Midweek Roundup: Long-Term Gains

Seattle streetcar, University Way, ca. 1939; Courtesy Paul Dorpat via HistoryLink.orgElection 2024

Discussion of election results can be found in yesterday's thread, but here are some news items:

• The Urbanist: Early Washington State Election Results Are Favorable for Progressives
• The Seattle Times ($): Seattle Proposition 1 wins strong support from voters

Transit & Streets:

• The Urbanist: Sound Transit 1 Line Maintenance Disruptions Will Bring Long-term Gains; also on Sound Transit's blog, The Platform
• The Seattle Times ($): Light rail gets a slow-ride test on Mercer Island; testing is occurring piecemeal as sections are completed. Full opening still scheduled for late next year.
• The Urbanist: Saka Seeks to Remove Delridge Median He Compared to Border Wall; looks like Budget Chair Strauss will task SDOT with doing so.
• My Ballard: Upcoming meetings to review Ballard Link light rail extension project; the meetings are required as part of BLE restarting the environmental process from scratch.
• Pierce Transit: Pierce Transit Pilots New, Accessible Signage with the installation of seven new signs at bus stops at Pierce Transit's Commerce Street Station featuring braille, raised lettering and large print. PT also launched a redesigned website.

Land Use & Housing:

• The Urbanist: Sleepy Bainbridge Island Decides How To Grow Up
• The Seattle Times ($): Microfarms in front yards growing food for the community

Commentary & Miscellaneous:

• Seattle Then & Now: Andy's Diner, 1963 (now the Orient Express) located in a set of railcars off 4th Avenue in SODO.
• New York Times (Free Link): Four Must-See Parks This Fall Herald a New Golden Age; one of the NYT's four is Seattle's new Waterfront.
• SF Standard: Muni is actually doing great
• Urban Transport Magazine: A review of the 7th trolley:motion electric bus conference held in Prague this year as the city celebrates opening two new battery-trolley lines. The conference had a heavy focus on mixing battery & trolley operations to provide (fiscally) efficient electric service without sacrificing capacity.
• Grist Magazine: San Francisco's surprisingly difficult quest to turn a century-old highway into a park
• Streetsblog USA: Talking Headways Podcast: Transit Wins and Co-Benefits from Climate Work
• Human Transit: Nashville: Presenting a Transit Plan in a Car-Dominated City

This is an Open Thread, but the election should be discussed under yesterday's post.

Are you interested in sharing your perspective on a transit or land use issue? Reach out to us at contact@seattletransitblog.com.