Comments on: Transitography 53: Sound Transit – The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority http://www.transitmiami.com/2008/08/13/transitography-53-sound-transit-%e2%80%93-the-central-puget-sound-regional-transit-authority/ Moving Together, Faster Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:45:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Tony Garcia http://www.transitmiami.com/2008/08/13/transitography-53-sound-transit-%e2%80%93-the-central-puget-sound-regional-transit-authority/#comment-8854 Tony Garcia Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:14:04 +0000 http://www.transitmiami.com/?p=2617#comment-8854 Sound Transit is similar to our PTP, which is why I wanted to show how another system can do more with the same parameters. The big differences are: -More money: Sound Transit is funded by a full cent sales tax. It makes a big difference. Many other cities around the country use sales tax to fund transit, but most (if not all) have a full cent or more. -Real accountability: regular independent audits, as well as a truly independent oversight board make sure the money goes where it should. The Sound Transit board is also comprised of many different transit advocates and civic leaders, rather than just local politicians that pander to their constituents. -Coordinated Service: This is a regional system that connects to local transit service. Fares are simple to understand and standard across the three county area. We are really bad about transfers and connections. I don't know about the racial makeup of MDT or the CITT. I'm not sure that our problems are race based, but I do agree with your assessment of our transportation managers being decidedly anti-transit. Perhaps that is the biggest difference between our system and other transit systems: the people in charge care about providing transit. Sound Transit is similar to our PTP, which is why I wanted to show how another system can do more with the same parameters. The big differences are:
-More money: Sound Transit is funded by a full cent sales tax. It makes a big difference. Many other cities around the country use sales tax to fund transit, but most (if not all) have a full cent or more.
-Real accountability: regular independent audits, as well as a truly independent oversight board make sure the money goes where it should. The Sound Transit board is also comprised of many different transit advocates and civic leaders, rather than just local politicians that pander to their constituents.
-Coordinated Service: This is a regional system that connects to local transit service. Fares are simple to understand and standard across the three county area. We are really bad about transfers and connections.

I don’t know about the racial makeup of MDT or the CITT. I’m not sure that our problems are race based, but I do agree with your assessment of our transportation managers being decidedly anti-transit. Perhaps that is the biggest difference between our system and other transit systems: the people in charge care about providing transit.

]]> By: Semi http://www.transitmiami.com/2008/08/13/transitography-53-sound-transit-%e2%80%93-the-central-puget-sound-regional-transit-authority/#comment-8843 Semi Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:12:17 +0000 http://www.transitmiami.com/?p=2617#comment-8843 This is similar to what we already have. The only difference is that the "Northwesterns" are probably still a large homogeneous population (or greatly assimilated). In south Florida we have these politicos that operate solely on racial lines. They constantly change the parameters of the transit plan (any plan). Their desire to get re-elected is based on keeping the transit plan in the planning stage then blaming their counterparts of doing the same. We even added the CITT to oversee "for the public" and that morphed into another inert bureaucracy. Some would argue that most of the Hispanics that left MDT during Bradley's tenure ended up at CITT, leaving MDT predominantly African-American. That's a very polarized setup. It's a race-based, anti-transit policy and, by inaction, we're all to blame. This is similar to what we already have. The only difference is that the “Northwesterns” are probably still a large homogeneous population (or greatly assimilated). In south Florida we have these politicos that operate solely on racial lines. They constantly change the parameters of the transit plan (any plan). Their desire to get re-elected is based on keeping the transit plan in the planning stage then blaming their counterparts of doing the same. We even added the CITT to oversee “for the public” and that morphed into another inert bureaucracy. Some would argue that most of the Hispanics that left MDT during Bradley’s tenure ended up at CITT, leaving MDT predominantly African-American. That’s a very polarized setup.

It’s a race-based, anti-transit policy and, by inaction, we’re all to blame.

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