by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Kevin Schofield
This weekend’s read is a new report from the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning that tries to lay out the best practices for building out a potential high-speed rail project in the corridor from Portland, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Continue reading Weekend Reads | Keeping a High-Speed Rail Project On Trackby Guy Oron
(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
Speculation over the location of a new light rail station in the Chinatown-International District (CID) neighborhood ignited a fierce debate over accessible transportation, displacement, and equity in regional government planning and decision-making. Some community advocates say that divisive online discourse about the various proposals may have caused lasting harm to progressive movements, with traditionally allied groups backing different sides of the increasingly polarized issue.
Continue reading Placement of Future CID Light Rail Station Sparks Heated Debate, Strains Relationsby Friends of Little Sài Gòn Board of Directors
Sound Transit has the power to shape equitable development in neighborhoods south of Seattle’s downtown for generations. The political discourse over where to site a station essential for light rail expansion and potentially other non-car modes of transportation has become another existential battleground, falsely pitting our community’s fears of displacement, gentrification, and desire for transit equity in a city experiencing hyper wealth inequality against the simultaneous and very urgent need for connected, reliable, efficient transportation options that also support climate resilience.
Continue reading OPINION | From the Other Side of I-5: Little Saigon Weighs In on Sound Transit’s Light Rail Expansion in the CIDby Lizz Giordano
For Kris Colcock, a 20-minute appointment may take all day to complete — and several buses. Colcock, who is blind and lives on Bainbridge Island, relies mainly on public transportation to get around.
Continue reading A ‘Week Without Driving’ Is a Year-Round Experience for Some King County Residentscurated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Starbucks strikes continue to make local and national news, including their current request for the National Labor Relations Board to suspend union elections at all of its U.S. stores.
In continued coverage of safety concerns around transit, we share news of a developing story around a death at Mount Baker Station.
A community storytelling series will also be presented at Hing Hay Park, featuring Yuko Kodama, Anne Xuan Clarke, Christina Shimizu, Norma Timbang, and Luzviminda (Lulu) Carpenter.
—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Starbucks Pushes to Suspend Union Elections Nationwide, Community Storytelling Series in the CIDby Lizz Giordano
More than five years after a subsidized fare launched on light rail trains, the transit agency says the $1.50 price might still be too high for some.
Continue reading Lower Low-Income Fare Coming to Sound Transitby Lizz Giordano
Sound Transit plans to elevate or bury future light rail routes rather than run them along the street. This design choice comes 20 years after the transit agency laid down track in the middle of 4.5 miles of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, making that segment the most dangerous in the system.
“In general, future projects are to be designed as aerial or tunnel guideways,” said John Gallagher, a spokesperson for Sound Transit, in an email. “For projects not currently under construction or in planning, Link light rail crossings will be grade separated moving forward.”
Continue reading Sound Transit Eliminates Design That Made South End Light Rail Most Dangerous Stretchby Lizz Giordano
Two years after Sound Transit acknowledged that internal data showed Black and low-income riders were more likely to be cited and punished for failing to pay on trains, the agency is still searching for a solution for fare enforcement equity.
According to 2018–2019 rider surveys and enforcement data, 9% of light rail and Sounder train riders were Black but accounted for 21% of the people cited or fined by officers. And nearly 60% of the riders cited had a household income of less than $50,000.
Continue reading Sound Transit Searching for Equitable Fare Enforcement Solutionsby Lizz Giordano
For more than a decade, light rail trains have whizzed through the Rainier Valley, but the development along the corridor that many expected would follow has lagged behind.
The 2008 recession combined with a negative perception of the South End by developers are both blamed for some of that lethargic growth around the South End stations. Though the pace of development has picked up in recent years, swaths of land still lie vacant near many stations. Meanwhile, frustrations over Sound Transit’s decision to build the line along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South at street level linger because of increased safety concerns.
“The big story with light rail is that some parts of the corridor saw the kind of development that was anticipated and some didn’t, notably Rainier Beach,” said Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales. “The things that were anticipated were delayed substantially, but they are coming.”
Continue reading Light Rail in the Rainier Valley, 10 Years Later
