Thumbs down on Transit’s Prop. 1
October 14, 2008
Proposition 1 on your November ballot will get you a half-penny-per-dollar increase in sales tax. That’s for sure, and immediate.
Along the way, a new bus route or another bus for an existing route might come your way and hopefully will be going the way you want it to. Of course, you’ll have to take a bus to Redmond or Issaquah to catch one of these additional bus trips. And someday far, far away — maybe in 20 years — you might live long enough to take a bus from there to Bellevue where you can catch a ride on a light rail train to Seattle.
While there are no direct benefits to Snoqualmie and North Bend, more bus connections further down the road do have merit. Voters must decide if that’s enough to justify a sales tax increase, a continuation of the existing 0.4 sales tax and three-tenths of a percent increase to the motor vehicle excise tax — to raise $17.9 billion for the bus/light rail package.
It just may be that the notion of light rail in the Puget Sound region is too late. The only traffic solution we envision is one that gives drivers the option to use their very own driveway as a personal park & ride. We need collector buses that go into neighborhoods, then connect to larger buses to take people where they need to go when they need to get there. Unfortunately, Proposition 1 will only put 20 percent of its tax collections toward more buses.
The cost is too great — King County would have one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation — and the wait too long for light rail to kick in.
Another traffic related ballot issue is I-985. The initiative seeks to open carpool and bus lanes to all traffic except during peak hours of 6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. weekdays. While it’s a tempting notion, the change comes with a price tag and there is no clear evidence that it would make much difference in drive times. Vote no.
Letters to the Editor
October 14, 2008
Editorial: Higher education institution would benefit the Valley
October 2, 2008
A dog park, a community center, a new hospital, a skate ramp — of all the ideas proposed in the Valley lately, none of them seem as appealing as the one floated recently by Bellevue Community College. Read more
Editorial
September 26, 2008
Keeping crime low is up to all of us
While it wasn’t that high to begin with, it seems that crime is on the decline in the Valley.
Statistics provided in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report show that violent crimes fell in both Snoqualmie and North Bend in 2007. In fact, Snoqualmie’s number of violent crimes declined to zero for the year, while North Bend’s fell from 15 to 13.
Property crimes also went down. The number of burglaries in Snoqualmie went from 26 to 16 and from 45 to 19 in North Bend. Motor vehicle thefts in North Bend dipped from 23 to 17 and 20 to 7 in Snoqualmie.
There are many reasons for those numbers, a respectful community and a dedicated police force being chief among them. Yet, as officials at both the Snoqualmie Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s office point out, none of it would be possible without watchful citizens.
Being responsible means making the right decisions regarding the safety of yourself and your family members, but it also means keeping an eye on your neighbor’s well-being. Neighborhood watch programs were created in 1972 by the National Sheriff’s Association and have been successful at lessening crimes in neighborhoods across the country ever since.
You don’t, however, need to be a part of one of these official programs to help your neighbor. Get to know the people on your street, pay attention to the details of everyday life and take note when something is out of the ordinary. It it’s too suspicious, don’t hesitate to call the police. There are a small number of police officers designated to man a large area and they admittedly depend on the help of dependable citizens. They encourage citizens to give them a call and are thankful for it, even when it turns out that the suspicions were wrong.
Of all the great aspects that come with living in the Valley, its low crime rate ranks toward the top. Those responsible for it should congratulate themselves. Now we must all strive to maintain it.
Letters to the editor
September 26, 2008
McCormick leaving
In response to my editorial comment on Kit McCormick, Sue Kauffman felt it necessary to suggest what I meant when I said “…many parents are concerned that some teachers have Read more
Letters
September 18, 2008
Dog Park
I Live in North Bend and I am able to function just fine taking my dogs down to Snoqualmie to play in the park. Before that, we had to drive to Marymoor or Robinswood to legally let our dogs play off-leash. I have friends that live in lower Snoqualmie that don’t mind at all bringing their kids up to North Bend to skate at the park. Read more
Editorial: Tokul Creek Hatchery closure needs explaining
September 18, 2008
The lack of answers from staff of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regarding the closure of the Tokul Creek Hatchery in Fall City is unacceptable.
