A package of transit and road projects for the Seattle area is nearly ready for this November's ballot. It deserves support because it's the best compromise.
The plan approved last week extends light rail beyond the starter lines currently underway. It also fixes several road bottlenecks that would make bus transit more workable (such as along 520 and 167). True, it would expand 405 perhaps too much, but it also has money to study how to incorporate the Eastside rail corridor into the future transportation network.
The package is barely ready but there's already plenty of opposition. One viewpoint says I should vote against any project that doesn't directly improve my commute. Maybe the standard of living will deterioriate so much that people will stop coming here?
I'd argue that that point is still far in the future because, even if it deteriorates, the Puget Sound will remain a better place to live than other big cities. Instead, we should invest in transportation projects that are finally beginning to be paired with development planning. It's not enough, but it's a start to capturing the benefits of more people and economic activity without destroying this place.
Financing for this transit-and-roads package remains an issue, but not in the way this Seattle Times article frames it. The true cost isn't the debt to pay for the projects, which may still be less than perfect. It's the crippling cost of -- yet again -- doing nothing.