> We keep giving the transit agencies with more and more money and they keep delivering more and more congestion.
Can you please clarify on how you've arrived on the idea that it's the transit agencies specifically that are causing this? I lived in the Seattle/Tacoma area for a few years back, and acted as both a driver and a transit rider; the traffic was horrible seemingly regardless of whichever you were. Much of I5 going between Tacoma and Seattle was just at capacity, especially heading to Seattle where you're on a raised roadway above the bay - I'm not really sure what you can do to improve this short of trying to find ways to lower the total number of vehicles on the road, which is really only possible if you're moving more people in less vehicles or providing outlet paths that get you to the same destination.
There are just tons of people driving I5, and the effect can be felt as far as Tacoma on the weekends; I'm not really sure that it's a failure of the transportation department or the fault of anything except excess wealth and urban sprawl putting more cars on the road. Even in sections where there isn't an HOV lane, one accident, slow driver, anything put traffic to a crawl. Tacoma doesn't have the HOV lanes (unless this has changed in the last 3 years) in the parts closest to the city and it's still a slog every single day from 0700-1000 and 1530-1730 on I5.
Like, I get in essence what you're saying to some degree - make the full unsubsidized cost transparent, which sure, I agree with that as long as the subsidies remain in place. Removing the transit isn't the solution here, because the overall traffic flow just seems to be inhospitable to the current traffic situation in the Greater Seattle area. More carpooling, proper rideshare solutions (Uber is not ridesharing), or more public transit use is pretty much your only option for reducing such traffic. The current path I5 takes was not chosen well as it doesn't allow for expansion at its choke points.
Can you please clarify on how you've arrived on the idea that it's the transit agencies specifically that are causing this? I lived in the Seattle/Tacoma area for a few years back, and acted as both a driver and a transit rider; the traffic was horrible seemingly regardless of whichever you were. Much of I5 going between Tacoma and Seattle was just at capacity, especially heading to Seattle where you're on a raised roadway above the bay - I'm not really sure what you can do to improve this short of trying to find ways to lower the total number of vehicles on the road, which is really only possible if you're moving more people in less vehicles or providing outlet paths that get you to the same destination.
There are just tons of people driving I5, and the effect can be felt as far as Tacoma on the weekends; I'm not really sure that it's a failure of the transportation department or the fault of anything except excess wealth and urban sprawl putting more cars on the road. Even in sections where there isn't an HOV lane, one accident, slow driver, anything put traffic to a crawl. Tacoma doesn't have the HOV lanes (unless this has changed in the last 3 years) in the parts closest to the city and it's still a slog every single day from 0700-1000 and 1530-1730 on I5.
Like, I get in essence what you're saying to some degree - make the full unsubsidized cost transparent, which sure, I agree with that as long as the subsidies remain in place. Removing the transit isn't the solution here, because the overall traffic flow just seems to be inhospitable to the current traffic situation in the Greater Seattle area. More carpooling, proper rideshare solutions (Uber is not ridesharing), or more public transit use is pretty much your only option for reducing such traffic. The current path I5 takes was not chosen well as it doesn't allow for expansion at its choke points.