2008 Woodie Awards
Will light rail matter to UWT?
Visual aesthetics aside, commuters wonder if rail will solve problems
Karie Anderson
Issue date: 1/30/03 Section: News
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Amidst all of the construction and light rail dialogue in the community, the question still remains if such a project like the Tacoma Link will have an impact on what many residents care about – traffic.
“I haven’t seen any big picture to this thing,” said local resident Tanner Houghton. “It is not coming together like it could be. We need to have more people backing these ideas, because it will fix all of the problems. Not only the traffic problems but it will reduce the amount of resources we are using.”
The Tacoma Link light rail system, projected to begin service in the fall, will run a 1.6-mile route that includes five stops. Starting at the Tacoma Dome the trains will give Tacoma residents and visitors access to the Broadway Theater District, downtown offices, UWT and all of the many new businesses opening up around Pacific Avenue. How will this affect traffic?
With more people parking at the Tacoma Dome Station before they get into town, city traffic is expected to decrease. Depending on how many commuters decide to use the Sound Transit options and connect to the Tacoma Link, the reduction of freeway and highway traffic is unknown.
“Unfortunately, I can’t say exactly how it will affect students here at UWT,” said Iris Marx, employee transportation coordinator for the campus. “The Tacoma Link, which will run every 10 minutes, will provide students with another option to get to campus, although currently, this service is provided by the free Downtown Connector – the light rail will also be free. While the speed of the train will not exceed the posted vehicular speed limits in Tacoma, the light rail will have priority over the traffic signals, so I suppose it is possible that students may get to class a little faster since they don’t have to sit through the lights.”
Currently there is a free solution for commuters to travel into downtown Tacoma. The Downtown Connector bus leaves the Tacoma Dome Station throughout the day, leaving about every 15 minutes, starting at 5:45 a.m. until 8:41 p.m. on weekdays and makes frequent stops in the area. The Downtown Connector will be replaced with the Link light rail. Many students are not aware of the service and are arriving at campus and commuting at different times of the day. Afternoon and night commuters can sometimes get caught up in the evening traffic.
“I haven’t seen any big picture to this thing,” said local resident Tanner Houghton. “It is not coming together like it could be. We need to have more people backing these ideas, because it will fix all of the problems. Not only the traffic problems but it will reduce the amount of resources we are using.”
The Tacoma Link light rail system, projected to begin service in the fall, will run a 1.6-mile route that includes five stops. Starting at the Tacoma Dome the trains will give Tacoma residents and visitors access to the Broadway Theater District, downtown offices, UWT and all of the many new businesses opening up around Pacific Avenue. How will this affect traffic?
With more people parking at the Tacoma Dome Station before they get into town, city traffic is expected to decrease. Depending on how many commuters decide to use the Sound Transit options and connect to the Tacoma Link, the reduction of freeway and highway traffic is unknown.
“Unfortunately, I can’t say exactly how it will affect students here at UWT,” said Iris Marx, employee transportation coordinator for the campus. “The Tacoma Link, which will run every 10 minutes, will provide students with another option to get to campus, although currently, this service is provided by the free Downtown Connector – the light rail will also be free. While the speed of the train will not exceed the posted vehicular speed limits in Tacoma, the light rail will have priority over the traffic signals, so I suppose it is possible that students may get to class a little faster since they don’t have to sit through the lights.”
Currently there is a free solution for commuters to travel into downtown Tacoma. The Downtown Connector bus leaves the Tacoma Dome Station throughout the day, leaving about every 15 minutes, starting at 5:45 a.m. until 8:41 p.m. on weekdays and makes frequent stops in the area. The Downtown Connector will be replaced with the Link light rail. Many students are not aware of the service and are arriving at campus and commuting at different times of the day. Afternoon and night commuters can sometimes get caught up in the evening traffic.