How dare you, TriMet, concoct a new page on your site around basic rules to ride by.  I mean, many of them sound like (gasp!) some of the public transportation riding etiquette tips I’ve posted in the past!  Why… that means: (Wax on) If you follow proper public transit riding etiquette… (Wax off) then you’re most likely following the rules. Let’s go over the rules TriMet posted on this new page of theirs: 1) Valid and Correct Fare Is Required.  Well, we’ve certainly covered enough personal

In an article on the PNW Local news website, the issue of budget cuts is raised re: police coverage on Sound Transit corridors and unincorporated areas:

“Unincorporated King County will have less law enforcement”

“Citizens in unincorporated areas of northeast King County — including parts of Redmond, Woodinville and Duvall — would be “terribly exposed” to crimes including thefts/burglaries valued under $10,000, bad checks/fraud and regional drug rings because loss of deputies and staff would eliminate most investigations, said (King County Sheriff Sue) Rahr. ”

“We also are Sound Transit and Metro Transit police — we cover 2,000 square miles with that service … and handle homicides, forensics, Homeland Security. … We really are a metropolitan police unit,” Rahr emphasized, countering the notion of a quaint sheriff’s department in a fictional town like Mayberry. “

First of all, it’s completely irresponsible to cut police & security services when the population keeps growing- and what does that mean for cities along a light rail line?

If King County is looking at: “the loss of 21 positions, both commissioned and non-comissioned personnel. King County Executive Ron Sims has called for more reductions in 2009, further slashing up to 70 more jobs in the Sheriff’s Office”, then what happens at light rail stations and on the trains when the inevitable happens- crimes like the typical, numerous assaults in Portland?

Is Sound Transit going to require the cities to pay for security that the light rail line passes through?

Have the cities budgeted for that? Probably not.

Could the cities afford to provide sufficient security to keep their citizens safe? Probably not. Portland isn’t doing a great job of that:

Hire 160 Officers for Light Rail, City Tells TriMet

Crime on the MAX- The Oregonian

North Portland MAX attack renews fear, safety worries

Knife attack on bus raises security concern

71 year-old budgeoned with a bat on Tri-Met

Before the ST2 light rail proposal is voted on in fall 2008, citizens should be assured that what is happening in Portland will NOT HAPPEN here.

Who will take responsibilty for the security budget? Sound Transit? King County Sheriff’s office? We just heard from them that they won’t have the coverage.

Seattle? Bellevue? Redmond?

A recent article in The Atlantic indirectly sheds some light on Portland’s light-rail crime wave. The article notes several research studies have shown that demolition of major housing projects, such as Chicago’s Cabrini Green, was soon followed by suburban crime waves. Residents of the housing projects used section 8 vouchers to move to lower-middle-class suburbs [...]

The Washington State Department of Transportation Report on the quiet pavement test program has been published. Here is a quick summary written by Walter Scott.

No surprises here – AR delivers – it is simply better technology ! WSDOT have reported the results of their quiet pavement program tests thus far for Lynnwood (I-5) , 2006 and SR 520 E of 84^th to 102^nd) , 2007 and the facts speak ...

Details: King County Sheriff’s budget warning (and jail talk) West Seattle Blog, WA - Jun 21, 2008 Rahr’s department also polices Metro transit, she pointed out, adding it’s just been tapped to police Sound Transit, which she says means job opportunities ...

Take a ride on this scenic route before it’s gone TheNewsTribune.com, WA - May 11, 2008 Contractors for Sound Transit will begin work late this year on track and crossing improvements so the Sounder commuter train can reach Lakewood and Amtrak ...

The next meeting of the Committee for A Better Avondale: Date:: May 15th, 2008 - 7:00PM Place:: The downtown Woodinville fire station next to the Post Office. Who: All committee members, new and old, are welcome to attend. We encourage anyone interested to join us to participate in discussions about ways to improve Avondale. At the next meeting, we will be discussing such topics as additional website content, speed enforcement measures, upcoming meetings with elected officials, and publicity for our campaign and website.

This flyer from the Rubber Pavements Association describes how recycling old tires and converting them into quiet pavement can preclude tire fires while providing benefits to neighborhoods.

Why Avondale is so loud? It is a combination of disrepair, heavy traffic, and the type of surface on the road. Due to road improvements put on hold for years, this section of Avondale has fallen into serious disrepair. The 2.5-mile drive south from Woodinville-Duvall Road is a joy ride of bumps, dips, patches, cracks and worn-out surface. It’s getting louder by the day as the road is pounded on by heavy car and truck traffic. It has been almost 55 years since Avondale was originally paved. During the last 20 years of area growth, it has evolved ...

Once again, citizen advocates in the Puget Sound region are leading the government in terms of noise mitigation near heavily utilized roads & freeways.

In an article titled: “Neighbors Want Noisy Road Paved“, the Seattle Times reports that citizens have formed a new group called Citizens for a Quieter Avondale.

They will hold a public meeting with officials from King County on Tuesday.

Attend to learn about the benefits of using “quiet pavement” (aka asphalt rubber), and help to advocate for its use in Washington (one safety benefit is its ability to provide superior skid-resistance).

The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Woodinville Water District Building, 17238 N.E. Woodinville-Duvall Road.