Category Archives: Transportation

The Case for Cities and Saving the World

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

The Urbanist, a new Seattle-based website, offers compelling reasons for channeling human activities and development into cities. I’d like to add to their argument: cities are how we’re going to save the world. As developing countries rapidly catch up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Government, Housing, Land Use, Resources, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged alternatives, cities, colonization, densification, density, elon musk, energy, environment, future, humanity, humankind, life, living, population, space, spacex, sprawl, suburbs, sustainability, world | 1 Comment

Murray Sees Progress Ahead for Seattle

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

Newly elected Seattle Mayor Ed Murray delivered his first State of the City address Tuesday afternoon in a packed chamber at City Hall. He highlighted the pride and spirit of community that is embodied in Seattlites, and also went over … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Buses, Climate, Demographics, Government, Housing, Policy, Rail, Roads, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking | Tagged 2014, bike share, bus, city hall, climate change, Council, economic justice, Ed Murray, elections, income inequality, internet, levy, mayor, metro, minimum wage, municipal broadband, parks, SDOT, sea level rise, Seattle, seawall, social justice, state, State of the City, streets, univerisal pre-school, utility, video, Washington, waterfront, WSDOT | 2 Comments

Let’s Bury I-5

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

Author’s Note: This post has been superseded by an updated proposal in another post, “Let’s Bury I-5: Redux”, dated July 5, 2014. Author’s Note 2: The latest and most detailed proposal is in a third post, “The Case for Lidding I-5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged bicycling, bore, buildings, bury, cars, concrete, construction, cost, cover, Dallas, department of transportation, Eisenhower, engineering, freeway, highway, Hudson Yards, I-5, Interstate 5, land, land value, lid, megaproject, Millenium Park, neighborhoods, noise, park, paths, pollution, project, proposal, reconnect, Seattle, soil, tunnel, urban design, vegetation, walking, Washington | 31 Comments

Public Voices Support, Concerns for Metro’s Last Funding Option

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

On Tuesday night the King County Council held the only public hearing on its proposed ‘Plan B’, detailed in this earlier post, that would maintain transit funding. Most speakers supported the measure, but a number of important questions were brought … Continue reading →

Posted in Buses, Government, Policy, Transportation | Tagged ballot, budget, buses, Council, crowding, cuts, fee, funding, King County, low income, metro, Plan B, reduced fare, sales tax, state legislature, vehicle licensing, vote | 4 Comments

Plans, Plans, Plans: The Visions for Seattle’s Future

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

On Thursday night a crowd of hundreds gathered to share ideas for Seattle’s future. Co-hosted by the Seattle Art Museum and the city’s Department of Planning and Development, the evening kicked off the city’s comprehensive plan update process that will … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Parks, Public Space, Resources, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged comprehensive plan, department of planning and development, DPD, Olympic Sculpture Park, Pecha Kucha, presentation, public participation, SAM, Seattle, Seattle 2035, Seattle Art Museum, update | 10 Comments

King County Proposes Vote on Transportation Tax

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

After years of stalling, King County is finished waiting for the Washington state legislature to help solve its transportation problems. With funding for roads and transit too low to even plow snow and keep buses running, County Executive Dow Constantine … Continue reading →

Posted in Buses, Government, Policy, Roads, Transportation | Tagged benefit district, budget, Council, Dow Constantine, Executive, funding, King County, legislature, metro, Olympia, Plan B, sales tax, special district, transportation, vehicle levy, Washington state | 2 Comments

Bikeshare Pedaling Into Puget Sound

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

The bike sharing fad has spread across the U.S. like wildfire, with over 30 cities introducing a form of the service since 2008. High profile programs in New York and Washington, D.C. have proven the merits of bike sharing for … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Policy, Public Space, Roads, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged bicycle, bike share, China, CitiBike, commuting, cycling, Europe, funding, helmet law, history, King County, mode share, public transportation, Puget Sound Bike Share, rental, Seattle, sharing, stations, tourism | 5 Comments

New Routes Coming Online for RapidRide

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

Two new lines will be starting service this year for King County Metro Transit’s frequent bus service, RapidRide. The system currently has four routes, lettered A through D, that serve key commuting corridors in the Seattle metro area such as … Continue reading →

Posted in Buses, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tagged A, Aurora, B, BAT, Boeing, Burien, bus, bus rapid transit, bus stops, business, C, D, E, F, King County, lanes, light rail, Link, mass transit, metro, ORCA, Rapid Ride, RapidRide, Renton, Seattle, service, signal priority, Sounder, stops, traffic, transit, Tukwila | 2 Comments

Vehicle Fees Are Ready For Modernization

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

The increasing fuel efficiency of road vehicles and adoption of alternative power sources like electricity, natural gas, and hydrogen is lessening the ability of gas taxes to pay for transportation systems. The federal gas tax has been 18.4 cents/gallon since … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Policy, Roads, Transportation | Tagged alternative, cars, costs, energy, federal, fee, fuel, gas, gas tax, highways, insurance, maintenance, mileage, odometer, Oregon, pilot program, road usage, roads, tax, taxes, trucks, VMT, weight | 5 Comments

Parking-Free Development Making Appearances

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

In the postwar decades of the 20th century American cities stood by their carefully calculated minimum parking requirements, resulting in underutilized land and encouragement of car travel. Planners outside of the largest cities have started to reverse this trend by … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Land Use, Parking, Transportation | Tagged asphalt, concrete, development, garages, land use, off-street, on-street, parking, parking-free, Seattle, suburbs, urban, zoning | 2 Comments