I found part of the news release curious:

"The Sound Transit Board of Directors is responding to the public’s support for voting on a transit-only measure by taking a renewed look at what transit service expansions would make the biggest and quickest improvements for commuters for the least cost."

It was only three and a half months ago that the $18 billion ballot measure got the stuffing kicked out of it. I know Sound Transit paid good money to have consultants tell the agency why the measure got trounced so badly. There were a lot of reasons, but the one that Sound Transit wanted to hear most was how the agency should never have been forced to team up with a roads package to get onto the ballot.

The Legislature is doing its part to clear the way for Sound Transit. The Senate has passed a bill that would force the roads advocates to sit on the sidelines for at least a year. Are lawmakers trying to set the stage for Sound Transit to put another multibillion proposition on the ballot this fall?

I don't know.

I do know that Prop. 1 failed because it was so big. Even Sound Transit's consultants said that. It was so big because $11 billion of the $18 billion was Sound Transit's share.

Moreover, Seattle and King County both had a hand in undermining Prop. 1, according to John Stanton, the wireless company executive who is now trying to persuade locals stop being parochial and get behind a regional transportation czar.

The year before the Proposition 1 vote, King County Metro Transit took actions to start raising $2 billion and Seattle to raise $800 million, "and probably contributed to the failure of Proposition 1 at the ballot," Stanton said.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is the new chairman of Sound Transit, so it's not surprising that he is so eager to go back to voters with another request. From the outset, the light-rail system has been designed to keep Seattle the employment center of the Puget Sound universe. It's the only mode of transportation that can move downtown Seattle's work force into the city fast enough.

Gov. Chris Gregoire said after the Prop. 1's defeat, she thought maybe voters wanted to actually observe Sound Transit operating a light-rail line for awhile before agreeing to spend another $11 billion to expand it. And the first segment of light rail between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport won't be up and running until December 2009.

Nickels apparently isn't paying attention to the governor. But then, he didn't pay any attention to Gregoire when she said the Alaskan Way Viaduct had to be replaced with another elevated structure, either.

Here's the official news release:

Sound Transit seeks public sound-off about options for expanding transit
Sound Transit today asked Puget Sound residents to shape the future of mass transit in this region.

Postcards will start arriving in people’s mailboxes across the region today inviting ideas and views on improving transit through an online survey. The survey will help Sound Transit decide how best to tackle increasingly poor commuting conditions with the right expansions of regional light rail, commuter rail and express bus service and infrastructure.

[More:]

“Every year our region’s population grows by an estimated 50,000,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. “Rising congestion means frayed nerves, less time around the dinner table and more greenhouse gases. Taking this survey will help the region get moving with a transit expansion plan that has strong public support.”

Residents can take the survey through March 9 by visiting www.soundtransit.org.

In November 2007, voters turned down a large package of road and transit investments. Now, the Sound Transit Board of Directors is responding to the public’s support for voting on a transit-only measure by taking a renewed look at what transit service expansions would make the biggest and quickest improvements for commuters for the least cost. The survey will help shape the answers to vital questions like:

·How ambitious should a transit package be?

·What are the highest priorities for service expansions, ranging from light rail to regional express bus to commuter rail?

·How soon should a plan be brought to the voters for decision?

The results of the survey will be presented to the Sound Transit Board in mid-March as it continues discussing the content and timing of a future transit package.

The options under review span the entire region and focus on meeting current demand as well as future population and employment growth through a package of rail and express bus expansions targeting the right investments for the right corridors. The package will build on the regional transit system voters launched in 1996. Today that system carries more than 50,000 riders each day, a number that will more than double following the 2009 opening of light rail service between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport. Sound Transit is working to break ground in 2008 on expanding light rail to the University of Washington with a federal grant and existing funding, a project that alone will increase light rail ridership by more than 70,000 each day.

Residents who prefer to take the survey in a written form rather than online can call 1-866-511-1398 to receive a copy by mail.