Metro bus-cuts hearing: Overflow crowd downtown

| Transportation | West Seattle news

8:28 PM: More than two hours after the start of the “future of Metro” hearing before a King County Council committee, public testimony continues. It’s at the King County Council chambers downtown, which don’t have many seats in the gallery, and those waiting to speak are reported to be spilling over outside the courthouse – here’s a photo tweeted by Erica C. Barnett from the political-news site PubliCola. You can watch live on cable channel 22, or King County TV live online. The four councilmembers who are there include West Seattle’s Joe McDermott. One more hearing remains: 6 pm Thursday, July 21st, at Burien City Council chambers.

12:44 AM: In comments, Diane reports the hearing went till almost 10 pm. Here’s the wrapup from our partners at the Seattle Times.

Valerie July 12, 2011 (9:29 pm)

They’ll be there all night if everyone who signed up actually has their say; just before I left the hearing (by bus!) they said there were something like 280 people signed up to testify! The Council chambers and overflow rooms were packed and there was still a long line outside. The testimony I heard was running in favor of the fee, but I left about 7:15 so I don’t know if other viewpoints took the lead in later testimony.
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Great to see so much interest!

Diane July 13, 2011 (12:29 am)

I got there by bus at 6:15 and the line was wrapped around the block to 4th & Yesler; I went for a walk in Pioneer Square; came back, line only slightly shorter; I went up to the door and there was a security guard, who I was just going to ask if he knew if there was any room upstairs, and he waved me through; that was about 7:15; I was told to go to 12th floor, which turned out to be overflow room with video feed; a woman in lobby waved me into balcony area, which had some seats after some spoke and left; I went down to main floor of chambers ~9pm; and stayed til the end, which was almost 10pm, and it was fantastic; they continued til everyone who signed up had a chance, and then opened to any who had not signed up, so a few more; lots of eloquent & heartfelt speakers; very diverse crowd; and all super patient, respectful; again, it was fantastic
~
super sunny warm when I went in; surprised by rain when I came out; got home by bus at 11pm, just in time to see great coverage by komo

WSB July 13, 2011 (12:31 am)

Thanks for the bird’s-eye view. I was going to go but then decided I needed more to cover the Fauntleroy Expressway and In Motion presentations at JuNO. Neither guest showed up. Oh well. We’ll be there in Burien for the grand finale.

Diane July 13, 2011 (1:04 am)

Thanks for Seattle Times link; nice shot of back of my head, middle of balcony, in tank top (it was hot in there); we were leaning over to see speakers, who alternated between 2 podiums

wsguy July 13, 2011 (2:04 am)

I do not agree with adding a $20 fee to my car tabs. I might be a little more flexable or understanding to the county/state if it weren’t for storys like the new fancy car scanners purchased with our dollars to catch people that didn’t pay their parking tickets when they could have just flag them during tab purchase. A system all ready in place. It is this type of waste that concerns me when I hear we need more of your money.

Cclarue July 13, 2011 (9:47 am)

How will this affect the Seattle schools metro buss pass method of transportation for the kids given orca cards rather than yellow bus service???

Cclarue July 13, 2011 (9:50 am)

I do not ride the bus and I would be happy to pay the 20 dollar fee.

Michael July 13, 2011 (6:57 pm)

This is s’wrong at many levels. First of all, if the system is not supporting itself, the question is WHY? It’s obviously not being run properly if it can’t support itself. I would guess that the service they are threatening to cut is sorely needed.

Now, look at ideals. If a well run transit system were in place, it would make people WANT to go to it, by choice, not by being forced to it by putting fees on other methods. And if people did choose the bus over their car, so much so that they were willing to be carless, then there’s no car tabs to charge fees to to support the bus. See how messed up this is?! And why would anyone want to be forced towards a system that is not self-sustaining?

But… I guess if they could force people to get rid of their cars by nickel and diming ’em to death so that the only option left is the bus, then they can charge whatever bus fare they want. Instead of $20 car tab fees, it will be $20 bus fares every time you step onto one.

Meanwhile, they keep building more houses, condos and apartments with not enough parking for everyone forcing them to either ditch the cars or fill the streets with them… then they say that Metro has to cut back on service? Hello? They herd people to a service then cut the service? Is anyone in government paying attention or do they INTEND to put this much pressure on people? What’s that called – social engineering? But to what end? What exactly is the end goal with this line of thinking.

The biggest thing here may be their divide and conquer tactics – they get bus riders and car drivers at each other’s throats. It’s not right.

nighthawk July 13, 2011 (11:17 pm)

Public transit systems are rarely self-sustaining. I have been on some great systems in Europe and ALL of them are heavily gov’t subsidized. Users fees pay part of the system but taxes cover the rest.

I think a $20 car tab is reasonable to preserve the system. For all those people who have cars but say they never drive. Think of it this way, each one of those people on the bus, keeps someone off the road making your commute smoother.

Paul July 14, 2011 (1:04 am)

how about making the buses safer and more sanitary and then we might talk, sorry I don’t want to sit next to the guy in the urine soaked pants nor do I want to ride with the thugs in the back asking for my wallet, I would rather sit in my car in traffic. so I will keep my 20 bux. Metro isn’t saving my world

Michael July 14, 2011 (4:36 am)

@nighthawk
“Public transit systems are rarely self-sustaining.”
Let’s all jump off a cliff. After all, everybody’s doing it!
“Users fees pay part of the system but taxes cover the rest.”
If you haven’t noticed, governments around the world are going broke. What part of “this system doesn’t work” don’t you understand?
I understand Metro is paid for mostly by sales tax. So, it depends on you or someone else constantly buying things and unnecessary goods because the necessary ones don’t have sales tax on them. So, we’re just supposed to be good little consumers so we have a transportation system?

When is it time to say enough already?!

If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

Perhaps it’s time for our area to show some leadership qualities by demanding self-sustaining systems, because if they aren’t, then they need to be re-thought.

austin July 14, 2011 (8:20 am)

You’ve got to chuckle at all the car drivers whose habit is being sustained through property taxes complaining about having to pay an insignificant amount to support transit. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or just a strong sense of denial that keeps these people’s self entitlement at such an extreme level.

Michael July 14, 2011 (4:53 pm)

@ austin
Are you listening to yourself? Why is robbing Peter to pay Paul EVER a good choice?

Why can’t we let bus riders pay for buses, car drivers pay for cars (both pay for roads), home owners pay for homes. Parents pay for schools, etc. Our money can go to where we choose it to based on what we deem important. Duh. All self sustaining. And if none of it is self sustaining, none of it will last. None of it. You’ll look up one day (in the not-so-distant future) and it will ALL be gone. Perhaps good riddance.

I’m gonna say it again, what part of “this system isn’t working” don’t you understand?

Like I said earlier, divide and conquer seems to be the end goal here. They take one person’s money to pay for what the next person wants, and take that person’s money to pay for what the third person wants. It makes it rather difficult to vote with your money and choices… as if by design. We get what they want us to or don’t get what they don’t want us to… regardless. How many public votes have the ignored and gave us what they wanted. To hell with the people.

I guess our entire earth lives need to be rattled right down to the foundation, to pure nothingness, before people will get a clue. It seems as though life is quite willing to oblige in that regard. And so shall it be. Whatever it takes.

Michael July 14, 2011 (6:40 pm)

And austin, I see that you have succumbed to their divide and conquer tactics. Listen to you lashing out at those nasty car owners, the same ones you’re expecting to pay for the bus system. Government – 1. Austin – 0. You lose. And yet you may not have presence of mind enough to know that you just got manipulated. They’ve got you hating your fellow human. No good has ever come of that.

Some could argue that there are those who need some assistance in order to ride the bus. If the bus system can’t even take care of itself, how is it supposed to help anyone else? Apply that to any and all other systems that are not self-sustaining. Someone who is down and out can’t provide charity to the next person. Our entire infrastructure is down and out. Each part scratches and claws to get the last remaining morsel from the next down and out part.

Many people over the years have attempted to start transportation systems that may not replace the existing one but would supplement it and fill in the missing gaps. They’re not allowed to pursue that venture. Why? Because, by God, they just might be successful. They just might demonstrate to the public transportation system how it’s done, efficiently, effectively, and in a self-sustaining way. The govt. can’t allow that to be seen / demonstrated for then their system that doesn’t work just might get taken over, over time.

This system falsely props up what doesn’t work and won’t allow what does. Eventually that house of cards will tumble. If you’ve been keeping up on current events, you’ll see that it IS tumbling. Good. B’ bye now non-working system. Won’t miss ya.

Gabriel July 14, 2011 (7:36 pm)

What I’m hearing someone like austin say is, “I hate you. Now help me.” Not real effective.

I’ve seen car owners pipe up here and say that they are willing to pay more for the bus system.

What I’m not seeing here are bus riders saying that they are willing to pay higher fares to ride the bus. Why not?

The bus riders, on one side, are the most able to pay more. They don’t have to pay for parking and if they used the bus exclusively they wouldn’t have a car payment or car tabs to pay. On the other side, the bus riders are also the ones with the most to lose. They are the ones using the system that is being threatened. You’d think it would be near and dear enough for them to be the ones that want to pay more.

If the bus system goes away, the car drivers can still drive their cars. Why are the bus riders not stepping up more to save their transportation system?

Yes, a system that is supporting itself would be better able to provide reduced / free rides to those who really need that help. If it drives itself into the ground, it won’t be giving anyone a ride, fare or no.

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