Progressive Railroading (what, you don't read it?) reports that this coming Monday, Sound Transit plans to break ground on a $2.8 million expansion of its parking lot near the Sounder station in Puyallup, creating 219 new spaces for suburbanites who commute to the train by car. The funding will come from a combination of state and federal grants and Sound Transit's own money.

Because if there's anything we definitely need to be investing our limited infrastructure dollars in, it's more of this:



Yeah, I  get it—more people are taking the train, therefore Sound Transit needs to expand its parking lot. But that begs the question—suburban sprawl must continue to expand ever further, therefore we must build infrastructure to serve endlessly growing suburban sprawl.

How about this as an alternative: Enforce strict urban growth boundaries, build dense, more urban suburbs, and put employment centers close to where people live so they don't have to commute 20 miles to work? And for those who must commute long distances, invest in local transit that carries people to commuter rail without the need for a car. Solutions are the product of decisions, not inevitable. Whether we enable and encourage car culture or invest in mass transit is entirely up to us.

Image via Google Earth.