How did the trains roll on the Seattle light rail line recently?
Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Sheridan’s quote in The Seattle Times [“Would-be rail riders bemoan lack of parking,” page one, July 16] is astonishing! He said, “Light rail was meant to be fed by people taking the bus, walking or biking. It was not mean to be fed by cars.” His arrogance has blinded him; light rail is meant to serve the public. It could also serve to reduce freeway congestion. Why on Earth were there not provisions for station parking as part of the plan, other than the typical Seattle “let’s do this on the cheap” mentality? Look at the Portland MAX Light Rail interactive map. There are dozens of parking areas available, and many of them are offered by churches and businesses, so there was no cost to install them; it took only coherent planning and goodwill. BART in San Francisco also has provisions for parking. Both of these systems have high levels of ridership. Sheridan and other Seattle official’s cars-are-evil mentality will surely inconvenienc
