Death of a dream: monorail voted down

I'm in a bit of a funk over the outcome of the local election on November 8. In a 65% to 35% vote, Seattle voted to shut down the Seattle Monorail Project, just two months from the start of construction. Two months! People outside this area are flabbergasted (links to PDF of article from London) that it even had to be voted on five times and that the Mayor and City Council wouldn't support it.

Part of what's so frustrating is that so many people bought into the lie that the money spent to date on the Project was "wasted", even before the vote. $70 million of the $180 million spent bought property that will now be resold, likely at a higher return for taxpayers. The rest paid for all of the technical work, engineering, environmental impact review, public outreach and and coordination with other agencies that brought the Project to the brink of construction in a record 3 years. The national average for getting to this point is 7-12 years (!) and at a cost a lot higher than $180 million. Unbelievable. Now that we're not going forward, it will be wasted.

While I was in Paris, I met with the Communications Director for the Paris Metro system (That's him to the right. Yes, I'm on the job, even while on vacation).

He's worked for the Metropolitan system for 33 years (!) so he's seen all the ups and downs transit projects go through in getting built and expanded. Despite my rusty French, I was able to tell him about the monorail we were trying to build, how everyone was upset about the proposed cost, etc. It took him all of 5 minutes to assess the situation: "Ce n'est pas un problème financier. C'est un problème politique." It's not a financial problem. It's a political problem. Mais oui

Basically he said regional leaders lacked the political will to make the monorail happen and that while it had great public support, it lacked a politial sponsor willing to see it through and deflect the inevitable opposition.

One example he gave was that they were extending a line (of a decades old successful system) and still ran into opposition from a neighborhood activist who felt the construction was too noise, too disruptive and unnecessary. After some delay, the concerns were assuaged and the project continued. "Because this is what happens: people complain," he explained. "About the construction, the cost, the disruption. You deal with it and move forward. Once it's running, people love the system again and clamor for extensions to other areas."

Small consolation that apparently only people in foreign countries with excellent transit systems understand the benefits of the project we were trying to build.

Here's a shot of J. in a Metro station in Paris. I took several pictures in the trains. They were great! Clean, efficient, timely, affordable, and easy to navigate. We walked and rode the trains everywhere. Midway through the trip, my car-loving husband even remarked, "These trains are so convenient, I don't even miss driving. If I lived here, I wouldn't even need a car." Yeah, that's what having great transit will do for you. Too bad we'll never know what that feels like here in Seattle.

Oh yeah: the post-Paris buzz is definitely gone.

Getting settled

I convinced Jason to take the Metro system from the airport, which was a great way of seeing some of the city. But once we made it to the right neighborhood, we had some trouble finding the place, which, along with the slight challenge of navigating the Metro, irked Jason to no end, but hey: it's an adventure, right?

So we just called the guy we're renting the apartment from and he met us nearby. He owns a flowershop not too far away.

We were both beat from the trip and time change so we took a long nap and are getting ready to get out and see more of the neighborhood we're in.

I also discovered I brought the right converter but not an adapter for the plug so we have to find a store nearby. Thank goodness for the internet: a site informed me that BHV, a big store here, is like 'Marshall Fields department store, Sears and Home Depot rolled into one.'

We'll check it out Saturday. The adventure continues! :-)

Paris Metro: a great way to get around

This is J. alongside the tracks in a Paris Metro station, The trains are our primary mode of transportation. Walking is the secondary mode. It's amazing how much we walk here! And it feels great. J. even said on Day 3: "I don't even miss driving." This from a self-described "car guy." Not when you can take train most places you need to go and the wait time is 4 minutes or less between trains.
This is the best argument ever for Monorail in Seattle, which will have similar average wait times. Vote yes on Prop. 1 and 2!
Once you see what it's like to have great mass transit, you wonder how you managed without it.
Paris is everything I hoped for and more. I'm filled with joy from this experience. More later!