Opinion
Glimmers of Hope: Trends in Transit
2011 started with news of a devastating $5 billion state budget shortfall and a legislative session in Olympia that went into overtime through the end of May leading to $4.5 billion in cuts.
Six months later, as the recession continues to hit the economy, state legislators—facing another $1.5 billion shortfall—have been called back to Olympia to end the year right where they started it with another round of overtime: A special legislative session to make more cuts. Governor Chris Gregoire is now recommending $2 billion in additional cuts.[pullquote]Looking to find something to be happy about in a year that offered little more than grim political choices, Cola readers point to developments from 2011 that give them hope. [/pullquote]
It’s scary out there—and as legislators look at cutting health programs, public safety officers, environmental programs, and education— there doesn’t seem to be much to be thankful for politically. Making a Sophie’s Choice between ending assistance for low-income pregnant women and assistance for at-risk youth doesn’t fall into the politics-of-hope category.
Looking to find something to be happy about in a year that seemed to offer little more than a repeating loop of grim political choices, we asked Cola readers to point us to political developments from the past year that give them hope.
Here's what longtime reader Joe Szilagyi had to say—Eds.
The thing I’m happiest about is the combined obliteration of Tim Eyman and Kemper Freeman’s I-1125; the Bellevue city council saying “Enough is enough” and following the will of the voters to move forward with Light Rail planning; and what feels like a heavier than normal popular endorsement of mass transit in the area recently. King County voters decided in favor of growing mass transit in the region. It’s done.
What we have today is decent-to-great in the city transportation, while what we have in the outlying areas in the county always feel hit and miss. That is, of course, for today in 2011. Seattle’s population increased 23 percent from 1980 to 2010. The county increased by 52% in the same time period!
Has the availability and service of mass transit increased in that same time period to keep up? Is this constant voter-led endorsement of mass transit sufficient to keep it growing with population trends? There’s no reason to assume the Seattle population won’t be 750,000-plus by 2040. Our current city transit infrastructure won’t scale to that population (let alone for the county). Steps are being laid for long-term improvements and growth. We’d be insane to do anything less in a region growing so much and with geography like ours.
Regional voters having the common sense to keep approving rail, bus service, and candidates (and rejecting nonsense like I-1125) in support of those things, is testament to the fact that people just ‘get it’, as in most parts of the country, and are voting for what they want and need long-term. Voters say, repeatedly, yes to transit. Who can’t be happy about that, unless they were in the out-voted minority just plain opposed to public services on irrelevant ideological grounds?
Check out our how hardcore liberal, former state Rep. Brendan Williams, responded to our Thanksgiving assignment here.
Six months later, as the recession continues to hit the economy, state legislators—facing another $1.5 billion shortfall—have been called back to Olympia to end the year right where they started it with another round of overtime: A special legislative session to make more cuts. Governor Chris Gregoire is now recommending $2 billion in additional cuts.[pullquote]Looking to find something to be happy about in a year that offered little more than grim political choices, Cola readers point to developments from 2011 that give them hope. [/pullquote]
It’s scary out there—and as legislators look at cutting health programs, public safety officers, environmental programs, and education— there doesn’t seem to be much to be thankful for politically. Making a Sophie’s Choice between ending assistance for low-income pregnant women and assistance for at-risk youth doesn’t fall into the politics-of-hope category.
Looking to find something to be happy about in a year that seemed to offer little more than a repeating loop of grim political choices, we asked Cola readers to point us to political developments from the past year that give them hope.
Here's what longtime reader Joe Szilagyi had to say—Eds.
The thing I’m happiest about is the combined obliteration of Tim Eyman and Kemper Freeman’s I-1125; the Bellevue city council saying “Enough is enough” and following the will of the voters to move forward with Light Rail planning; and what feels like a heavier than normal popular endorsement of mass transit in the area recently. King County voters decided in favor of growing mass transit in the region. It’s done.
What we have today is decent-to-great in the city transportation, while what we have in the outlying areas in the county always feel hit and miss. That is, of course, for today in 2011. Seattle’s population increased 23 percent from 1980 to 2010. The county increased by 52% in the same time period!
Has the availability and service of mass transit increased in that same time period to keep up? Is this constant voter-led endorsement of mass transit sufficient to keep it growing with population trends? There’s no reason to assume the Seattle population won’t be 750,000-plus by 2040. Our current city transit infrastructure won’t scale to that population (let alone for the county). Steps are being laid for long-term improvements and growth. We’d be insane to do anything less in a region growing so much and with geography like ours.
Regional voters having the common sense to keep approving rail, bus service, and candidates (and rejecting nonsense like I-1125) in support of those things, is testament to the fact that people just ‘get it’, as in most parts of the country, and are voting for what they want and need long-term. Voters say, repeatedly, yes to transit. Who can’t be happy about that, unless they were in the out-voted minority just plain opposed to public services on irrelevant ideological grounds?
Check out our how hardcore liberal, former state Rep. Brendan Williams, responded to our Thanksgiving assignment here.
