Opinion

Op-Ed: Steering Away from Car Dependency Is Not About Toughing It Out 

Anna Zivarts recently published When Driving Isn’t an Option with Island Press, a book outlining her experience as a low-vision nondriver and shining a light on the frustrating, dangerous, and sometimes deadly situations involuntary nondrivers face every day. This is a letter she wrote in response to her mother’s reaction to the book.
A parking lot on a hot day in Northgate, with Thornton Place behind

Why Climate Advocates Should Be Urbanists, Part 2

Part 2 of this four-part series examines arguments against focusing on land use in climate policy and provides counter arguments. Ignoring land use changes and relying on electrification alone is a slower and riskier path to decarbonization.

Op-Ed: Ban Bus Wraps and Spare Riders the Barrage of Advertisements

You don’t have to detest all advertising or be a wild-eyed radical to agree that windows are for seeing through. Metro should discontinue bus wraps that obscure windows.

Op-Ed: Cross-Lake Service Needs More Emphasis in East Link Bus Restructure

Ahead of the full opening of East Link light rail, King County Metro and Sound Transit have queued up a bus restructure for the Eastside, but they have planned insufficient cross-lake service to replace the deleted Route 271. Frequencies crater in the evening, which will leave riders in the lurch.

Op-Ed: Key Takeaways from Seattle Greenways’ Building Great Streets Event

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways hosted a Town Hall Seattle event on building great streets featuring two leading practitioners. Check out the video and synopsis.
The view of Aurora looking south toward the downtown skyline.

Op-Ed: Redesigning Aurora Avenue for Pedestrians, Bikes, and Rapid Buses

SDOT seems to assume Aurora Avenue cannot accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, cars, and freight simultaneously, but this design proposal that will do just that. In the process, it'd make the deadly corridor much safer for all users.
An airy train station with a glass ceiling held by steel latticework.

Torpedoing NYC Decongestion Tolls Would Be National Setback

New York had been all geared up to become the first American city to implement congestion pricing later this month until Governor Kathy Hochul announced a stunning reversal, saying she intended to shelve the program on Wednesday. Transit riders and climate advocates are fighting back and aiming to block the move.

Op-Ed: Sound Transit Stations Need an Audio Announcement Makeover

Sound Transit needs to act to improve the auditory experience of Link light rail stations. Presently, they are an unwelcoming cacophony of announcements that are too frequent, loud, and grating.