Peter Hahn, who was appointed director of the Seattle Department of Transportation in January, met with many Ballard leaders for the first time at the May 12 Ballard District Council meeting to introduce himself and answer their transportation questions.

Hahn said his job encompasses everything from fixing potholes to managing the city's large transportation projects, which are in the news far too often for his taste.

He said the city council, mayor and city, despite some apparent disagreements, share many of the same transportation goals.

Hahn encouraged Ballard residents to contact his department with any questions or concerns. Since taking over for Grace Crunican, he said he has found his staff to be very knowledgeable and responsive to questions and issues.

But, there will be 70 to 80 fewer of those staff members due to looming budget cuts, Hahn said. He said it is hard to make those choices of what and who to cut, and that has occupied much of his time so far.

"We will just have to do less with less," he said. "We don't do more with less."

One Ballard resident asked Hahn about the Bicycle Master Plan, which has an uncertain future due to the city's budget crisis.

Hahn said the Bicycle Master Plan, as well as the newer Pedestrian Master Plan, are ambitious and far-reaching but not fully funded. The plans will be hard to fund with revenue heading in the wrong direction, he said.

The dilemma for the Department of Transportation is finding the right balance between spending on maintenance for existing infrastructure and spending on new projects, he said.

Hahn said he is not sure if it is the right time for new revenue sources or if residents would accept them, but it is hard to see how the city can move forward with the plans without new revenue.

Another issue being affected by budget constraints are potholes, which one Ballard District Council member pointed out are a problem on Market Street from 24th Avenue Northwest to 28th Avenue Northwest.

The Seattle Department of Transportation has a program that guarantees it will fix 99 percent of potholes within 48 hours.

While that program sounds good, Hahn said it results in "Band-Aid" fixes of potholes to the effect of putting scotch tape over a deep cut, which then gets infected.

Department of Transportation crews are embarssed to keep coming back to fix the same potholes because it makes them look incompetent, but there is not enough money to fix potholes the right way while holding up the 48-hour guarantee, Hahn said.

Other neighborhood questions for Hahn concerned the lack of cleared sidewalks during the 2009 snowstorm, I-5 road quality in Seattle versus north of the city, and weight limit exemptions for Metro buses.

Seattle Department of Transportation Director Peter Hahn can be contacted at 206.684.5000 or peter.hahn@seattle.gov.