Vote yes on Sound Transit Proposition 1 - get more bus service
Tonight the Washington State Democrats are holding the fifteenth annual Warren Magnuson Awards to recognize people who are helping to grow the Democratic Party. Craig Robinson, brother of Michelle Obama, is our special guest.
I'm standing at the Evergreen Point station in Medina waiting to catch a Sound Transit Express bus. I've been waiting for more than ten minutes because the first 545 that came by did not even stop to let me on.
Why? Because it was packed tighter than a can of sardines.
I could clearly see through the windows that there was barely an inch of extra space on board. The driver looked apologetic but he knew he could not take on another passenger. So he was forced to roll right on by me.
It is experiences like these that illustrate how badly we need the improvements that Sound Transit Proposition 1 would provide.
If approved, Prop 1 would add over a hundred thousand hours of Express bus service beginning in 2009. And it would fund the expansion of Link light rail in three directions - north to Lynnwood, east to Redmond, and south to Federal Way.
It's great that transit is becoming increasingly popular.
However, our system shouldn't be this overcrowded. We need more Express bus service as badly as we need Link light rail.
Fortunately, Proposition 1 would deliver both... but only if we the people say yes. The choice is in our hands.
I'm standing at the Evergreen Point station in Medina waiting to catch a Sound Transit Express bus. I've been waiting for more than ten minutes because the first 545 that came by did not even stop to let me on.
Why? Because it was packed tighter than a can of sardines.
I could clearly see through the windows that there was barely an inch of extra space on board. The driver looked apologetic but he knew he could not take on another passenger. So he was forced to roll right on by me.
It is experiences like these that illustrate how badly we need the improvements that Sound Transit Proposition 1 would provide.
If approved, Prop 1 would add over a hundred thousand hours of Express bus service beginning in 2009. And it would fund the expansion of Link light rail in three directions - north to Lynnwood, east to Redmond, and south to Federal Way.
It's great that transit is becoming increasingly popular.
However, our system shouldn't be this overcrowded. We need more Express bus service as badly as we need Link light rail.
Fortunately, Proposition 1 would deliver both... but only if we the people say yes. The choice is in our hands.
# Posted by Andrew : 5:19 PM
Comments:
Prop 1 pays for Sound Transit buying enough buses to cover last year's growth and some of this years's growth. Then that's it for Sound Transit buses under the Prop 1 tax doubling.
After this one-shot "surge," Prop 1 diverts the surplus from the 1996 Sound Move plan into light rail that will begin to open in 2020. That's 19 train stations worth of light rail at over $600 million for each station.
Vote for that deal if you like train stations in 2020 and standing on buses in the meantime until the stations are opened. Don't worry, Sound Transit does all its project right on time, on budget. You betcha.
If you vote "reject" on Prop 1, ST will have enough money to be able to direct some of its existing taxes ($1 million per day) to continued growth in bus service to meet immediate demand.
Hey progressives: the coming fight for more transit priority on existing streets and highways is a fight worth having and winning. Mayor Nickels is leading the fight in Seattle, already winning along 15th in the Interbay.
Some say don't fight for transit on the streets -- dig subway tunnels instead. This method generates more greenhouse gas in the short term than will ever be saved in the long run.
Post a Comment