The guest columnist advocates of light rail reveal, in passing, its real purpose: “A regional light-rail system would help funnel growth to dense and vibrant communities surrounding transit hubs where people would rely less on cars.” [“Is Sound Transit 3 light-rail investment worth it?” Opinion, June 23]
In reality, there is no good evidence that large numbers of people in the Puget Sound area would wish to live in these “dense” communities. And the word “vibrant” is simply a more cheerful way of saying “dense.”
If we truly want rapid transit at a price we can afford, a great system of non-gasoline buses, quieter than light rail and using current roadways, is far more sensible. I strongly hope that our Legislature will vote for citizens to choose spending a few billion on those buses rather than $15 billion on a light-rail expansion based on a faulty premise.
Richard Winslow, Mercer Island