transportation

the-town-of-la-conner-in-northern-washington-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
The Town of La Conner in Northern Washington
Licensed from Adobe Stock

What Does 2002 Hold for San Juan County?

This section came from a larger summary of opinion from San Juan (Wash.) leaders in housing, growth, technology, education and volunteerism, in addition to transportation. For the complete article, click here. Transportation Since 1997, community leaders have gathered regularly at the Farmhouse Inn in La Conner to explore better ways to connect communities in North Snohomish, Skagit, Island, Whatcom and Read More ›

Geography, economy bring Northwest cities ever-closer

American’s call it the Pacific Northwest. Canadians see it as their southwest. But to many residents, the coastal corridor from Oregon to British Columbia is not just two countries side by side on a map. The region has become a quasi-country all its own, with cities like Seattle sharing more in common with Vancouver, B.C., than Washington, D.C. Some even Read More ›

Can Privatization Put Passenger Rail Back on Track?

America needs passenger rail service as an economical and ecological alternative to endless road and airport construction. Unfortunately, Amtrak cannot (and probably should not) survive as it is presently structured and funded. Perpetuating the status quo will burden America with a lame, government-run passenger operation, limping along on the nation's freight rail rights-of-way, operating under outdated federal rules from its 1970 authorization, and surviving on Congressional handouts. But, the solution is not to throw Amtrak on the market, accepting whatever happens. What would happen is, Amtrak would die. The proper course is to reorganize the system, privatizing whatever can be privatized, building new public-private alliances and compacts around the set of rail corridors that link cities 100-500 miles apart-which is the functional core of the national system-and then reconnecting this reorganized nation system to other forms of transportation to create a true intermodal passenger network. Read More ›