PubliCola - Latest Comments

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

DPD rocks — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:31:09 -0000

Diane and her staff at DPD are the smartest, most professional and most thoughtful of all City departments. There will be a huge experience hole when development starts back in five years. If only we could eliminate positions at some of the poorer run departments like Department of Neighborhoods and Office of Economic Development.

Re: SDOT Proposes City’s First Cycle Track (Again), This Time For Linden Ave

Wally — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:31:02 -0000

It seems like a good chunk of that distance on the WEST side of the street goes by Bitter Lake Park, a big retirement home, and a reservoir... don't those have less traffic than the east side of the street? Wouldn't a west side cycletrack work better?

Re: Fitzgibbon vs. Heavey: Focus on Burien

ap — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:46:47 -0000

"However, when it comes to total votes, Heavey won 1347 to Fitzgibbon’s 1290. So, Heavey did, indeed, win Burien."

by your logic, al gore did, indeed, win the 2000 election. as much as i generally wish that the popular vote did control all, if fitzgibbon won 13 precincts and heavey won 12, it means that fitzgibbon did, indeed, win burien.

Re: On Other Blogs Today

FeralGnome — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:19:23 -0000

Um... I think this state's 18th amendment sucks as much as anybody, but violating the Civil Rights Act? Great City's argument is pretty weak sauce.

Title III says that the government can't deny access to common public facilities on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, etc. But minorities' lesser access to highways is a function of generally lower incomes, i.e., several steps removed from any government action. The same argument could be made regarding airports - the fact that only relatively well-off classes usually use them doesn't mean they're discriminatory and we can't have them.

I mean, if somebody else has an argument for this position I'd love to hear it. But probably Great City should stick to criticizing the 18th Amendment on its own merits.

Re: Does I-1098 Penalize Small Business Owners for Reinvesting in Their Companies?

Minnie — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:06:32 -0000

I often earn more than 100K per year and most certainly would not mind paying higher taxes on anything above that point. It seems fair. Also, I would not really benefit from the increased taxes. I have not kids... And I don't call myself progressive.

Re: Afternoon Jolt: $30 Million for the Mercer Mess

Mr. X — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:23:59 -0000

Easy - because Seattle had to squander $170 million in locally raised funds (and counting - phase 2 will probably cost close to that much more) to get it.

(not that I want to help Rossi, mind you, but the Mercer beautification project is a colossal waste of limited public funds)

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

Been there, done that — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:45:03 -0000

Ah, you should have been around in the days when Major Projects were backlogged 30 months. You'd have danced in the streets to get your permit in 1 year...

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

Patcreek — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:45:00 -0000

Workers at DPD volunteered to take unpaid furloughs to save jobs. Saving jobs is better for taxpayers because it will save money by avoiding training costs when the economy recovers. Local 17 jerked around DPD workers and then eventually rejected the furlough proposal against workers' wishes. Local 17 is a crappy union. This is the latest installment in the union's lack of performance on behalf of members.

Re: SDOT Proposes City’s First Cycle Track (Again), This Time For Linden Ave

Josh Cohen — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:15:25 -0000

I know about the Alki Ave "cycle track." For whatever reason, SDOT doesn't consider that an official cycle track from what I understand, so I didn't refer to it as such.

Re: She’s Getting Nowhere

Tjss64 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:07:33 -0000

When they're sleeping, Ivan's working...'nuf said.

Re: Rossi Releases Latest TV Ad. Democrats Have Aneurysm. And a Point.

mardod — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:49:05 -0000

Oh, where to start.

-First, I really think you need to look into an anger management class before you blow your head gasket. That or invest in some purple stretchy pants (if its good enough for Bruce Banner...).
-Second, point to me the section where I was making excuses for anything or anyone. I asked you a question for which you still haven't answered.
-Third, you do realize there is a vast difference between the grassroots activist base of the party and the corporatist DLC, right? While lumping them all into the same boat makes for an easy argument, it doesn't make it true.
-Fourth, Dim-0-crats. Yea, that's not catching on. Just let it go.
-Fifth, speaking of word usage, look up the word "fascist". In the words of the immortal Inigo Montoya, that word doesn't mean what you think it means.
-

Re: SDOT Proposes City’s First Cycle Track (Again), This Time For Linden Ave

Mr_Baker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:41:43 -0000

Btw, the 2007 numbers are not useful. Giant cubes of condos and apartments opened shortly after that.
As the map shows (via the link) Linden doesn't actual go anywhere if you drive a car.
Simply extending the road/sidewalk/street improvements on the last northern block, and better integrating a bike lane at Linden at 130th to make that turn west would get people to Greenwood via bike pretty safely.
There is a stoplight with a crosswalk to cross 145th, to/from the trail.

That would get people moving off the west side of Aurora.
There isn't a very good connection from the trail to the other side of Aurora.

My comments are only useful if the intent is to have transportation, and not just expensive recreation on a blunted northern street.

Re: Last Night: William Gibson at U. Village Barnes & Noble

joshfeit — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:39:36 -0000

Forget the book group, can we get married?

Re: SDOT Proposes City’s First Cycle Track (Again), This Time For Linden Ave

Long-time SEattleite — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:38:27 -0000

This won't be the first "cycle track" in Seattle. Alki Avenue has had one for a few years.

Re: Rossi Releases Latest TV Ad. Democrats Have Aneurysm. And a Point.

seabos84 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:33:59 -0000

let me guess, you're 1 of those well credentialed Dim-0-cratic dilettantes who keeps their job by blaming the underlings for your incompetence, OR, you want to be 1 of those dilettantes, OR, you don't know what I'm talking about.

I've been listening to excuse makers like you, AND your excuse laden horsehit for the yuppie scum of the Democratic Party, way before I lived in Tip O'Neil's district as a 7 buck an hour cook / serf to the well to do in 1985.

Don't get me wrong - IF you're in the first 2 groups you SHOULD blame the underlings - you've got decades of losing to lying fascists AND getting hundreds of millions of dollars to piss away every 2 years to lose to those fascists - what the hell are you going to do? Get a REAL job, OR, blame us peanut gallery pee-ons for YOUR incompetence!

p.s. - IF you're too dumb to know what I'm talking about, you're a dream lackey!

Funny how the palin-ittes defend the thieving scum bosses and blame the underlings, and the Democratic Leadership Council sycophants blame the underlings and defend the incompetent bosses!

rmm.

Re: Cars And Cities

Mars Saxman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:30:42 -0000

It's all going to be bumper-to-bumper anyway. That's the problem with streets: they fill to capacity. If you add lanes, more people use them, so you end up with more congestion, not less.

Re: SDOT Proposes City’s First Cycle Track (Again), This Time For Linden Ave

Mr_Baker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:17:17 -0000

Maybe they should just extend the sidewalk and street improvements from 143rd to 145th, and call it good.

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

jabailo — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:51 -0000

Planning?

People planned this mess?

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

giffy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:50:58 -0000

Except that we are unlikely to have another real estate bubble anytime soon. We won't need 2006 level staffing for some time to come.

Re: Cars And Cities

sirkulat — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:39:36 -0000

It's important to have approximate adt counts on exit/entrance ramps. I've read 19,000 adt is the combined number for Columbia/Seneca to 1st Ave. I haven't found a number for Western to/from Battery Street Tunnel but guess it's in the 5000 adt range. As for Western to/from SR99, 15,000 sounds a little low - 20,000-25,000 may be more accurate, but not sure.

The total adt count for all 4 Western Ave ramps is most important because that's the main body of traffic displaced by the DBT with no recourse but circuitous rerouting with more stoplights and turns and hillclimb. Mercer West is terrible idea for routing that traffic and more coming off I-5 to Elliott through the Lower Queen Anne residential corridor and busy community district around Seattle Center.

All studies show the 'stacked' 6-lane Cut/cover tunnel displaces the least amount of traffic and therefore incurs the least environmental impact. As for the Columbia/Seneca ramps, the traffic on Seattle's dangerously steep sidestreets leading to those ramps should be discouraged. Dedicated east/west trolleybus lines with frequent service between the Waterfront and Broadway and Lake Union is a necessity.

Cancel Mercer West and continue using the Broad Street Underpass to direct traffic over to Denny Way via a semi-couplet of 6th Ave and Taylor. Phase One of rebuilding Mercer looks pretty good, particularly how it utilizes Broad Street Underpass.

As for Alaskan Way, early designs (pre-Crunican) called for a 2-lane frontage road on the east side in addition to a 4-lane Alaskan Way as necessary to divide thru-traffic from motorists looking to park. It allows for the streetcar line to be reinstalled, a separate bike path, 50% more curbside parking (though less than what's there now), 3 of the proposed 13 stoplights can be removed (increasing capacity and speed of Alaskan Way) and another row of street trees becomes possible. Sure, it cuts into the wide plaza, but not enough to ruin it.

Re: City’s Planning Department Cut By Nearly a Third

a lazy union — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:33:56 -0000

The real story here is how the union representing DPD employees is really dropping the ball in terms of protecting its employees. Most DPD employees are now wondering what the hell all of their dues go toward...

Erica, a tip to do some digging?

Re: Cars And Cities

Rosspatton2 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:27:16 -0000

Most of it comes from Northern California, where things are much much more expensive than they are here.

Re: Cars And Cities

Rosspatton2 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:26:25 -0000

ah yes China, the land where everyone used to ride bikes, but now they just sit in traffic jams that last for a week straight.

Re: She’s Getting Nowhere

ivan — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:25:49 -0000

These clowns couldn't remove a booger from their own nose, and they aren't removing me. There's no news here, just a couple of petty whiners manipulating Publicola into posting their bullshit rumor. Just think! Now the New York Times links to this crap.

Re: She’s Getting Nowhere

michaeljmaddux — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:08:24 -0000

But what Ivan does is takes credit and responsibility for himself. He doesn't hide behind anonymous (Former PCO) or indiscernible (Mickymse) screen names, or worse, act as an anonymous source. Love him or hate him, he tells his opinion the way it is.

Additionally, I've rarely seen him ever post discussing business of his District. He posts discussing issues, candidates, and knocking Barnett and Feit, but rarely does he post regarding internal Party business - except for that one time when, I'm guessing, he felt as though someone was referring to him when they were publicly airing dirty laundry.