2008 Citizens' Guide to Sound Transit, Phase 2
September 2008
This November, voters in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties will again
decide on whether to expand Sound Transit’s regional mass transportation
system. The new Sound Transit proposal (ST2) would add 36 miles of light rail,
expand the Sounder commuter rail by four daily round trips between Tacoma
and Seattle and expand the Express bus system by 17 percent. Sound Transit
officials say that, if passed, ST2 would cost about $17.8 billion through 2023
and $22.8 billion through 2037. The proposal would impose a 0.5 percent sales
tax increase within the Sound Transit district, which incorporates most of King,
Pierce and Snohomish Counties. The total sales tax rate would vary among
jurisdictions, but Seattle would rise from 9 percent to 9.5 percent.
• ST2 would spend about $22.8
billion, yet serve only 0.4 percent
of all trips in 2030.
• ST2 would shift only 0.84 percent
of passenger vehicles from the road
to transit by 2030.
• ST2 would spend $22.8 billion to
reduce VMT by only 0.867 percent.
• The cost for ST2 to serve one
additional trip would be about
$368,000. Under Transit Now, the
cost for King County to serve one
additional trip is about $10,000.
• The ST2 proposal would be
37 times less efficient than a
traditional bus system like the one
in King County.
• ST2 would increase traffic
congestion for passenger cars and
freight trucks by about 25 percent
across the I-90 bridge.
• ST2 would reduce lane capacity
on I-90 by 20 percent during the
morning and afternoon peak
commute periods.
• ST2 would eliminate subarea
equity protections.
• Not counting CO2 emitted
during construction, ST2 would
reduce regional CO2 emissions
by up to only 1.11 percent. The
same reduction could be achieved
through purchasing carbon offsets
for only $2.3 million.
Read or download the 2008 Citizens' Guide to Sound Transit, Phase 2 (pdf)
Michael Ennis is director of the Center for Transportation at Washington Policy Center, a non-partisan independent policy research organization in Seattle and Olympia. Nothing here should be construed as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any legislation before any legislative body.
