The Transportation Choices Coalition, a statewide group that advocates for alternatives to driving alone, has invited state Rep. Judy Clibborn, head of the House Transportation Committee and a frequent opponent of TCC’s proposals, into the lion’s den: She’ll be the keynote speaker at the group’s annual holiday party next month.
Clibborn famously sponsored an amendment to legislation funding the deep-bore tunnel that says “Seattle-area taxpayers” are responsible for paying any tunnel cost overruns (a provision she has said the state “should not spend one minute” revisiting). She also supported legislation (vetoed by Gov. Chris Gregoire) that would have withheld transportation funding from cities that refused to allow private limos and vanpools in transit-only road facilities; opposed efforts to put light rail on the 520 bridge; opposed the transit-oriented communities bill, which would have increased housing density around light rail stations; and opposed Mayor Mike McGinn’s proposed “road diet” on Nickerson, which added a turning lane and two bike lanes and removed two through lanes for car traffic.
However, TCC members say Clibborn has been an ally on many of their issues, and argue that she’s come around on some key issues over the years.
And, TCC program director Shefali Ranganathan notes, “Judy is a TCC member. She’s been an ally of ours on several of the things we’ve worked on and we hope that she will continue to be in the next legislative session.”
Ranganathan says she expects Clibborn will talk about the upcoming legislative session—particularly the possibility, still in its infancy, of a new tax package to pay for transit and highway projects. The Transportation Partnership, a group of government, business, and labor representatives, has been meeting for about two months to discuss what a transportation package might look like. However, “the timing of [such a package] depends on the [desire] of legislators to put anything on the ballot, which is next to nonexistent,” Ranganathan says.
Ranganathan didn’t know if Clibborn’s counterpart in the Senate, Mary Margaret Haugen, was a TCC member but said she thought that was very unlikely.
TCC’s party, which is free, is on December 6 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at FareStart, 700 Virginia St.
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