My comments apply not only to the questionable monorail financing, but also to a full range of issues affecting this project, as follows.

Parking. It is inconceivable that no parking, near station areas will be provided. Both regular and "handicapped" parking is normal at outlying locations.

Morgan Street Junction Station. Flawed planning includes, switching to a single track south of the West Seattle Junction station and the train scheduling and timing problems this will create, cutting down the trees lining California Avenue, the close proximity of trains to existing buildings on California. Also, who would want to walk to the Morgan Street Junction, even on a sunny day? We don't need a station at Morgan Street any more than we do at the Admiral Street Junction.

Cost. I had planned to buy a new car to replace my 1997 model, but with the thought that my vehicle tax would at least double, I will probably put off the new car for another five or so years. Also, amortizing costs over 50 years, totaling $11 billion is chilling. Relative to cost, the question of ride cost has never been publicly addressed, and it should be, so we will know what we are buying for our money. Will bus-transfers be accepted as full fare?

Shuttle Buses. Will there be shuttle-buses circulating through neighborhoods? If so, how frequently? And at what cost? In my own case, since I live near the bus-stop on Fauntleroy Way and Austin Streets, I would never consider taking a bus in bad weather, because there is no shelter at this location, and people wait in the rain and snow.

Poor Routing. An example of poor routing is the guide-way turning left from Avalon Way, to go up the hill on 35th Avenue, then turning right on Alaska, when the simple, logical route would have been directly up Avalon Way, past 35th toward the West Seattle Junction via Fauntleroy and Alaska. Another glaring flaw is the lack of designed commonality with "Light Rail" stations. A common operating structure such as "Metro," without dual split responsibility might have avoided these pitfalls. Example, traveling from West Seattle to the University District should be a simple transfer at a common station.

Lack of qualified bidders. This project should be scuttled, if only for lack of bidders. Honest, competitive bidding is essential, and might have gone a long way in controlling costs. This deficiency could be an indication of a flawed concept, and a shortage of critical planning and analysis.

Richard R Sleight

Lincoln Park