21 September 2009
In the future, you could be paying for your right to use roads the same way you pay your utilities - a bill based on exactly how much you use. According to Paula Hammond, secretary of transportation, and the state's highest transportation official, the technology to do that isn't that far down the road.
20 September 2009
For the most part, riders agreed Metro's buses are fairly dependable, but Hood and others stated they've been late for work or appointments because a bus was behind schedule more often than they would like.
Posted in ModesComments Off
20 September 2009
Sen. Patty Murray knows the impact of growth. As a child growing up in Bothell, she remembers the sign as people entered the city: Population 998. "And look at it now," she marvels of the city that now has more than 30,000 residents. All that growth is wonderful for the economy, she said, but it has crated a "huge transportation problem." Fortunately, Murray is well-positioned to do something about it.
Posted in VoicesComments Off
20 September 2009
The state Senate is keeping $109 million for Federal Way's "triangle project" intact. The money, distributed from the Senate's roads budget, will remain earmarked for the project — the Interstate 5/Highway 18/Highway 161 interchange — for another year.
Posted in WhyComments Off
20 September 2009
The Washington Department of Transportation's decision to open nine miles of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes in May of 2008 between Auburn and Renton was aimed at giving the solo driver a choice, an opt-out from a too-often congested State Route 167 in south King County. More than a year later, some like it HOT, some don't.
Posted in ModesComments Off
20 September 2009
As the founder of research company Jim Hebert Research, the economist and Professor of Business has worked for a wide range of clients, from government agencies like Sound Transit and King County Metro, to cities, including Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond, and multinational companies, including Toyota. He was even hired by the attorneys defending Gary Ridgway, better known as the Green River Killer. His clients pay him for his insight - to study what is really happening on the ground, to uncover trends, patterns of spending, of consumption, and, pertinent to transportation, of ridership, travel habits, and work and lifestyle choices.
Posted in VoicesComments Off
20 September 2009
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a Washington, D.C.-based group consisting of former senators, congressmen, civic leaders and policy experts, launched "Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy," in the club on Aug. 27. It was the first in a series of national events designed to draw attention to the plan and foster discussion among transportation officials and the public ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to bring a new national surface transportation bill before Congress.
Posted in WhyComments Off
20 September 2009
Prediction: The next 15 years will see a transition in automobiles far faster than imagined today.
Posted in VoicesComments Off
20 September 2009
Futurist and Kirkland resident Glen Hiemstra sees many factors driving regional transportation, including the growth of the retirement population, the success or failure of Light Rail and advancements in battery technology. For commuters, he also sees choice.
