In january 1988, representatives of nine very diverse public jurisdictions met to sign an agreement to preserve rights-of-way for a high-capacity transit system that was, at best, a distant dream. Oneyear later, that agreement has produced a series of accomplishmentsthat have moved creation of high-capacity transit closer to the realm of reality. The agreement has produced tangible products for snohomish county, cities, the public utility district, transit agencies, the washington state department of transportation, and the puget sound council of governments, which were the agreement's creators and signators. These products include a series of preplanning studies, aprocess for integrating work programs of related projects, and a review mechanism for projects with potential impacts on the right-of-way. There are also less tangible products. First, the elected officials and staff people who were involved have a strong sense of accomplishment. Second, the agreement may serve as a model for neighboringjurisdictions. Third, the collaborative process that emerged duringthe design of the agreement has been used since then for other difficult issues. The steps that led to the signing of the agreement andthe first year's experience in using the agreement may be instructive to other jurisdictions considering visionary projects. This paperappears in transportation research record no. 1266, Urban public transportation research 1990.
Samenvatting