There are a number of active groups on the eastside who are for smart transit and trails, but not wasting taxpayer money.  Find out about this issue.  If you live within one mile of the BNSF tracks, you will be affected.

   On May 1^st at 7 PM, there is a meeting at the Houghton Fire Station in Kirkland, 6602 108^th Ave NE with the Cascade Bicycle Club to review the issues.

  On May 5th, there is a meeting with the King County Council, 10th floor of the King County Courthouse Building, 516 3rd Avenue in which people are invited to voice their opinions. ( FYI, I do not know if the time or the place have been confirmed for this meeting.)

And lastly, on May 8th, The Eastside Trail Advocates will be holding a meeting at the Houghton Fire Station at 7:30 PM  to review the issues.  Become informed about what may happen so you can decide what is the right thing to do.

Here is a copy of some of the key testimony given by Shawn at today’s King County Council meeting:

KING COUNTY COMMISSIONERS                                                                                 Seattle, April 28, 2008

“ Leaving the option of using the corridor for commuter trains indefinitely open seems sensible to me.  BUT, what is most important is that WHEN that option is exercised, it be BASED on a reliable and impartial Economic Evaluation of ALL the major transit-related options available. That should include, at least, Buses, Trains on 405, Highway Tolls, Bicycles, and even Rollerblades.

 Such an evaluation does not need to be too long or expensive, given the information already obtained from previous studies and experiences on projects like the Sounder Train, the Monorail, and Bus ridership.  However, it must include a fair comparison of the TOTAL Short- and Long-Term COST-PER-COMMUTER associated with each transportation option.  It should ALSO include a BALANCED comparison of the local and regional recreational, health, and life-style BENEFITS that ALL, or Parts of the corridor, may offer to Eastside and King County communities.  Finally, the conclusions and recommendations of this study should, in my opinion,  be ‘certified’,  by neutral Business-Teams from 1 or 2 local universities,  that THEY ARE fair and complete’, in order to minimize further controversy.

Only THEN, should the top option, or maybe even the top 2 options, be submitted to the voters for final selection.  Any rush, at this time, to submit commuter-train ballot propositions, based on incomplete studies and narrow interests, will be justifiably viewed by the voters with suspicion.”