As the opening date for local schools rapidly approaches, I once again commiserate with the high school students of Northeast Tacoma. They continue to face the long trek to Stadium High School.
Thirteen school buses serve the Northeast Tacoma district on regular schedules. The average transit time to school is about 45 minutes, depending on vagaries in traffic.
Considering that about two hours per day of a student’s time are wasted in waiting for and riding buses, this amounts to a school year loss of about 300 hours – or 121/2 full days. This time could be better spent studying and doing homework.
The future looks even more grim. A proposed high-density housing development at the North Shore Golf Course may add an additional three or four buses to the schedule.
Then there is the planned expansion of the Port of Tacoma to the East Blair Peninsula and development of additional port space by the Puyallup Tribe. When this comes to pass, the truck traffic on Highway 509 will increase several fold.
The mix of stacked-up, container-loaded semis, school buses and inexperienced student drivers on an overcrowded roadway is a recipe for disaster.
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