Seattle Confronts Its Transportation Bottleneck

Few cities present such transportation challenges as Seattle does. With the center city booming over the past decade, thanks in part to the tech industry, demands on downtown infrastructure grow by the day. Unfortunately, according to some, the city's infrastructure is a good decade or two out of date (with less rail than in similar cities), creating insane bottlenecks that are exacerbated by the city's unique layout. 

"Part of the problem is simple geography. Seattle is sandwiched between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and pinched by other lakes and water bodies as well. North-south travel bottlenecks at a handful of bridges, as does any travel to suburbs to the east. (To go west, you’ll have to take a ferry, which creates its own set of challenges.)"

Seattle would seem to be the perfect place for light rail and active transportation, especially because of the city's enthusiastic environmental community, but funding challenges and other opposition have hindered efforts to develop multi-modal transportation. In fact, automobile advocates rose up recently to claim that the city's nascent efforts to promote modes like bike sharing represent a "war on cars." Never mind that fewer cars on the road make things better for those who do drive. 

Entering into the fray is the city's new transportation director, Scott Kubly. 

"Under Kubly, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has laid out an ambitious plan to overhaul the city’s streets. The plan, called Move Seattle, is remarkable in many ways, but none more than this: While it includes maintenance and repair of existing roads, and upgrading bridges to make them earthquake-safe, there are virtually no new accommodations for cars. Instead, it is a plan to more efficiently move people around the city by bus, transit, bike, and on foot."