News
Candidates Weigh in on Transit
Several candidates for Seattle City Council, along with two Bellevue council candidates and King County Council candidate Richard Mitchell, who's challenging incumbent Jane Hague, filled out the Seattle Transit Blog's transit-centric election questionnaires. Here are some highlights of what they had to say.
Richard Mitchell, running for King County Council District 6, told STB he would support creating new "transportation benefit districts" in heavily traveled corridors, along the lines of an existing TBD that encompasses Seattle. (In the Seattle TBD, drivers pay a vehicle license fee of $20; an additional $60 fee is on the ballot in November). Mitchell also said he would consider charging for parking at park-and-rides that are currently free; and, if the county passed a motor-vehicle excise tax in the future, would be open to charging more based on the size of a vehicle (number of axles) and whether it was a luxury car.
Bruce Harrell, running for reelection to the Seattle City Council, said he supports the balance of projects that would be funded by the $60 car-tab fee, which some have argued is weighted too heavily toward transit, bike and pedestrian projects over road maintenance work. "Now is the time to increase transit hours, transit service and transit quality through advocacy, hard work and service; not by grandstanding or simply engaging in contrarian negativity as a means to gain attention." Harrell also said he was skeptical about proposals to toll I-90.
Brad Meacham, Harrell's opponent, said he feels the breakdown of projects under the $60 fee proposal skews too heavily toward road maintenance, and that he'd prefer to spend more money on transit. "While some road improvements would help alleviate congestion, I would defer most new road funding to the renewal of the Bridging the Gap measure," Meacham wrote.
Richard Mitchell, running for King County Council District 6, told STB he would support creating new "transportation benefit districts" in heavily traveled corridors, along the lines of an existing TBD that encompasses Seattle. (In the Seattle TBD, drivers pay a vehicle license fee of $20; an additional $60 fee is on the ballot in November). Mitchell also said he would consider charging for parking at park-and-rides that are currently free; and, if the county passed a motor-vehicle excise tax in the future, would be open to charging more based on the size of a vehicle (number of axles) and whether it was a luxury car.
Bruce Harrell, running for reelection to the Seattle City Council, said he supports the balance of projects that would be funded by the $60 car-tab fee, which some have argued is weighted too heavily toward transit, bike and pedestrian projects over road maintenance work. "Now is the time to increase transit hours, transit service and transit quality through advocacy, hard work and service; not by grandstanding or simply engaging in contrarian negativity as a means to gain attention." Harrell also said he was skeptical about proposals to toll I-90.
Brad Meacham, Harrell's opponent, said he feels the breakdown of projects under the $60 fee proposal skews too heavily toward road maintenance, and that he'd prefer to spend more money on transit. "While some road improvements would help alleviate congestion, I would defer most new road funding to the renewal of the Bridging the Gap measure," Meacham wrote.
