Chokepoints: State favors charging as much as $2.25 to use new tunnel

Governor Jay Inslee told Seattle’s Morning News that depends largely on the Legislature.

“I can tell you the Legislature directed the executive branch to explore any options that would be available,” Inslee said.

In response, the Washington State Department of Transportation has “done some work in that regard.”

“But I don’t think there’s a definitive answer to that question,” Inslee added.

What we do know is that the state will have to figure out how to pay for large investments in our roadways. Take, for example, the new trestle the state wants to build on westbound Highway 2 heading into Everett. The need for additional capacity is already there, but the money isn’t. Options to pay for it have included raising the gas tax by 3 cents statewide and tolling drivers who use it.

Of course, the Washington State Transportation Commission studying the idea of tolling a section of I-5 between Everett and Marysville further fuels the speculative fire when it comes to expanding the number of tolled roads.

Gov. Inslee says no proposals on tolling are being made right now, but “people are going to need to talk to their Legislature to figure out a way to move forward.” He says he is pleased with the progress being made using the . While the state builds out its infrastructure, Inslee says, Washington D.C. “can’t build a birdhouse.”

Washington state’s tolled roads

With the growing population, it’s likely the state will need to continue to play catch-up for years to come. According to , 7.4 million people live in Washington state. The state’s population grew by 117,300 people in a year. Migration is the primary driver of the population growth and the primary reason drivers are spending more time in their vehicles every day.

Meanwhile, the state continues to study a pay-per-mile program that, if implemented, could potentially generate more revenue for the state than the gas tax due to increasingly efficient vehicles. Gov. Inslee says if — and that’s a big if — the state will want to know the public’s perceptions and concerns before rolling it out.

“We’re a long way from making decisions on that,” he said.

It turns out Le was holding a pen. But it took more than a week for the sheriff’s office to correct the inaccurate reports, which were based on a statement that said the man was “holding a knife or some sort of sharp object.”

There was speculation that Le was holding a knife at some point in the day. But there is no doubt he did not have one when he was shot.

Then-King County Sheriff John Urquhart admitted to Le’s family that he wouldn’t have shot the 20-year-old, to a civil rights lawsuit.

The fatal shooting led to a study of the department’s current policies and practices about public access to law enforcement information. Read the study .

The Brechner Center for Freedom of Information came up with several recommendations for how the King County Sheriff’s Office handles the media and distribution of information in the future. It’s about time because the last time the department’s policy statement on news media relations was updated was in 1995.

The director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight explained why it’s important to increase transparency and correct inaccurate information.

“If we’re trying to build trust between community and the public, it’s better if any misinformation that comes from a police agency, like the Sheriff’s Office, be corrected by that same agency,” Deborah Jacobs told the King County Council’s Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday, .

On Wednesday, June 13, the sheriff’s office, now under the command of Mitzi Johanknecht, released a statement saying “transparent and truthful communication is one of the Sheriff’s top priorities.”

Families can now rest easy knowing that if a loved one is killed, they won’t have to be the ones to correct media reports in the following days and weeks.

And for those who carry pens in public, rest assured, your death will be reported accurately.

As first reported by , bikes from Lime and ofo — two of the city’s bikeshare companies — filled the majority of parking spaces at the school.

The principal of the school reportedly called the prank “outstanding.”

Unfortunately, this prank has already been pulled. It’s done every day. The joke is on the city that has allowed thousands of these free-floating bikes to exist without stringent rules.

As we reported earlier this week, bikes being mis-parked are one of the top complaints the public has, according to a recent . The bikes are blocking pedestrian access and cluttering Seattle’s sidewalks. They also block curb ramps, transit access, and business access.

The study published by the Seattle Department of Transportation found 70 percent of bikes owned by the bikeshare companies are parked correctly. Only 4 percent are ever found to be fully blocking someone or something. Which means the other 26 percent of the time the bikes are at least partially in our way.

Thankfully, the department is experimenting with bike-specific parking spaces in five locations in Ballard. The spots are being used, according to SDOT.

SDOT is also working on an update to its current permitting system. The department is expected to analyze data before making recommendations for a permanent program, which will hopefully improve the way the bikes are parked.

Until that happens, why not thank a senior at Ballard High School. Because for once, these bikes were actually out of our way.

The work has mostly been overshadowed by the city’s ORCA card program, which passed through committee Tuesday, and will provide free bus and light rail passes to all Seattle public high school students.

Sustainability & Transportation Committee shows a need to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles by 3,000 through 2021 in order to maintain current levels of congestion. The city cannot rely on King County Metro to do this, as the agency is already at or near capacity during peak travel times and is pumping more resources into off-peak hours to expand its all-day service, according to information presented to the committee.

Contracting Seattle bus service

Officials pinpointed several routes within city limits where people frequently drive alone.

A contracted Seattle bus service could help ease several problems, including improving Metro bus capacity and eliminating the number of transfers bus riders must go through.

The money for contracted transit services would come from the , with up to $5 million being available for the contracted services alone.

It’s unknown how much of this contracted transit service would look. The city doesn’t know who would operate it, how much it would cost, or which vehicles would be used. There was discussion during Tuesday’s Transportation Committee meeting that bus capacity would be approximately 10-15 people, depending on demand.

Councilmembers Mike O’Brien and Rob Johnson supported the legislation and pushed it to the full council for a final decision. O’Brien admitted that the city will be “experimenting with some things here.”

But if done correctly, it could help reduce fears officials have over what traffic will look like in the coming years. Between construction that is already happening across the city and several major projects — including the waterfront and upgraded convention center — any more traffic in the city will be detrimental to commute times.

The found 25 percent of commuters heading into downtown are driving alone. That number may look small, but according to the estimates, it is approximately 66,500 of the 262,000 trips into the city. And that’s only counting commute-related trips.

RELATED: Seattle poised to spend $2 million on injection site

“Can you repeat that? The federal government…” she asked Jeffrey Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health, who alongside Jeff Sakuma, Seattle’s health integration strategist, was on drug overdose deaths in King County.

“It didn’t get a lot of press coverage,” Duchin told Mosqueda and the rest of the Housing, Health, Energy, and Workers’ Rights Committee. “But U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, in a speech to the in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago, endorsed that localities should have the option to use safe injection sites or supervised consumption facilities as part of a multi-pronged approach to fighting the opioid epidemic…”

“So that’s the federal government…” Mosqueda added in disbelief.

“Well, it’s the Surgeon General. He is part of the federal government. Doesn’t have a lot of authority.”

Then Sakuma chimed in.

“There was a subsequent statement, though, tracking back on that statement … I think. I believe that’s correct. If you go online, there was a bit of retraction of this statement.”

Duchin did not see that retraction.

“We can send you the news reports that covered it and Jeff, evidently, has a news report that it was retracted,” he said.

Sakuma said the specifics around the injection site was the piece U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams walked back on.

Mosqueda was ready to run with it.

“It would be helpful if you could find that reference. When you were mentioning that people were shaking their head as if they had not seen that. It sounds as if you, Jeff, have not seen it. I will take the good news that the U.S. Surgeon General has identified and endorsed safe consumption sites as one of many important prongs in our approach to address opioid addiction and overdose prevention,” she said.

Surgeon general and safe injection sites

It’s true, the Surgeon General’s statement wasn’t widely covered by the media. Maybe that’s because after he reportedly made that statement, a spokesperson for the Surgeon General made one , the outlet cited by

The Administration and the Surgeon General do not support so-called “safe” injection sites as a means to combat the opioid epidemic and its consequences. In addition, there is no evidence to demonstrate that these illegal sites reduce drug use or significantly improve health outcomes for those with opioid use disorder. So-called “safe” injection sites lack the necessary scientific support to be considered a standardized evidence-based practice in the U.S.

So, yes, Surgeon General Jerome Adams supports some forms of addiction treatment. But, no, injection sites are not one of them.

The city and county are currently studying injection sites as they try to overcome the opioid epidemic and curb the alarming number of deaths happening. In 2016, King County formed an opioid task force that came up with eight recommendations to fight the crisis.

Since then, cities and counties have banned such sites. An effort to ban them in King County went to court, but was later prevented from making it on the ballot.

RELATED: Have you talked with your doctor about gun control?

Gov. Cuomo is proposing legislation that goes beyond Washington state’s gun violence restraining orders. If approved, it would allow teachers and school administrators to petition a court to take away firearms from students who considered a threat to themselves or others.

“We have a person in this school. We believe they’re dangerous. We believe they’re in possession of a firearm and ask a judge to intervene,” he said.

New York would be the first state in the US with such a law empowering teachers to request that students be disarmed.

Gov. Cuomo also wants to raise the minimum age to buy firearms from 18 to 21.

In Washington, similar efforts failed during the last legislative session. would have, among other things, prohibited someone under 21 from purchasing certain rifles and shotguns. That bill didn’t even get out of committee in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

The Washington State Legislature was able to ban bump stocks and toughen restrictions on people convicted of domestic violence.

Urging leaders to shy away from the push to arm teachers, Gov. Inslee urged President Trump to consider using Washington’s as a model for a national system.

On the federal level, however, gun control efforts have largely fallen flat. Even as the rash of violence in public schools continues.

The federal school safety commission established after the deadly shooting at a Florida high school decided not to examine the role of guns in school violence. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos revealed just that when she testified before Senators Tuesday.

It didn’t go over well with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont).

“Will your commission look at firearms as it relates to gun violence in our schools?” Leahy asked.

“That is not part of the commission’s charge per say,” DeVos responded.

“I see. So you’re studying gun violence but you’re not considering the role of guns?” Leahy asked.

“We’re actually studying school safety and how we can ensure our students are safe at school,” DeVos said.

“Well, are you looking at some of those countries where the students do just as much time on video games and just as much time on social media as we do but do not have gun violence? That’s a yes or no?” Leahy pushed.

“Not per say.”

Gov. Jay Inslee: ‘I’m a doodler’

A spokesperson for the governor in his capacity as chair of the when asked to answer simply if the Washington governor planned to run for president: Look, I think that anyone who is thinking past 2018 is doing a disservice to the party.

Earlier this month, DJ Wilson with Washington State Wire laid out his reasoning for why he believes Inslee is considering a presidential run. He pointed to Inslee’s recent travel schedule, which included out-of-country trips to speak on panels, including one on climate change; and the governor’s work to build fundraising infrastructure for the Democratic Party.

On May 21, the Washington State Republican Party criticized Inslee for as much.

“*UPDATE*,” a from the party read. “@GovInslee spotted promoting himself 1,762 miles away in Iowa… still missing from Washington State.”

RELATED: Ex-State Republican Party chair to challenge Cantwell

In June, Inslee will be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame celebration. The reason, , is because the Washington governor “has been a beacon of progress for the nation, expanding access to voting rights, taking steps to reduce gun violence, providing paid sick and the best-paid family leave policies in the nation and raising minimum wage, all while having the strongest state economy in the nation … a stark contrast to the dysfunction in the other Washington.”

Additional actions by Inslee that fueled the speculative fires included confronting President Trump in person over gun control. As the president pushed the idea of arming teachers, Inslee fought back, saying teachers don’t want to be armed. He also added this jab: “we need a little less tweeting, a little more listening.”

Come June 7, electric-assisted bicycles that travel no more than 20 mph will legally be allowed on sidewalks. If you’ve walked around Seattle recently, you’ve likely already seen people cruising around the city’s sidewalks on e-bikes.

RELATED: Pedestrians continue their oblivious stroll

A former Washington state transportation secretary says this makes walking around Seattle even more dangerous than it already is.

“Pedestrians have long had reason to worry about the risk of getting nailed by cars in crosswalks. What’s new this year, however, is that Olympia has made your Seattle sidewalks into all-out bikeways for the newest hottest thing on two wheels …” .

MacDonald points out Seattle is operating with an out-dated ordinance that allows bikes to be ridden on sidewalks. The law from the 1970s was crafted during a time when the bicycle community didn’t make up 3 percent of commuters and before sidewalks were congested with people unable to look up from their phones.

The city’s acceptance of dockless bikeshare programs didn’t help. Thousands of bikes — the brightly-colored ones you trip over as you walk down the sidewalk — were added to the equation. Easily rented via phone app, MacDonald says people who ride them often disregard laws and the safety of those around them.

With the arrival of rideshare e-bikes earlier this year and the growing number of people buying their own, the war on pedestrians has only grown worse, MacDonald says.

And the acceptance of e-bikes on our sidewalks by the state Legislature is the latest blow to people on foot.

into law by Gov. Jay Inslee March 13, e-bikes allowed on sidewalks cannot have a power output of more than 750 watts and must meet the requirements of one of three classifications:

• Class 1 — in which the motor provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 mph
• Class 2—in which the motor may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle and is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 mph
• Class 3—in which the motor provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 mph and is equipped with a speedometer (Class 3 bikes can’t be used on sidewalks unless there is no alternative to travel over a sidewalk as part of a bicycle or pedestrian path)

Proponents have argued that allowing bicycle on sidewalks only makes sense. Why put a person on a bike in the same lane as a vehicle weighing thousands of pounds?

But one could argue the same for sidewalks. Why allow cyclists to speed down sidewalks pedestrians are walking on?

Based on , MacDonald writes that pedestrian safety is “going in the wrong direction.”

In 2016, the city saw the most fatal/serious collisions since 2012. There were 533 pedestrian collisions, the most since 2006. Five pedestrians died due to their injuries — the least since 2011 — but combined fatal/serious injuries reached the highest point in more than a decade. In 2016, 12 pedestrians were injured by bicycle.

MacDonald says 2017 was worse. He says 11 pedestrians were killed and 56 suffered serious injuries. That data has not been confirmed by the city.

The data above doesn’t include injuries due to the hazards created by the city’s aging infrastructure. This isn’t the time to neglect sidewalks and ignore safety, he writes.

But the city is still catching up on its sidewalk repairs. The Sidewalk Repair Program is funded by the “Levy to Move Seattle.” The $930 million from that levy, city leaders recently found out, will not be enough to cover everything originally promised.

Science has spoken: We are creating needless traffic jams

A $400,000 assessment of sidewalks last year over 2,323 miles.

With that in mind, MacDonald says pedestrians can regain “their entitlement to safe, comfortable and secure walking in their own city if they will take up the fight … It is, after all, the sidewalks that should be the welcoming province of the pedestrian realm.”

RELATED: Seattle head tax 101

A day after the Seattle City Council approved the tax on businesses grossing more than $20 million, Redfin CEO . In it, he writes that the business community is focusing on what it doesn’t want, without telling the public what it does want.

“Now, more than ever, we want the people who hear the business community say ‘no’ on the head tax to also hear, even more loudly and clearly, what we’d say ‘yes’ to,” Kelman writes.

Kelman says the city should be encouraging businesses to hire employees, rather than hiring contractors. He’s suggesting that a head tax will result in fewer permanent hires within the city.

The Redfin CEO also warns that entry-level jobs will be most affected.

“While a $275 head tax is perhaps small relative to the salary of a senior software engineer, it isn’t for the entry-level jobs that an economically diverse city needs most. Those are the jobs that will leave first due to this tax.”

Under the tax, nearly 600 businesses will have to pay $275 per employee, per year, until 2023. The money will raise nearly $50 million to help the city address its affordability and homeless problem.

Other businesses took a hard stance against the head tax. Amazon and Starbucks sent statements condemning the council’s decision. And 130 executives signed a letter opposing it.

Though Kelman’s opinion is perhaps more productive than others, he points out a tax should be used as a last resort; echoing others who say the Seattle council is putting the cart before the horse.

He writes:

“Since the $200 million Seattle has already spent on homelessness has not led to a clear improvement, the city should agree on a new plan to spend the money effectively before we all beat each others’ brains out over where to get more money. But we’ve elected a government to figure out that plan; what the business community owes that government is a promise that if and when such a program requires more money, we’ll fund it.”

RELATED: Head tax 101

(R-Ritzville) drafted a bill that says cities do not have the “constitutional authority” to levy such a tax.

“New taxes not authorized in statute are not legal,” he told ����Xվ Radio’s Hanna Scott. “There is a legal problem with this as well as an economic problem.”

The Seattle City Council approved a modified version of the head tax that created a rift between city government and the business community. Under it, businesses grossing $20 million a year will pay the city $275 a year, per employee until 2023. The money will be used for low-income housing, homeless services, and emergency services.

Businesses, including Amazon and Starbucks, criticized the vote. Amazon Vice President Drew Herdener said the company is “disappointed.”

An estimated 585 businesses will have to pay the tax, according to data from the city by The Seattle Times. That number is based on revenue from 2016.

Schoesler says this is a similar situation to Seattle’s income tax. After pushing the income tax into law last year, a King County Superior Court judge ruled it was not authorized under state law. However, that played into the city’s plan to take the issue to the state Supreme Court.

Schoesler says that despite proponents calling the head tax “progressive,” it’s actually regressive for the city’s job creators.

The senator believes he can prove the head tax is illegal.

“Research by our attorneys clearly shows it’s not in statute.”

Meanwhile, Schoesler says state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has been “strangely silent” on the topic.

Schoesler’s bill would reaffirm that no municipality in Washington state can enact a head tax — or as he calls it, a jobs tax — without direct authorization from the Legislature. It would put an end to the “horrible message” sent by Seattle.

Seattle University has basically taken on homelessness as a university-wide issue. They have all the disciplines working on it.

, the director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project at Seattle University’s law school, says Seattle is actually spending itself into a bigger homelessness problem. And the unwillingness of so many of the city’s neighborhoods to actively address the crisis isn’t helping.

RELATED: Homeless boat spotted under the 520 Bridge

“Progressive personas without true compassion and without true reflection is Seattle’s problem,” Rankin said.

Rankin hails from Chicago, where the attitude may not be as compassionate, but you at least know what people are actually thinking. She says Seattle has to give its housing-first programs a boost. It would be better, Rankin says, to house someone who needs treatment or mental health services before they start any programs.

The homeless population generates enormous costs for Seattle. The city houses them through their criminal justice system. Plus, Rankin points out, they contribute to a high amount of emergency response. It is costing the city millions, she says.

Seattle leadership continues to search for ways to further fund its homeless and housing programs. The latest idea is a head tax, which would charge nearly 600 of businesses in the city 26 cents per employee, per hour. It would raise more than $20 million a year.

RELATED: Everett seeks balance between homeless and frustrated residents

But funding aside, Rankin says the city as a whole needs to actually want to solve the problem.

“A lot has to do with political will and community support,” she said.

Listen to the entire conversation here.

May Day 2017: The winners and losers

But is there reason to believe that will be the case once again on Tuesday, and will businesses be mostly spared?

James Sido with the says people seem to be directing their frustrations at others with opposing viewpoints, instead of businesses. Just look back at the past eight to 12 months of protests.

Two of the most disruptive protests in the city occurred at the University of Washington campus. During an event featuring Milo Yiannopoulos last year, one person was shot during a confrontation between Trump and anti-Trump supporters. In February, several fights broke out during a “freedom rally” hosted by College Republicans.

And sure, it was just over a week ago when protesters opposing a new King County youth jail were arrested for blocking access to the construction site. In March, people protesting the same youth jail blocked traffic for six hours and were at least a partial cause of citywide delays.

Of course, there have been the usual protests against city policy and big business, with much of the focus being on Amazon and the city’s affordability problem.

RELATED: Thousands attend peaceful Women’s March

Sido says things during May Day have slowly improved since 2012. That year, masked marchers dressed in black shattered windows and doors on downtown banks and stores, tried to set fire to a federal building and vandalized vehicles. About 70 weapons were seized. Last year, only five arrests were made in Seattle.

Sido credits communication between business owners, police, and other interested parties as at least part of the solution to a better May Day. He also says the peaceful Workers’ Day protests that May Day is supposed to be all about should be commended.

Still, there are some Seattle businesses preparing for the worst. Especially after the riots last year in Olympia, which proved chaos is just one broken window away. Nine people were arrested after $50,000 in damage was done and two police officers sustained minor injuries.

����Xվ 7 reports the Starbucks Reserve Roastery will once again board up its glass windows with plywood. The Roastery has done this for the past four years, according to ����Xվ 7. Others are taking similar preemptive action.

RELATED: Small business owner begs leaders to stop crime

King County commissioners found out Tuesday that people don’t feel comfortable going to the courthouse. It’s especially a problem when jurors don’t want to show up for duty.

Last July, Judge Lara Inveen told council members that the two city parks adjacent to the courthouse were “virtually open-air drug markets.” Threats, assaults, lewd conduct, and drug dealing all became an issue around the government building.

In response, the council convened a panel to uncover the root of the problem.

Seattle Police Captain Thomas Mahaffey says the issue may be the homeless camps in the area.

“I don’t think it’s the courthouse in particular. I think — as I mentioned — it’s some of the other environmental issues down here, mainly being you have all of your service providers clustered in a very small area.”

King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer says the problem needs to stop.

“We pay jurors ten dollars a day to get abused,” he said.

He said it seems ironic that the city and county encourage people to walk and use public transportation, but they are inhibited by people on sidewalks that are in violation of the law.

McKenna: Tent culture is result of Seattle’s camping laws

“Tent situation is very frustrating,” Captain Mahaffey said. “We have a lot of administrative rules we have to follow … my officers go out but because of the rules regarding encampments that we are bound to follow — they are administrative rules, maybe they don’t line up with city ordinance and law — but that’s what we have to follow.”

Captain Mahaffey says officers can ask people to move, but if they make an arrest, they are responsible for all the property. The department doesn’t have the resources to deal with it.

Major Dave Jutilla, chief of King County Metro Police, says efforts in the area will continue.

“Our efforts on Third Avenue are going to be long and consistent as we keep moving ahead and that will include the courthouse area.”

RELATED: Is SoDo arena proposal the civic Walking Dead?

Thursday afternoon, the King County Board of Health discussed rules for all professional sports stadiums that would make it illegal to use any tobacco products. The board unanimously voted in favor of the tobacco ban. Seattle is the 15th city to completely ban tobacco products.

Both Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field have policies that prohibit fans and attendees from using tobacco products. However, there are no policies directed to the players on the field, inside the locker room, or the clubhouse.

Tobacco and sports

710 ESPN Seattle host Danny O’Neil says at least half of all MLB players still use chewing tobacco. And yes, they still spit.

“You’re just not watching close enough.”

There are players that don’t. Take Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, for example. He alternates between seeds and gum.

“There are players who don’t chew at all. But it’s very much a part of the game.”

There are a number of factors that could play into why baseball players still chew. The long trips and amount of downtime could play a role and players could do it to occupy their time. It’s also embedded in baseball culture.

And it’s that culture that King County is looking to change. The board is using children’s health as a means to sell the ban. to the board states more than 400,000 children in the country under the age of 18 use smokeless tobacco for the first time in each year. It’s estimated that 1,300 children in grades six through 12 chew.

There would be concerns, including Nicotine withdrawals. Coaches aren’t going to want their players quitting a habit mid-season.

Plus, how will it actually be enforced? Are police going to ticket players in the dugout?

It’s possible that all the ban will do is force players and coaches to be more surreptitious about their habits.

RELATED: Bye bye Battery Street Tunnel

Washington State Ferries is developing a  and replacing old docks as the government agency prepares for the next 20 years of growth. But the system has an aging fleet. According to the sheet, all but 13 boats are over 30 years old.

Additionally, the state  $600,000 in its transportation budget to study the conversion of ferries from diesel to hybrid-electric.

But Bob Ortblad argues the state should be looking at diving under the Puget Sound, eliminating the ferries that serve Central Puget Sound.

During a Washington State Transportation Commission meeting on Tuesday, Ortblad argued that Japan, Norway, and other nations have dug tunnels for vehicles under large bodies of water. So why not us?

Putting aside the negative connotations of tunnels in Seattle, Ortblad says connecting Seattle with Kitsap County would reduce time spent commuting and be better for the environment. He said it would cost up to $800 million and take up to four years to build.

Tunnels from in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood to Highway 305 on Bainbridge, Ortblad suggested, may be a perfect location. They would be about six miles long and descend more than 700 feet below Puget Sound.

Once complete, the cost to maintain the tunnels would be less than repairing ferries, he said.

The tunnels, in Ortblad’s mind, would be tolled. It wouldn’t cost much more — if more at all — than driving across on the ferry now. They would pay for themselves in a decade, he said.

The benefits, he says, are reducing travel times to and from Seattle for people living west of Puget Sound; reducing ferry-related traffic backups on Bainbridge; allow Bremerton to reclaim its parking lots for development. Ortblad says it would also have less of an impact on Puget Sound wildlife and create less noise than the ferries.

Of course, there are many points to argue.

For one, wouldn’t a tunnel exacerbate Seattle’s traffic problem?

Ortblad admits it may not help. A form of fast transit would need to be created to reduce single-occupancy vehicles. The passenger-only ferries being established from Kitsap would allow those who work downtown to avoid the tunnel altogether, a member of the Washington State Transportation Commission pointed out.

It was pointed out that such a tunnel system would have to be tolled heavily to prevent people from flooding into the city on a daily basis.

Ortblad has in the past. He wrote an op-ed for The Seattle Times last year. In that, he asked readers to imagine twin, two-lane tunnels that allow drivers to go from Seattle to Bainbridge in less than 10 minutes for less than $10. It would allow 6,000 vehicle trips per hour for 24 hours a day.

RELATED: Single bike left on state ferry results in $17K in expenditures

Ortblad points out the state has paid for similar studies in the past. In the 1960s, engineers recommended a Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth bridge. Another study, he says, found that Puget Sound is too wide and deep for a tunnel. However, he argued last year, technology has made advances.

He acknowledges that many people scoff at the idea of tunnels under Puget Sound. But Ortblad points out that people laughed at Homer M. Hadley, the man who conceived the floating bridge across Lake Washington.

“… Homer Hadley was laughed at when he proposed a floating bridge,” Ortblad said. Years later “it was built.”

“Skeptics will laugh. But 20 years from now, electric buses and cars will be crossing under Puget Sound.”

RELATED: A history of why Seattle traffic is so bad

Mayor Jenny Durkan announced she wants to implement congestion pricing by the end of her first term. The city will create a plan after studying the downtown area.

It would be the first congestion pricing system in the U.S. that affects all drivers.

Lessons from New York

Advocates have pushed for a congestion zone in Manhattan for years. The effort dates back to at least the early 1970s. Sam Schwartz, aka , was there. He says the first effort was killed by Congress.

Schwartz says New York City’s second attempt resulted in a lawsuit.

In 2008, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushed for legislation that would have charged drivers $8 to enter a Manhattan congestion zone. Leaders wouldn’t bring it up for a vote.

Just last month lawmakers approved a surcharge on all for-hire vehicles operating in Manhattan south of 96th Street. But the approved legislation was missing the main component — charging all drivers a daily fee to enter the congestion zone.

Part of the hesitation to fully implement congestion pricing in Manhattan may be related to the fact that it was an election year. Schwartz told ����Xվ Nights he hopes the congestion zone will be for all drivers by next year.

Seattle traffic

There’s a difference — obviously — between Seattle and New York. While much of the five boroughs are serviced by a subway system, trains, and buses; Seattle has an incomplete light rail system, incomplete streetcar line, buses, and monorail. Those who live outside of the city often have no real choice but to drive or carpool in.

Schwartz says he’s not sure how people would respond to congestion pricing in Seattle.

“First thing to ask yourselves, are you happy with the status quo? Is everything working right? Do you not suffer from congestion?”

It isn’t a stretch to say the answer to all of those questions is an emphatic no.

RELATED: Drivers OK with $10 toll lanes, what about $30?

People driving into Seattle during the weekdays spend hours in traffic. The most recent data from the Washington State Department of Transportation show commuters driving from Everett to Seattle — a 23-mile trip — should give themselves more than an hour.

Traveling within the city can be just as frustrating. A combination of over-crowded streets and construction will often lead to travel times well above what they should be. Last year, GeekWire staff conducted a race through the city. The winner was a .

Congestion pricing

Congestion pricing hasn’t necessarily been welcomed with open arms in the cities where it exists. Schwartz says that more than 60 percent of people polled in Stockholm were originally against the idea. Six months later, at least 60 percent were for it. Drivers in Stockholm pay a little more than $4 for a trip into or out of the city center.

Schwartz says about 85 percent of drivers won’t change their habits if congestion pricing is implemented. That means a city that does has to accommodate the 15 percent that do. In London, for example, people who live within the congestion pricing zone get a significant discount.

In New York, the most recent legislation called for lowering the other tolls into the city if a congestion zone was created. That proposal alone brought a number of opponents on board with the idea.

As for Seattle, everything seems up in the air. Schwartz says the city needs to come up with a plan that does the greatest good.

Chokepoints: Tunnel may open in October, if pieces fall into place

The governor, , said:

“We know that the press wants to write a story that autonomous vehicles will be a disaster. I want to write a story that the State of Washington will have more autonomous vehicle entrepreneurs than any place in the U.S.”

Probably not a coincidence that he said that in front of a bunch of investors.

He did not clarify that comment, GeekWire reports. But it follows the nationwide news of a pedestrian being killed by a fully autonomous test vehicle. A woman walking across the street outside of a crosswalk at night was struck in Tempe, Arizona.

Inslee’s office previously told GeekWire that safety is the governor’s “top priority” when it comes to autonomous vehicles. Last year, Inslee signed an to support safe testing and operation of autonomous vehicles.

“Washington state is already a leader in autonomous vehicle technology. We are an early-adopter that welcomes innovation and the safe testing and operation of AVs,” Inslee said in 2017. “AVs could help save countless lives, reclaim time spent in traffic, improve mobility and be an important tool in our efforts to combat climate change.”

Few would oppose a world where people aren’t being killed by cars. Saying the media would prefer writing stories about how driverless vehicles will be a “disaster” is false.

Nobody wants to live in a city where autonomous vehicles are running pedestrians over. But when it happens — even once — it’s important to call into question the technology and hold those responsible accountable. reports the family of the woman killed settled with Uber Technologies Inc. over the fatal crash.

There are five companies registered with Washington state to run autonomous vehicles. Executive Director of the Washington State Transportation Commission Reema Griffith previously said the state won’t be ready for them until at least 2023.

Inslee also predicted that Washington state will be home to the first electric ferries during that same event with investors. The Legislature $600,000 of the state’s 2018 transportation budget to study the idea. According to preliminary studies, the ferries would house banks of batteries below deck to power them.

A spokesperson for Washington State Ferries that we could see the first electric vessels in the fleet within five years.

That would be a great accomplishment. Hopefully, no whales are killed while the state tests them.

Check the Earthquake Tracker

There’s a 10-20 percent chance Cascadia event that will cause an earthquake of magnitude 8.7 or higher in next 50 years.

On Wednesday, March 28, Gov. Inslee was by experts that 72 percent of Washington’s K-12 public schools are at “high or very high seismic risk.” About 200 are within 1 mile of an active fault.

The good news is the Legislature recently approved $1.2 million to assess school building safety.

But Inslee wanted to know when the assessment is complete, will the state know what are the most vulnerable school buildings?

The answer is no.

“We will be in a position to start doing that,” Inslee was told. “We really need to look at a larger sample size in order to make that and have a really educated estimate for the whole entire state. We’ll be closer to making that estimate, but with only 220 school buildings of over 4,000 school buildings, we really can’t say for certain what that means for the entire state. So I think we’re going to need another few years before we make a meaningful extrapolation.”

The state will need $10 million to $15 million just to complete the preliminary assessment of school buildings. That work won’t be complete for 10 to 20 years at the rate it’s currently funded, according to information presented to the governor.

A comprehensive assessment of all public school buildings would cost $50 million to $75 million. At the current funding rate, that work wouldn’t be complete for at least 100 years.

Of course, the more funding the faster the work.

However, locally funded projects are happening. Seattle, for example, has done a comprehensive engineering assessment of more than 100 school buildings. The cost to retrofit them ranges from $4,500 to more than $7 million.

Unfortunately, not all areas are as wealthy as Seattle.

Earlier this week, a that found a magnitude 9.0 earthquake could cause up to a 60-foot wave that would hit several coastal communities and .

There are 37 school campuses within tsunami zones, according to state officials. For school districts such as Aberdeen, the need for additional funding for capital projects is real, but not an easy ask.

RELATED: History won’t let us forget we’re due for mega earthquake

Earthquake expert Lucy Jones was in Seattle last week to discuss . She told San Andreas Fault has a worse worst-case scenario going for it than a Cascadia quake in Washington. However, the Cascadia threat is likely underestimated, even with all the hype around it.

At least in the next decade the state will know what schools it should have reinforced for the “Big One.”

Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke told Seattle’s Morning News five things will happen to mitigate traffic congestion in the area before and after the arena opens.

Traffic control

First, all lights along Mercer Street will be computerized, he says. That work is already happening, with the Seattle Department of Transportation installing reactive traffic signals along the corridor. SDOT says the adaptive system has decreased wait times during .

Leiweke says the group will pay to have traffic officers present at every major event. That currently doesn’t happen, he says. Traffic control officers don’t come cheap, however. Hourly wages for off-duty officers were recently found to be incredibly high — $90 an hour or more on Sundays.

The investment group is also banking on the idea that the streets currently closed for the Seattle tunnel project will reopen and lessen congestion.

Of course, the Seattle monorail hasn’t been forgotten. Leiweke says they will encourage people to park in downtown and take the monorail to Seattle Center.

Please save our monorail, a few people plead

Finally, Leiweke says “we will have light rail in ten years.”

Sound Transit plans to build a . It will as the one which will connect Ballard to the rest of the network. The Ballard link is scheduled to be complete by 2035.

Leiweke says he’s not saying traffic won’t be an issue. After all, when there are tens of thousands of people going to one place, guess what, “you’re going to have traffic.”

“We hear it. We know it. We understand it,” he said, adding, “We’re going to address it.”

Listen to the entire conversation here.

Gang-related crime is on the rise in Everett

For this year’s list, factored in the percentage of LGBT population (Q wasn’t included), social activities, festivals, weather, LGBT chamber of commerce presence, senior communities, healthcare, hospitals and pharmacies, legislation protecting the LGBT community, and cost of living. What it left out was bias and hate crime.

According to data from the Seattle Police Department, 118 instances of biased crime against the LGBTQ community alone was reported last year. That was up from the 78 reported in 2016, when the number of across the country.

The Seattle Times the number of reported hate crimes in general were on the rise in the city. Based on the first six months of last year, the police department recorded 178 incidents. The groups most frequently targeted were blacks, gays and lesbians, and Jewish people, the Times reported.

In spring of last year, the city created a .

This isn’t to say that Seattle isn’t LGBTQ friendly, though. Visit Seattle has an entire section dedicated to LGBTQ events, including Pridefest, nightlife, and as a whole.