First Hill at a loss for new transportation

Your story “Proposed streetcar headed to Broadway” [page one, April 5] refers to the project as a “consolation prize” to First Hill to compensate for the loss of its light-rail station. In reality, the prize goes to Capitol Hill, which will gain the most from a streetcar.

The majority of First Hill residents and commuters who live and work west of Boren Avenue get a lump of coal in their stocking —the promise of more slow-moving buses on Madison Street and other routes that are already in gridlock.

On the upside, First Hill residents will still benefit from all the great exercise they get, hiking up and down the hill to get downtown to Third Avenue in order to access regional transit.

— Michael Gray, Seattle

Spending on streetcar will slip to city and residents

Why are we prepared to spend upwards of $120 million on a streetcar project when adding a few more buses could do the same for a lot less money? There is nothing to be gained with this hopelessly outdated concept of fixed-rail streetcars.

Streetcars have to share the same street space with all the other traffic, stop at the same traffic lights and, being fixed to their rails, are unable to navigate around obstacles.

After more than two years, the South Lake Union streetcar is way under-used, with the city and the county stuck paying for staggering losses. This Broadway streetcar project most likely will end up the same way, with the city having to pick up the losses.

We should stop this Broadway project while there still is time. It is a gross misuse of public funds at a time when the city and the county are struggling to deal with huge deficits. There are plenty of other, more-pressing needs for our tax money, such as education, the homeless and above all, to reducing deficits.

— Wolfgang Mack, Seattle