Wherein I get all local blogger on you

I'm the kind of person who thinks government should stick to catching criminals and filling potholes, but OH MY do I love daylight savings time. I don't even know why it's early this year (saving energy? really?) but bring it ON, Congress! I had every intention of getting out and enjoying the perfect wonderful light after work, but I ended up sitting on a blanket in front of my living room window giving myself a pedicure (as well as anyone with a distended bloated belly can give herself a pedicure) and tilting my chin up to the sun like a plant. Or a cat. Or something else that likes to sit on the windowsill and soak in the glorious spring-is-nigh light. One day I will be wealthy enough to move back and forth between the hemispheres when the seasons change, but until then I will be a proud supporter of daylight savings time.

Aha! Finally. I am inspired to redo my banner image!

Speaking of government, today my city is holding a Quite Ridiculous Vote about the viaduct. 

Here is what you need to know about the ridiculous viaduct vote:

1. The mayor thinks the viaduct is a veritable stain on the city's consciousness. It is deathtrap and worst of all, UGLY! The mayor's office is sending out flyers that look like this:

Very frightening aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake in Oakland!

to make us Seattleites very very afraid and also to convince us that we should spend the one frillion dollars needed to build a waterfront tunnel, which he envisions like this:

See? Pretty! Trees and parks and tourists!

2. The Governor thinks we should just rebuild the viaduct. In fact, she may have even laid the smackdown on the mayor and taken his tunnel option "off the table". Whatever that means. But who asked her anyway?

Unerring proof the state of Washington is governed by Mr. Burns' sister.

3. My favorite of the Seattle alt-weeklies thinks there should be no tunnel and no rebuild and instead Seattle should freaking learn to ride a bicycle already. They are heavily promoting this website: www.noandhellno.org. You can go there to learn how the folks in my industry are supposed to haul their wares down to the south end of the city on public transit.

4. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the "options" is that even with a rebuild, a major transportation artery in a city already FUBAR'd in the transportation arena will be shut down for years. And years and years and years. The alt-weekly claps its hands in glee ("Buses! Flexcar! Skateboards!") but most of us think that's kind of a rotten deal.

5. There are alternatives-

Seattle TUBE

and

a pretty cool idea for a bridge

but

6. No one is talking about those. Instead, we the people get to vote on a four-lane tunnel or a rebuilt  (and much wider) six-lane elevated freeway. Not that this vote means anything. It's mostly just to find out what we all think, when everyone already knows that what we all think is that we made terrible mistakes when we voted for these people in the first place.

7. Here is an article in the LA Times about Seattle Process. Like one of the local bloggers said recently, "At least maybe they'll stop making jokes about the rain."

Comments

[Christina/Mrs Broccoli Guy]

Hey, getting all local works for me! I too am LOVING the time shift. Yay for afternoon light! :)
And the viaduct? I'm with you on the proof we have idiots for elected officials thing. Dude for the money they've spent telling us how it will collapse and kill us all they probably could have just fixed the thing. But then, that would be sensible now, wouldn't it? It's the same mess with the 520 bridge... which was their excuse for the extra 10 cent gas tax... but have they fixed anything?! Sorry, you got me going there, I'll just go back to quietly muttering to myself...

[lee]

you know there's a perfectly serviceable train line between interbay and harbor island. plus there's still 15th ave nw -> 1st ave, aka "hwy 99 jr".

the tunnel and the viaduct are both massive boondoggles, and the last thing we need is to start this tunnel project and spend a billion dollars just to have it turned around and stopped like the damn monorail.

i think we should have a "fake viaduct" solution, where we tell everyone that we're building a new viaduct or whatever but don't spend any money on it. and then during the 3-5 years where we have to use the surface+transit option ANYHOW, we just grow up and adapt as a city and learn how to deal with the fact that you can't build your way out of traffic congestion. especially here, where we've proven that we are incapable of sensible traffic design. i-5 in seattle is approximately the worst thing ever, all left-exits, left-on-ramps, right-on-ramps, right-exits. ridonkulous. august is going to be interesting as well.

meanwhile, the bicycle master plan seems to be coming along nicely. so phillip's bikey commute will be improving hopefully?

[Lukey]

As a Non-Seattle resident, I have found this whole fiasco very entertaining.

Still, the whole state will be paying for something that, at least, replaces what is there, i.e. a state highway.

While a park and some bike paths would be nice, I can't support something that doesn't adequately replace what is there.

I, actually, like the mayor's idea of a tunnel, but am a little skeptical of the way he threw out "tunnel-lite" at the last minute; he's starting to look maniacal about the whole thing.

[E.]

Your governor needs Frownies. I'm finding them useful.

[Young]

As an adopted Bostonian, let me say that tunnels sound all nice and good until some nitwit contractor skimps on bolts and kills someone. Not to mention how long it took, the unexpected soft ground and how the aftermath is still here since all the other roads are full of holes since all the money went to the dig. I still try to avoid the tunnels whenever I can.