Years ago, Fred Jarrett told us that Sound Transit’s own estimates indicated that there would x # of deaths per year with an at-grade alignment on MLK Way.

Unfortunately, it has eventually come to pass- a man has been killed while crossing the street. Yes, apparently the man might not have been paying attention to the flashing lights and arm down across the crossing- but that is exactly the point!

Wherever there is at-grade light rail, there are at-grade accidents, because no amount of education seems to keep 100% of the people out of harm’s way (there was an earlier death in July 2009 that was termed a suicide- click here ). At grade alignments are inherently more dangerous than grade-separated alignments.

Smart planners would eliminate at-grade alignments and grade-separate whenever possible at the next stop for Sound Transit’s light rail line- Bellevue – for obvious reasons.

Unless we are comfortable with more train vs. pedestrian accidents throughout the East Link line…

Reference to the man’s death was buried by the Seattle Times on page  B3 of the NW Friday section (January 7, 2010), presumably because it was more important to cover the NFL playoffs on most of the front page today…

Details from the accident are grisly- “He was thrown or possibly dragged 30 to 40 yards, according to a police”…

Download BBB’s new, comprehensive review of  Sound Transit’s work on the B7 alignment at: www.betterbellevue.org

See BBB’s “Optimized B7” proposal :

“Building a Better Bellevue has also included an “Optimized B7” alignment that offers a B7 alignment with improved cost considerations.”

Tonight, the case for a potential conflict of interest was laid out re: Bellevue City Council member Grant Degginger and his law firm Lane/Powell by a Bellevue citizen during public comment. Lane/Powell apparently represents Sound Transit and Degginger admitted he has tried and won a case for them.

After Degginger’s comments re: his involvement, he called out his challenger by disparaging a group she belongs to.  That led to an escalation of conflicts between Council members.

See the streamed 09/27/10 City of Bellevue Council meeting on their website at: http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/bellevue_tv.htm

Is there “Freedom of Speech” in Vancouver, Washington, guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States of America? Hmmm…

Vancouver City Council member Jeanne Harris goes absolutely postal on this YouTube post from a Vancouver City Council meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_8HgrM4LcE.

Here are a few quotes from a Council meeting in Vancouver where discussion re: light rail and tolls elicited overly heated comments from Council member Jeanne Harris:

To the Mayor of Vancouver re: a citizen: “Gavel Him Down! Gavel Down!”.

To the citizens: “Out!… You’ve Been Dismissed! Leave! You’re Done!“…”This is Our Meeting, and we’ll have it the way we want it, and you will not address separate Council members”.

To a fellow Vancouver Council member: “You do not talk about me when I’m not here” (after Harris left in a huff). “You do not behave that way” (after Harris returned). “You do not chastise people” that way. “Shut Up!”

Which is more concerning?:

1. Censorship of citizen public comment.

2. Exclusion of Subject Matter-One Council member’s opinion that considerations about light rail or tolls are “not appropriate subjects” for  a comment by a private citizen when speaking to the Council that should be representing them about major projects in their own city.

3. Some Vancouver City Council members’ viewpoints that the Council does not have Standing, or any role to play re: determining how an important issue such as light rail or tolls impacts their own city.

4. Accusations- One Council member making unsubstantiated aspersions against another member at a Council meeting, and

5. Procedural- One member overriding the Mayor, and/or demanding that the Mayor shut down and/or limit public comment on a particular subject.

6. Passing the Buck: Certain members absolving themselves of responsiblility for their citizens or city, by saying that local governance has no role to play in a major city project led by a regional governance entity (for which their citizens are taxed- can anyone say: “Taxation Without Representation?”).

Beyond Harris’s extremely poor public behavior, there are much broader, serious questions here that have to do with:

1. Local, regional, state and federal governance,

2. Who can influence a project and for what period of time during a process, and

3. Who makes funding decisions…

These questions echo here in the Puget Sound region, with entities like:

1. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)

2. Sound Transit

3. The Port of Seattle

More on this story later…

Postscript: Fellow Vancouver City Council members have requested an ethics review. Click here: http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/sep/15/2-city-councilors-seek-ethics-probe-of-harris/

Good to know that all it takes to change a stupid security policy is to wait for someone to be beaten within an inch of their life, THEN change the policy. How about figuring it out AHEAD of time, so the public is protected?

Doesn’t Seattle remember Kristopher Kime (click here, or here), who was murdered in the sight of the Seattle police in 2001? Weren’t we going to learn from that travesty?

The Seattle Times reports (click here):

“The way Metro uses Olympic guards is similar to Sound Transit’s contract with Securitas, whose unarmed guards are paid $16 to $18 an hour to conduct fare enforcement and to patrol transit stations. Sound Transit’s policies, however, anticipate they’ll sometimes intervene:

“When faced with a clear and immediate threat of bodily harm, the Security Officer must always first consider retreating with any other people present to a secure position. When necessary to protect self and others from a clear and immediate threat of bodily harm, a Security Officer must use only the degree of force necessary to repel an attack or threat of an attack.”

Love this statement:

“After several crimes on Portland rail lines — including the beating of a 71-year-old man with a baseball bat at a suburban station — officials doubled the transit police from 28 officers to 58 during 2008-09, and crimes decreased, according to an Oregonian newspaper report.”

Ya think?

Read this article by the Seattle Times and watch this video (click here) provided by KING-TV of a beating in the Seattle bus tunnel.

Then tell us how the outcome will be different if groups of thugs decide to ride the light rail alignments or loiter at stations and behave in this manner.

Choose from the following:

1. The camera will protect me?

2. The “Security Guards” will intervene? (Hmmm, they are directed NOT to).

3. I’m on my own.

4. Tell me why I want to stop using my car, again?

*Understatement Award of the Year:

“The county executive has ordered us to work with the Sheriff’s Office to review the circumstances surrounding this incident and seek advice from other security experts to determine whether we need to change our security protocols.”

Pathetic.

In a November 15, 2009 article reprinted by the Seattle Times (by Joe Stephens of the The Washington Post), new safety rules for subway and light rail lines are discussed:

” The Obama administration will propose that the federal government take over safety regulation of the nation’s subway and light-rail systems, responding to what it says is haphazard and ineffective oversight by state agencies“.

USDOT :

“Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Transportation would do for transit what it does for airlines and Amtrak: Set and enforce federal regulations to ensure that millions of passengers get to their destinations safely. Administration officials said the plan will be presented in coming weeks to Congress; changing the law is subject to its approval.”

Previously Insufficient Funds for Safety Regulation, Oversight, & Enforcement:

“Commuter-rail systems are subject to a long list of federal regulations and are regularly inspected by federal safety monitors.

Safety oversight of light-rail and subway systems, however, is delegated to 27 regional bodies controlled by states. Quality varies widely, as does funding and enforcement power.

With a few exceptions, the agencies tend to be threadbare, averaging less than one staff person per agency, according to federal statistics.

One can only hope that new federal rules will:

1. Lessen the occurrence of light rail at-grade accidents with pedestrians & cars,

2. Lessen the occurrence of light rail train vs. car accidents via improved design standards , and

3. Lessen the occurrence of criminal behavior at light rail stations and on the trains (video cameras aren’t keeping people safe).

Have you noticed that on sunny days, there are at least 2 Bald Eagles that hunt in the Arboretum and perch on the sculptures along side the freeway?

When the eagles aren’t there, the Blue Herons do the same, or stand in the water along side the beaver lodge. Turtles bask in the sun on the logs to the west of the stand of trees (when you’re coming from east to west). Loons and grebes and numerous other birds nest and hunt in the area.

Seattle PI reporter Deborah Harrell reported about stakeholders’ concerns re: the 520 redesign, and I’m wondering- how will the new design mitigate for the existing wildlife, some of which are protected species?