ABOUT TRANSIT
Our Quality of Life In The Future
In order to understand the direction we're headed today we first need to understand where we are now. The prevailing view in transportation planning is heavily transit-oriented and growing more so all the time. While we, as citizens, want to choose how and when we travel, many transportation policymakers are trying to take away the car as our preferred choice. They are creating the illusion that our road infrastructure gets its share of transportation dollars when in most cases a large majority of dollars go to transit. An example is in King County, where approximately 53% of transportation dollars goes to transit which accounts for less than 3% of all trips. Comparatively, cars move over 97% of all trips and receive 47% of the allocated dollars.
We believe in market driven transportation planning where the dollars follow the demand and need. Thus, if our goal is to reduce congestion then proportionately, the dollars should follow the demand. To many planners, the unspoken method to reduce congestion is to simply raise the misery index for drivers by not dealing with congestion, deliberately letting it grow worse. Their goal is to cause people to drive less, forcing them to either take the bus or stay home. However, it has not worked, since transit ridership remains flat or shrinking. People want their cars and their freedom. This is the American way.
An example of this is the plan for the SR-520 Evergreen Floating Bridge where planners are poised to spend $4.6 billion, adding 2 lanes to the present 4 lanes, but making those 2 new lanes HOV, or more likely HOT lanes. Current Puget Sound Regional Council projections show the bridge will be more congested the day it opens than it is today. Does that make any sense?
It's wrong for planners to leave the mass of public in the dark and hide major political policy shifts from voters knowing they won't likely approve them. In our view, this is a breach of faith. The issue of transportation has everything to do with freedom and our quality of life in the future. Ask your district representatives if they will cast their transportation votes based upon demand, rather than political ideology. That is the American way.
RESOURCE LINKS
The Necessity of Initiative 1125
LEARN MORE ABOUT INITIATIVE 1125 AT:
CITIZENS' GUIDE TO INITIATIVE 1125 pdf by Michael Ennis Director, WPC’s Center for Transportation Sept. 2011
THE WASINGTON POLICY CENTER Learn more about Initiative 1125
ELECTIONS AND VOTING Initiative 1125: Washington Secretary of State - Sam Reed
BALLOTPEDIA - INITIATIVE 1125 Washington Transportation - Initiative 1125
VOTERS WANT MORE CHOICES Learn more about Initiative 1125
THE NECESSITY OF INITIATIVE 1125 Washington State Impolite