All this targeting transit shit just makes me want to say fuck it and go out and buy a car.

I won't, but I think about it sometimes.

^ Yep! Definitely a thing.

@1,

Yep. It happens with the 16 all the time. It used to happen with the 8 all the time as well until Metro finally increased frequency to once every 15 minutes. Something that I'm sure will be changed back once these cuts hits.

@2,

It's also fantastic for regular adult commuters to watch a bus pass by because it's jam-packed with elementary school children.

@4) The bill would allow the county—if it so chooses—to charge $40 for car tabs and slap a 1.5 percent excise tax on vehicles.

Maybe if we cut empty routes to rural King County...

I bought a car this past year because of the cuts and promises of more cuts to Metro service.

Sucks when you get stuck in fucking Wedgwood on the weekends and have to get a cab to get downtown because the 71 is spotty at best on a Saturday night

The simple solution is just to cancel the SR-99 Deep Borrowed Tunnel, send Big Bertha back to Japan, and refuse to build new highways for the tax-subsidized counties.

Even if Metro gets an extension of the 20$ car tab, they'll still cut routes. Thats what they did 2 years ago, they cut several commuter routes (buses that only operated in the morning and late afternoons) and that pushed several riders on my 256 route back to cars.

It boggles the mind how much money they spend on those rapid ride routes (free wifi, luxury reader boards and stops, shiny new buses, etc) and it really hasn't improved the commute.

Since you ARE my representative in the legislature... are David Frockt & Gerry Pollet already on board or do we need to work them?

Just a note, the new Sounders rain jacket with hood works really well when you're biking, and you can buy a used bike cheap at ReCycle in Fremont and the U Dist.

The best part of all of this? The rest of Washington gets to help decide whether or not King County citizens can choose to pay, by ourselves, for the transit service that we want in our county.

I share people's frustration with Metro. Having my own worries, I don't know that they spend their funds as wisely as they should. I'm not a RapidRide fan, and as a general statement I agree with the truism "BUS SUX." And frankly, I'm never thrilled about another tax increase.

But I also believe that our local bus system is one of the bonds holding our fragile little corner of civilization together, and I'd rather not see civilization come apart just a little bit more because we feel we can't afford otherwise. And I'd rather Metro suck with their full expected funding than suck even more with their funding slashed. So yeah, I'm all in favor of this bill. Give King County the power to control its own transportation destiny.

Of course, the long-term answer is to keep bringing more light rail online.

Want to get involved?
Join the Transit Riders Union, it's austerity politics, we have to fight for everything.

Seattle has a transit riders union, which is also working to help get stable funding for Metro Transit. Check out the website - transitriders.org. And help Jessyn Farrell by calling your legislators about this bill!!

You have not said what your legislation is going to do, but if it even grazes the "increase of x" amount of the sales tax I'll say forget about it. Back a couple years ago there was the big deal about $20 extra for car tabs and they knew then that even if it was approved (it was) that would only stave off cuts for two years. Metro threatened to cut route 43 one of its higher load lines (blackmailed) the public that it would be cut if Metro didn't get their way. I depend on Metro, but I'm getting damned tired of them always whining that they can't fund their operation. They keep increasing fares but that doesn't fix things either.

Funny how the same people who bleat about how the majority should rule on tax increases are cowards when it comes to voting on tax increases. Not that the liberal Democrats are a pack of hypocrites or anything.

#2, consider it a character building exercise. By the way, why the fuck is your snowflake going to a school so far away? Are you too stupid to ever have asked that question?

#12, those Rapid Ride lines have actually been extremely successful, with the exception of the D line because they haven't had the guts to take a line for exclusive bus use or bypass Queen Anne.

#20, what do you propose? Metro doesn't control their destiny in terms of funding--that's up to the legislature and council, so whining is their only recourse. They increase fares because if they can't say they're putting some of the burden on riders they have nothing to bargain with. And the proposed funding mechanisms would be either car tab fees or motor vehicle excise taxes (more progressive and therefore preferred),