In case you haven't heard, the Sound Transit 2 ballot initiative passed on Nov.4. After reading the Sound Transit 2 ballot initiative proposal in my Voter's Guide, I couldn't help but notice that Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia and West Seattle are pretty much being left out of the plan for now but we are being expected to pay for it.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good idea to expand mass transit service to the rest of the Puget Sound region. There are a lot of areas that need help in this area more than we do, but if I am going to pay for it every time I buy something for the next 20 or 30 years, I wanted to know what is in it for me, and by extension, Ballard.

The only semi-concrete item that Ballard seems to be getting is a provisional Sounder station "subject to availability of additional funds." In addition, we will receive the "planning, environmental, design, and potential right-of-way purchase" of a line that might, in the long-term, go from downtown up 15th Avenue West and from Ballard to the U-District. I emailed future@soundtransit.org and asked them what Ballard would get out of Sound Transit 2. They said:

"Building the 'spine' of light rail service system could have immediate benefits for Ballard and West Seattle. When light rail between downtown Seattle and the Airport opens in 2009, Ballard and West Seattle travelers will be able to transfer to and from rail service in either downtown or SODO for trips between those points, and to other destinations as rail is extended north, south and east. Additionally, for West Seattle residents, the opening of light rail between SeaTac Airport and downtown Seattle next year will allow King County Metro to restructure and redeploy some of their bus resources, potentially to West Seattle."

In addition to the need for improved mass transit service, Ballard also needs road improvements. There are many people who live in Ballard (myself included) but do not work in the immediate area and have to drive in order to get there.

Cars are, and will continue to be a fact of life in America in the 21st Century, whether they run on gasoline, vegetable oil, or water. If I could walk, bike or take the bus to work, I definitely would, but until then, myself and many other people who need to drive want to have a safe commute as well.

If we are going to improve transportation for everyone, we have to discuss all options including bike lanes and improved streets. Discussing only one part of the transportation puzzle and omitting others will not make things better.

I still fail to understand why Seattle designated our neighborhood as an area of the city that should be more densely populated but seems to be ignoring the need for improving transportation to and from Ballard. If you are planning to have a lot more people live in an area, you want to make sure that they can get in and out and around safely, right?

The 15 bus to downtown is already absolutely packed in the mornings. What are things going to look like when the Denny's and Sunset Bowl condo-plex projects are finished and all these new residents want to take the bus or drive or bike to work?

I don't claim to be an expert in this particular area but it is obvious that the Ballard community needs to remain aware of the transportation options being presented to us. If these options are not sufficient, we need to come up with alternative plans, figure out who makes the decisions and see if we can get them to listen.

I am sure there are several groups already in Ballard who are doing just that. If you are part of one of them, let me know. I have a lot to learn and want to know more, and I will document my learning curve here in this column.

Here's to improving transportation in Ballard!

Questions, comments, column idea? Please contact Brian Le Blanc at brianleblanc76@yahoo.com.