numbers game, le viaduct
the Seattle Times conducted a poll of 400 registered voters and found out a couple of things about the viaduct [times]. They started by asking them whether they preferred a new viaduct to a new tunnel. Then they told them the latest cost estimates and asked again. People who said “surface” were grouped with the “don’t know” responses.
| option | before | after |
| re-build viaduct | 47% (42% to 52%) | 51% (46% to 56%) |
| dig a tunnel | 29% (25% to 33%) | 25% (21% to 29%) |
| don’t know / other | 24% (20% to 28%) | 24% (20% to 28%) |
It seems like there are several ways to interpret these results. One way of looking at it is that among people with an opinion, a new viaduct is the most popular option. Another interpretation would be that among all voters, about half want a viaduct and half don’t. Further, the proportions don’t change significantly even after people get a look at the price tag (which could either mean that people already knew the costs or that they just don’t care).
While we’re guessing how each of the players in this arena will choose to spin the results, let’s direct our attention to a day at the waterfront during the viaduct closure [glitterpissing], shall we?
Why are so many people for such an obvious eye-sore? Please please please tear that thing down! I lived in Seattle for 5 months before heading to the waterfront, because I thought it was just scary industrialized crap down there, what with the barren wasteland of junkies and parking lots under the viaduct.
Why in the world would a beautiful waterfront city like this want to cut itself off from it’s beautiful waterfront!?!
People need to stop being led by their pocketbooks. A little money now put into it will go a LONG way in the future to making this city great.
It’s hard to say.
It could be that half of the people surveyd like driving their cars and avoiding traffic so much that they don’t care about the ugly consequences. Or they don’t care about the ugly consequences enough to pay for the prettier and potentially scarily-expensive tunnel. Or they aren’t convinced that the surface option is particularly viable.