60 replies to this topic

[Sloan]

Citizens pushing for a vote on light rail made their case to the Vancouver City Council on Monday, but ultimately appeared no closer to reviving a petition the county declared invalid this month.

http://www.columbian...wont-challenge/

[Sloan]

In case we weren't sure about how Clark County feels about light rail, Washington legislators introduced a bill yesterday asking for a law to block it.



What's more, Oregon's progressive backers of the controversial project say including light rail is a non-negotiable.

Oh, and last we heard, the bridge is still too low for the Coast Guard to approve it.

http://www.wweek.com...light_rail.html

[KevinKorell]

Oregonian, Portland, OR, 1/22/13:

Two Washington state lawmakers look to take light rail out of Columbia River Crossing

Two Washington state senators from Clark County are sponsoring a bill that would block the light rail component of the Columbia River Crossing project, despite support of light rail by other southwest Washington legislators and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Here's that story.

[EvergreenRailfan]

I think it will pass the State Senate, but get stalled in the State House. The only reason it has a chance in the Senate right now, is that a Vancouver-area State Senator is part of the reason that the Republicans theoretically have the State Senate(despite the Democrats holding 26 of 49), and part of the reason for their coalition, is they think the urban areas are running the state, but urban area is more a code word for Seattle. I don't want to go into specifics too much of state politics, but just wanted to add a little background. We redistrict differently here, with a bipartisan commission drawing the lines, the State Senate has been hovering around a one vote majority either way for a decade or two. Before the stunt in December, it looked like State Senator Ed Murray(D-43rd District) would have been the Majority Leader, and the State Senator pushing the bill, barely won re-election, it went to a recount). In hindsight, both top jobs in the State Legislature going to people from the same district, was a bad idea. (Once again, I apologize for going a little into state politics here). I just wished the bridge was built, and that Light Rail gets across the river. To the people that got problems with Seattle, I would say that we are not the only urban area in the state, Everett, Lynwood, Bellevue(it even has skyscrapers, partisan, used to be red, but going blue), Spokane, the Tri Cities(Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland), Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellingham, and even the State Capitol of Olympia have grown in recent years. It used to be a big expanse of open land between Tacoma and Olympia, but urban sprawl has pretty much moved South from Lakewood into Dupont, and North into Lacey and turned a once rural part of Lacey, Hawke's Prairie, into a bunch of big box stores.

Edited by EvergreenRailfan, 28 January 2013 - 01:42 AM.

[Sloan]

Peterson’s email says that should the city council fail to reverse its position and accept the petition, the opponents will raise $20,000 and retain Everett attorney Stephen Pidgeon to pursue the case in the court system.

Pidgeon ran for attorney general last year as a Republican but was defeated in the primary. He is well-known in the “birther” movement for claiming Barack Obama is a British citizen who later changed his name in British Columbia. Pidgeon has also represented faith-based groups opposed to Washington’s same-sex marriage law.

Sloan

http://www.columbian...-of-the-titans/

[EvergreenRailfan]

A "common sense" proposal for the Columbia River Crossing is now being pushed. One of the people who is pushing the proposal, says he is a light rail supporter. One aspect of their proposal that I heard on the radio this morning, mentioned a modification to the BNSF bridge downriver. What they suggest, has to do with where it opens, in relation to the number of openings on the I-5 span.

Columbian.com


(Edited to make URL clickable... KK)

Edited by KevinKorell, 05 February 2013 - 01:16 AM.

[EvergreenRailfan]

The Common Sense Alternative video resentation. I looked at it, and would give it the benefit of the doubt.

Edited by EvergreenRailfan, 05 February 2013 - 01:03 AM.

[Sloan]

A group of petitioners failed Friday to follow through on a pledge that they would file a lawsuit against the city of Vancouver and Clark County.


More than 8,000 signatures were tossed, including all those from people who signed the petition multiple times.

http://www.columbian...umbia-crossing/

[Sloan]

Guest: Con Columbia River Crossing should not include light rail


We can save hundreds of millions by using bus rapid transit in place of light rail. It is flexible, costs less to start, quickly accommodates changing demands, and qualifies for those same federal funds. As an added bonus: the bus rapid transit jobs would all come from Washington — something not true of light rail.

"bus rapid transit jobs would all come from Washington"

No, Senator. A few may come from the Evergreen State, but not all. Light rail will deliver more employment opportunities as per U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BTW, how 'bout a grant to upgrade the Yakima Trolley Museum? It's in your district.

Sloan

http://seattletimes....ingopedxml.html

[KevinKorell]

Let’s build a bridge designed to meet the needs of all users — commuters, freight movers, upriver businesses, and shippers — not a bridge designed only for light rail.

What on earth is he talking about? The bridge was never conceived to be "only for light rail". Its main intent is to replace the aging, deficient bridges that now exist for I-5 traffic, and accommodations for light rail would be an add-on to that.

Before an elected official goes editorializing, understand all the facts or your entire rant bears no merit. And surely you cannot ignore the success that MAX light rail has been for the Portland area (save for the power meltdown about a month ago), and that the Yellow Line was built almost right to the state line, so it should be a no-brainer that an extension over the new bridge has to be an economic boon to your district.

Furthermore, why does the Senator make the assumption that the new bridge cannot support light rail if it has a lift? Again take a look at Portland's Steel Bridge, a lift bridge which has four MAX light rail lines, Amtrak, freight trains, and auto traffic. So the Columbia River Crossing could have a lift and still host the Yellow Line extension.