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Velo Bus Driver: Light Rail Isn't Going to Flood Bellevue With "Undesirables"
VeloBusDriver, an anonymous bus driver/blogger who commutes to work by bike, wrote yesterday about a KING-5 story on the light-rail debate in Bellevue, where a majority of the city council opposes the rail route chosen by Sound Transit (they want a route to the east that bypasses homes, businesses, and the South Bellevue park-and-ride). The piece, by "Up Front" anchor Robert Mak, rehashes many of the arguments we've written about (opponents of Sound Transit's route say it would be bad for traffic and business; proponents say it would be cheaper and have higher ridership).
However, one argument did come up that I've rarely seen articulated so openly (except, of course, by Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman , a guy whose own transit system consists of a personal helicopter) is the "we don't want those people here" assertion. Light rail, in some property owners' deranged view of reality, will bring undesirables in to the suburbs to drive down property values, rob homes, sell drugs to children, and generally wreak mischief.
Enter Joseph Rosmann, a Bellevue homeowner who opposes light rail. In response to a question about why rail transit is wrong for Bellevue, Rosmann told Mak, chuckling conspiratorially, "There have been numerous studies that suggest that light rail makes it easier for some folks who are not always welcome because of their personal intents, it makes it easier to get here."
The idea that sleazy "unwelcome" undesirables from Seattle will suddenly flock to Bellevue once rail is built is, of course, absurd. First of all, Rosmann is apparently unaware of the express buses that carry anyone with the money to pay from Seattle to his bedroom community every ten minutes at rush hour every day.
Second, as Velo Bus Driver points out, rail actually has more security than buses, with video cameras, fare inspectors and a heavier security presence. If miscreants want to descend on Bellevue, they have plenty of better options. (Ironically, rail opponents also argue that rail should be barred from I-90 because they want to make it as easy as possible for people to drive from Seattle to Bellevue---the theory being, I guess, that bad guys and/or poor people don't have cars).
Read the whole thing here.
However, one argument did come up that I've rarely seen articulated so openly (except, of course, by Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman , a guy whose own transit system consists of a personal helicopter) is the "we don't want those people here" assertion. Light rail, in some property owners' deranged view of reality, will bring undesirables in to the suburbs to drive down property values, rob homes, sell drugs to children, and generally wreak mischief.
Enter Joseph Rosmann, a Bellevue homeowner who opposes light rail. In response to a question about why rail transit is wrong for Bellevue, Rosmann told Mak, chuckling conspiratorially, "There have been numerous studies that suggest that light rail makes it easier for some folks who are not always welcome because of their personal intents, it makes it easier to get here."
The idea that sleazy "unwelcome" undesirables from Seattle will suddenly flock to Bellevue once rail is built is, of course, absurd. First of all, Rosmann is apparently unaware of the express buses that carry anyone with the money to pay from Seattle to his bedroom community every ten minutes at rush hour every day.
Second, as Velo Bus Driver points out, rail actually has more security than buses, with video cameras, fare inspectors and a heavier security presence. If miscreants want to descend on Bellevue, they have plenty of better options. (Ironically, rail opponents also argue that rail should be barred from I-90 because they want to make it as easy as possible for people to drive from Seattle to Bellevue---the theory being, I guess, that bad guys and/or poor people don't have cars).
To be clear, in the last 4 years of riding and/or driving buses virtually every day of the week, I have only come across one or two instances where I felt any real personal danger. Given that 30,797 people were killed in car accidents the US in 2009, driving to work is far more dangerous than risking contact with an axe murderer on the bus – And yes, there was one such murder. In 2008. In Canada. Given our current political environment, you’re probably more at risk going to your local grocery store.
Read the whole thing here.
