Voters yesterday rejected Proposition 1, a multi billion dollar plan that would take on gaining traffic congestion issues in Bellevue and other outlying areas which stretch 50 miles of light rail as well as other road upgrades in the greater Seattle area.
The rejected plan would’ve had the light rail traveling through Bellevue. Popular Developer Kemper Freeman Jr. has publicly opposed the plan which took five years to create. He rejects the plan due to the lofty amount, which was purposed to fund light rail.
Bellevue Mayer Grant Degginger who, supported the proposal made a statement regarding the defeat, “The simple fact is that our economy, our environment – our very quality of life – are all at stake unless our political leadership can find solutions voters will support.”
Residents want good public transportation and are willing to pay for it, but this proposal was attempting to bite off a too much all at once.
I really question Kemper’s motive for opposing light rail to Bellevue. I have a feeling it’s not because of the price tag but rather its because he wants to keep Bellevue as an auto-centric shopping mecca instead of a true urban neighborhood.
Popular developer? You might mean successful developer. I think his popularity might depend a lot on your perspective.
I was just in Prague and experienced a great tram system for the first time, it was great.
The trams (trolley’s) had their own lanes around town, and the car traffic in most cases was limited to one lane.
It worked great because the public transit was very fast and cheap, and driving is expensive and in Prauge, VERY slow. It adds up to little pollution, and a quick way to zip around town.
Everyone says American is not dense enough to support mass transit, but we will never have density without available mass transit…. chicken or the egg?