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Statement For
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Why are we being asked to vote for the Monorail again?
Although we voted for a monorail in 1997, and studies by the
Elevated Transportation Company (“ETC”) revealed that a monorail
system was feasible, the Seattle City Council never fully accepted
the popular vote. The Council effectively repealed the people’s
law in August, 2000, therefore, we need to vote YES again.
Proposition 2 does the following with NO NEW TAXES:
- Reinstates our original monorail law and the ETC: an
independent public development authority modeled after the
organization which saved and runs the Pike Place Market.
- Provides $6 million to develop a citywide monorail plan which
must go back to the voters for approval within 24 months.
- Reserves $125 million of the city’s councilmanic borrowing
capacity—the “credit card” used for capital projects the Council
did not want put to a public vote: the Nordstrom garage,
Benaroya Hall, Key Tower, Key Arena, and the new Civic Center
which, at $250,000,000, is the most expensive project ever
undertaken by the City.
Why monorail?
Riding above traffic, monorail is safer, faster, and much more
reliable than surface light rail or trolleys. Monorail will NEVER divide
our neighborhoods or endanger our citizens by running at street
level.
Monorail won’t be invisible, but modern systems are low profile.
New systems feature slim guideways and support posts which are
thinner and farther apart than old-style systems. Monorails are
fast, quiet, clean, less expensive to maintain, energy efficient and
are a joy to ride. Monorail technology is Seattle’s only viable option
for rapid mass transit within the city.
Join us in telling the City Council that we’re serious about
building rapid mass transit in Seattle. Monorail will play a significant
part in conjunction with other modes of transportation as provided
by Metro, Sound Transit, etc. - to fight the traffic congestion that
threatens our quality of life in Seattle.
RE-ELECT THE MONORAIL.
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Statement prepared by:
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Rise Above It All
PMB #449, 117 E. Louisa Street
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: (206) 632-8140
Website: www.Riseaboveitall.org
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Rebuttal to Statement For
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An ETC majority admitted that the X-shaped route plan of I-41
was infeasible because much of it duplicated Sound Transit light rail.
City Council wisely repealed the X-plan, but I-53 restores it — requiring
that we spend $6 million designing a system that even monorail
supporters admit is flawed!
ETC had no community involvement with Seattle neighborhoods
to discuss monorail routing or impacts. Monorail trains are not quiet
and unobtrusive. Rubber tires running on concrete are noisy. On 5th
Avenue, conversations stop for monorail trains.
If private investors really wanted to fund an expanded monorail,
they would be lobbying all over City Hall, twisting arms to get the votes.
But the phones are quiet. Not one investor has ever asked a
Councilmember to support monorail! These investors don’t call because
they don’t exist. The entire multi-billion dollar tax burden will fall on
Seattle taxpayers.
I-53 is flawed. Vote NO.
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Rebuttal prepared by:
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Roger Pence, Beacon Hill neighborhood activist
Paul Kraabel, former City Councilmember
No on I-53 Committee
Phone: (206) 389-7340
Email: dawsonst@compuserve.com
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