Testing a city's commitment to green

Seattle's choice between a freeway and climate change

Posted by Bradley Meacham (Guest Contributor) at 9:42 AM on 11 Mar 2007

Read more about: Seattle

When a city has to choose between sustaining car culture and pursuing environmental goals, which wins?

That's the question facing Seattle in the next several days as residents return ballots in an all-mail election over how to replace a dangerous waterfront viaduct freeway. The city enjoys a relatively green reputation (even local Toyota TV commercials tell us so). And the mayor has gained a national reputation talking about the need to curb climate change.

Yet the ballot choice is between building a new, bigger viaduct freeway or a tunnel for up to six lanes of traffic. A cheaper package of improving transit and making city streets more efficient is a favorite of those who vote 'no' on both options.

For story: Testing a city's commitment to green
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Are you color blind?

The color of Seattle is hardly green -- it's more of a scaly brown.

Seattle is a polluted toxic waste dump. Can you swim in Lake Union? Can you eat the shellfish at Dash Point beach? The signs there pretty much warn you that all the water in and around the Puget Sound is polluted by waste or human effluvium?

Air quality? It can get pretty stagnant when you realize how many people use wood burning fireplaces with impunity and when you see the high volume of diesel traffic on I-5.

Transportation? A disaster. Even short trips can take 5 times as long as they should.

Land? There are numerous toxic waste sites -- in fact, outside my window right now here in Kent I can see an EPA site that is and been fenced in for the last 5 years!

by jabailo at 7:58 AM on 12 Mar 2007

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