January 18, 2007

For immediate release

Olympia - More roads or more transit? That's been the battle in our region for decades. Last year, the Legislature said enough is enough. We need both, or we don't get either.

So when Sound Transit and Puget Sound's Regional Transportation Investment District send their ballot measures to the voters this November, voters must approve both if either is to take effect.

Which had some people wondering, if that's the case, why not let the two agencies submit one single package to the voters?

Rep. Dennis Flannigan (D-Tacoma) is one of those people. The Vice-Chair of the House Transportation Committee has filed House Bill 1396, a bill that would let the two agencies join forces for the 2007 election.

"We shouldn't be forcing transit agencies to compete with road agencies," commented Flannigan. "Most people don't really care how we do it, they just want to get to work and back without sitting on the freeway for hours. Let's put the two proposals together so taxpayers know what they're getting and how much it will cost."

HB 1396 would require that voters in both Sound Transit's boundaries and RTID's boundaries approve the joint measure. The proposals include more than 40 miles of Sound Transit light rail expansions to Lynnwood, Redmond's Overlake area and the Port of Tacoma area. The draft package expands Sounder commuter rail parking at Edmonds and Mukilteo and expands existing Sound Transit bus routes. The Snohomish County road expansions that are also proposed to go on the ballot will address major choke points.