The Seattle Times' editorial cartoonist Eric Devericks has a nice take on the Monorail this morning:
But how did we get into this disaster in the first place?
The Times has a nice visual map of the Nov. 2002 vote where the Monorail was approved by a razor close 94,993 to 94,116. Look at the map [pdf].
Blue for precincts that voted for the Monorail, orange and red for precincts that voted against it. I did some additional analysis by legislative district.
The 36th district, which includes Ballard and the north of downtown area along the proposed route favored the Monorail 54 - 46% (+3500 votes).
The 34th district, which includes the proposed route through West Seattle (but also areas farther from the route) favored the Monorail 51 - 49% (+300 votes)
The 37th and 11th districts, the bright red and orange areas south and east of the downtown that are far from the proposed route, rejected the Monorail 43 - 57% (-3900 votes)
The 46th district, the bright red and orange areas in the north and northeast parts of the city, also rejected the Monorail 43 - 57% (-6000 votes)
So where did the margin of victory come from?
It came from the 43rd district (my home team!), the dark blue bulges far from the proposed route (labeled "Capitol Hill" and "Ravenna"). The 43rd voted for the Monorail by the largest margin in town, 58 - 42%, (+6900 votes).
Even if the Monorail is a horribly flawed approach to transportation, it is at least understandable that people who live close enough to the Monorail to use it would vote for it, and certainly that people who live too far from the line would reject paying for it. But why would the 43rd district vote to make everybody in the city pay through the nose for the Monorail when they themselves can't even use it?
Very simple. The 43rd district is full of delusional environmental totalitarians. Any proposal that is pitched as pro-"public transportation" and anti-car, no matter how mindless, expensive or useless to the residents, is guaranteed to win here. I used to think that the biggest danger in democracy would be when too many people look after their own selfish interests at the expense of everybody else. In this case the danger was too many people looking after everybody else's interests instead of their own at the expense of everybody else.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 03, 2004 11:16 AMAn interesting analysis. IMO part of the reason that people on Cap Hill and Ravenna voted for the monorail was the frequent discussion of where the monorail 'extensions' would run and where the stations would be in these neighborhoods. This deception led some to believe a line from Cap Hill through the U District to Northgate was only a matter of time.
Posted by: wilinksy on June 3, 2004 02:11 PMAs a resident of the 43rd district, I can say that you are not far off the mark in your characterization of many "delusional environmental totalitarians". The groupthink runs thick, and if you fail to toe the party line, well, someone has to clean the statue of Lenin.
Ahh yes, the People's Republic of Fremont beckons...
Posted by: chunkstyle on June 3, 2004 03:38 PMYup! -- right on, dude....day of vote witnessed street folks on Broadway being "escorted" to the polling place (Lowell School) to cast their votes...of course this "core constituency" do not drive or own cars....but what the hell! -- all power to the people under the leadership of Chairman Simms...and what's his name.
Posted by: Nick on June 3, 2004 04:51 PMWell, I voted for the stupid Monorail. As a revolutionary act. To cock a snook at the crooked 'elites' at Sound Transit who practically declared war on the grassroots monorail concept. A pox on top-down, mendacious, antidemocratic tax-burning schemes like Sound Transit.
But at least the monorail could run on existing public rights of way without driving private property owners out of their homes and livings. And that's a hell of a lot less crooked than Sound Transit's use of eminent domain to evict one set of private owners with the intent to sell their land at a profit to a new set of highest bidders.
Basically, you're right - both those 'public transit' systems should be judged by market forces, and both would fail thereby. Especially Sound Transit.
So yes! Please support the TRUST AND TRANSIT Initiative.
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on June 3, 2004 04:56 PMi have long-suspected that all these lovers of mass transit hate cars because you can be alone in your car. if you are alone, you might think thoughts. those thoughts might not be the same as those thought by our overlord-wanna-bes which means those alone-thoughts are wrong and bad andvery, very dangerous.
pleased to see i am in a nice orange precinct. with the sole exception of the old pro-hessein lefty on the corner, most of my neighbors are fairly sensible. although i'm still not going to put a bush-chaney sticker on my car.
sorry about no-caps but my other arm is full of cat.
Posted by: Carol on June 4, 2004 07:49 AMWhy do you think that the monorail, either in general or in the form the specific project we have here now, is a "horribly flawed approach to transportation"?
Posted by: David Sucher on June 4, 2004 12:20 PMI'm a lover of mass transit, and I don't hate cars. One reason I would have voted for the monorail if I'd lived in Seattle at the time is that it would de-congest traffic, making driving easier for those of us who choose to drive. And provide an alternative way to get to remote neighborhoods like Ballard that are far from I5.
Posted by: Capitol Hill resident on June 5, 2004 06:24 PMWednesday Feb 16th. Seattle Times. Nuff said. Both of these insane projects should be stopped immediately.
Posted by: Gary Sheridan on February 16, 2005 10:16 PMYou people who are against monorail porjects are the real stupid people.
Monorails and more public transit in key locations will provdie better transit for people in Seattle's neighborhoods and will enable people to have more choices in how they get to and from work and other places. More and more people will use the system as it expands and is built, and tourists and locals alike will enjoy the benefits of not having to drive.
It will benefit our environment by keeping more polluting cars off our roads and will be a greener alternative to driving!
In a world where we are dependent on Oil, it will be a benefit to everyone in the Seattle area to be able to use a Monorail System to get to and from the places they have always driven to in the pas.t
Its time the public had a choice in whether or not to take their car into work or into town for a sporting event or to a restaurant/museum.
Posted by: Jeff Dearman on July 29, 2005 12:55 AM