Back in the Columbia River Crossing debate, a common phrase was that light rail would transport the vilest crooks to Vancouver to rob, murder and pillage. Judging by the headlines, we have quite a stockpile of criminals who are home grown.
Before retirement, when I was working in Portland I rode C-Tran to get downtown and then used TriMet trains to get to meetings and appointments. It gave me satisfaction to see the jammed freeways as we zoomed past. I know the argument is that light rail would cost too much, but drivers now want the highways widened. Some estimates of the cost to fix the Rose Quarter bottleneck run as high as $10 billion, or about three times greater than a bridge with light rail. Do Washington drivers really think Oregon will spend that much just to convenience us? Or dip into “our” income tax revenues?
Seattle’s powerhouse team in the Legislature wasn’t inclined to find money for our share of the Columbia River Crossing, and now we are on record as opposing the CRC, so Congress won’t be opening its wallet anytime soon.
Say hello to our resident crooks. And enjoy your gridlock.
Bill Stewart
Vancouver
