King County Executive Dow Constantine and seven members of the King County Council announced this morning at a press conference in Pioneer Square that they have struck a deal that saves Metro without asking the public to vote on approving a new vehicle fee to offset devastating cuts.
The deal was made between Executive Constantine, the five Democrats on the Council, and two of the Republicans (Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert), with input from transit activists, operators, and groups that represent riders.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hague and Lambert will supply the votes needed for the County Council to enact a $20 vehicle fee increase without a public vote. (The authorizing legislation that gives the county the taxing authority stupidly requires a supermajority rather a simple majority).
In exchange, the following will occur:
The agreement sounds reasonable to us. With its adoption, the uncertainty of a public vote is removed, which means Metro planners can begin working on making smart adjustments to service rather than trying to figure out how to implement painful cuts. This agreement, as the cliché goes, is a win-win.
The elimination of the ride free area may be upsetting to some riders, but its existence always has caused much confusion — especially because it is only in effect during certain hours of the day. Getting rid of the RFA will make riding the bus in downtown more straightforward. You get on, you pay… period.
The one downside that immediately comes to my mind is that this will slow down the loading process in the DSTT (Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel) and on downtown city streets, where people can currently just walk on.
Maybe Metro can install ORCA readers inside the back door or something. They’ve got a year and a few weeks to figure it out.
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