Building a Better Bellevue has posted a study titled: “Inconvenient Truths That Prove the Feasibility of B7R for East Link”, which argues that the B7 alignment for Sound Transit’s East Link light rail in Bellevue is:

• cost-effective,
• has similar or better ridership,
• would have less traffic impacts during construction,
• and would reduce some impacts to the community.

See the post at Building a Better Bellevue’s site (click here).

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”…

Yesterday we posted (click here) about the Obama administration’s proposal to have new federal rules governing safety on all subways and light rail alignments due to spotty oversight & enforcement by 27 regional bodies.

Today Sound Transit’s train derails near the ST maintenance facility on an elevated alignment.

HMMM. Perhaps new safety rules & oversight will prove to be a good idea.

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).