals of personal mobility, growth, economic development, air quality and overall quality of life. [The remainder of this lengthy article appears in the current issue of Open Spaces, available either by ordering an issue or subscription from this site or at selected bookstores and newsstands.]
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