Many experts believe that the more separate and distinct transportation agencies there are, the more chance there will be that chaos will set in, driving up costs and lowering effectiveness to the public that pays for it.

We in Seattle seem to have about as many transportation agencies as is possible. Mostly, they run individually with not requirement that each works with the other to provide seamless mass transportation. Some agencies do make an attempt to dovetail their services with others, for example King County Metro Transit works to have buses meet state ferries.

The real problem is that each transportation agency has its own governing board, its own financial system of taxes or funds from city, county and state government.

Now, we have new city transit via the South Lake Union Streetcar and new proposals by the Seattle City Council to study broadening the steetcar network to Ballard and perhaps beyond. No one knows who would pay the cost nor how much it would cost to build such a system (See Rebekah Schilperoort's story, Page One.)

The City Council looks at the ridership of the new Lake Union line (with high ridership mainly during a free fare period) and suggests it could be a way to quiet down the discontent over the failure of the Monorail.

"Ballard and West Seattle have felt somewhat abandoned after the monorail went away and we've been looking for a way to get transportation there," Seattle Department of Transportation Director Grace Crunican told Schilperoort. "This isn't supposed to be the rapid ride. So, it very much makes sense in my mind that you have a rapid ride... and also a streetcar line for the local connection stops."

She is referring to hearings in West Seattle about Metro's "RapidRide," where buses come more often, stop less often and supposedly speed people to downtown.

First, we are not ready to make any judgement on these added and new forms of transit. A lot depends on what happens to the Alaskan Way Viaduct. More depends on where the money will come from and how much it will cost and who will be expected to pay.

Then there is timing. "RapidRide" is at least three years away. Streetcars are just a dream. The Viaduct is not even a plan yet.

And no one has a clue where the money will come from - oh, yes, there are a lot of ideas, but little is solved.

Add to this the woes of the decrepit ferry system, the maxed out freeways of the metropolitan area, the variety of governments each trying to look good to their own constituencies and you have the makings of massive political gridlock.

We urge political leaders to lead and not simply play to the audience, for the only way this giant mess will be fixed is by bold leaders coming up with a plan and then selling it to taxpayers.

Hope springs eternal, after all is said and done.

- Jack Mayne