The liberal Seattle blog Publicola is not happy with the Sound Transit – though not because the Sound Transit 3 (ST3) plan would cost working families $50 billion, and include taxes that never end.
No, what really has Publicola up in arms is that the plan includes $661 million for about 8,000 new parking spaces, so commuters have a convenient way to get to transit stations they are paying for with their tax dollars. Inexplicably, the liberal mindset appears to assume that transit stops are within walking distance of all commuters who might want to use them.
While the reasoning is Seattle-centric, the author does reveal (for his own purposes) just how arbitrarily Sound Transit officials spend taxpayer dollars. Via Publicola:
“How exactly did ST reach the conclusion that the Redmond Tech Center to downtown Redmond light rail project, for example, needed 1,400 new parking stalls while the Bellevue to Issaquah stop needed 500?
“‘There is not a formula here, but a lot of discretion required,’ Patrick explained.”
Just to be clear, the taxpaying public is supposed to rely on the “discretion” of government bureaucrats who cannot be trusted to keep their promises. Considering ST3’s astronomical price tag of $50,000,000,000.00 – with never-ending taxes – that’s not very assuring.
How dare the motorists who are paying for light rail ask for parking spaces at the stations. The gall of them. UnSound Transit should just install bikeshare locations at the stations and tell the people whose pockets their hands are in to appreciate them.