It’s like trying to get a fair hearing with the Queen of Hearts. Or the Caterpillar. Or the Cheshire Cat.

Last night Sound Transit  held a public meeting at Bellevue High School that oh-so-quickly looked at some of the new segment ideas for ST2 in Bellevue. Sound Transit was quick to emphasize that they “listened” to the public, and straightened the alignment in the B section to avoid condemning (they like “acquiring”)more of the The Bellevue Club’s parking lot, which would adversely affect their business and future expansion plans. Fine.

But they completely omitted any information regarding condemnations of the homes and business properties affected by a Main Street alignment. Sound Transit’s Sue Comis just blithely passed over the section on the map showing how the north end of Surrey Downs would be cut off (condemned) by passing over it quietly with her laser pointer…HMMM…Nothing happening here, folks, move along….

Hands started going up as the public realized that Sound Transit was not going to allow questions regarding property takings that the whole group could hear. Sound Transit tried to get the questions coming in small groups around the photograph tables, so that separate neighborhoods wouldn’t know how their preferences would be affecting or impacting their neighbors.

However, they did have a nice table with a couple of guys present near the front door, ready to answer questions, with the title: “Real Estate“.

Yes, what a nice, pretty term for the guys in the department that condemns your property- I wonder how those guys sleep at night.

Welcome to Wonderland.

Sound Transit: Beacon Hill voids cost $1.7 million Seattle Post Intelligencer Sound Transit spent $1.7 million to fill nine underground voids that appeared after construction of the twin light-rail tunnels through Beacon Hill, ...

Sound Transit says it will build a bridge -- not an earthen berm  -- over the so-called B-Street Gulch within its project site to install commuter rail tracks through Tacoma's Dome District. The design change for that part of the project largely was spurred by community concerns about aesthetics and wildlife,  Jim Edwards, Sound Transit's director [...]

Here is Mike Lindblom’s comment on the Seattle Times site re: Sound Transit’s noise levels exceeding the federal standard in Tukwila- hopefully this will NOT happen with ST2.          Click here for the link.

 July 10, 2009 at 7:59 PM

 Regarding track lubrication: I got more info late today from Sound Transit about their lube order, which we first reported this morning. They say the lube is meant for spots where straight wheels meet curving rails –

 so it would not prevent noise on the straight tracks next to Mr. Shumate and his neighbors.
– Mike Lindblom, Seattle Times reporter

 

In a Seattle Times article (click here), reporter Erika Schultz says that there appears to be a large discrepancy between what Sound Transit told impacted neighbors near the Tukwila light rail line their noise readings would be, and what the readings allegedly are now:

“David and Laurie Shumate, who moved into their remodeled 1920s home two years ago, take issue with Sound Transit’s November noise readings. David Shumate bought his own sound meter and says he has measured levels above 80 decibels, 10 decibels louder Ëœ that is, 10 times louder Ëœ than Sound Transit’s measurements from 2008. A rock concert is measured at 100 decibels, and levels higher than 80 decibels over continuous periods can result in hearing loss, according to a Sound Transit report.”

The difference is allegedly 80 decibels and above currently, whereas the noise levels measured by Sound Transit in 2008 were around 72.6. If accurate, the difference is enough to damage normal hearing in humans:

The test found no impact on the neighborhood. Records show the loudest reading was 72.6 decibels, and officials predicted the noise levels would decrease once the tracks smoothed out from use.

But now, residents say, the noise is getting louder.

“It’s much, much, much, much louder than it used to be,” Haynes said. “They said it would be the sound of a whooshing as it goes by. It’s definitely more than the whoosh of the wind.”

See the KOMO news piece on the same issue (click here).

According to KOMO news (click here), Tukwila resident David Shumate was so annoyed by Sound Transit’s light rail noise that he bought a decibel reader to measure it.

“The residents on East Marginal Way South say the noise the new light rail is forcing on their neighborhood far exceeds the minimal noise they were promised during the design and building phases. They claim the noise from the testing runs is so loud that their ears hurt.

“The train is louder, a lot louder than we expected and a lot louder than Sound Transit said it would be,” said David Shumate.

“It’s a higher-pitched squeaking,” said Lynn Sires, who says the noise wakes her up.

Shumate even bought a decibel meter to measure the noise reverberating out to his house and his neighbors. The noise registered as high as 88 decibels. An average vacuum cleaner runs at about 75 to 80 decibels.”

If accurate, that decibel range is far higher than allowed, and Sound Transit will have to mitigate for it. The neighborhood apparently wants noise barriers installed along the line like those installed a mile further down.

Get going, Sound Transit. Do the right thing.

Sound Transit train and car collide in Seattle According to local transportation policy expert, John Niles, Sound Transit's EIS,,, ...forecast a collision with a vehicle, bike, or pedestrian averaging every 12 days. Most are expected to be minor, but serious injuries and fatalities are not unheard of in other light rail cities, at a rate per passenger mile that exceeds urban car and bus driving/riding. John has portions of the EIS showing Sound Transit's analysis posted on his website here. Interestingly, yesterday's collision was caused by a driver crossing the tracks after turning left against a red light. ...

State Auditor Sonntag plays hardball over "dumb" cut to ... Sound Politics, WA CROSSCUT -- Gregoire on the spot over performance audits -- The Legislature's proposed gutting of the performance-audit program is inexcusable ... they have uncovered practices by WSDOT, the Port of Seattle, Sound Transit, and other agencies which ...

How Much Lying Do You Allow For? Sound Politics, WA Both the Times and PI reporting (before they turned into a website) is/was characterized widely by rail proponents as blatantly against light rail and Sound Transit. 2. Can the mayor legally bind property owners to foot the bill for "cost over runs" ...