Tag Archives: Transportation

Features

The 2021 Washington State Legislative Session: A Midway Review

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by John Stafford

Introduction

The Washington State legislature is in the middle of its 2021 session, a 105-day session that convened on Jan. 11 and will end on April 25. This year’s session is being conducted via Zoom and will generate three budgets — an operating budget, a transportation budget, and a capital budget. These budgets are two-year documents. They will be created this year (2021) and then again in 2023. In addition to the budgets, more than 1,000 bills are being introduced and debated for potential passage. There are a series of cutoff dates for bills, and we have just passed the Mar. 9 deadline for bills (other than revenue bills) to pass their chamber of origin in order to remain alive.

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News

Bill To Replace ‘Driving While Poor’ Law Moves Through State Senate

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by Jack Russillo

A bill that could reduce Washington’s most commonly-charged crime is making its way through the state Senate.

The bill would provide relief and opportunity to thousands of residents who have been impacted by the state’s driver’s license suspension policies. “Driving While License Suspended in the Third Degree,” or DWLS3, is the least serious crime for driving with a suspended license. The misdemeanor can be charged in a variety of contexts. The most common occurs when a driver receives a ticket for a moving violation, but does not follow through by paying the ticket or showing up in court to contest it. DWSL3 is the state’s most frequently-charged offense, affecting tens of thousands of residents every year solely for not paying a citation.

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News, Transportation

King County Metro, Sound Transit to cut trips on almost all transit services

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By Carolyn Bick

South Seattleites who depend on King County Metro and Sound Transit services to get around may have to adjust their schedules starting on Monday, March 23. The two public transportation systems will be scaling back trips and hours, due to a significant drop in ridership, as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

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News

D2 Candidates Talk Transportation, Housing, and Sustainability City Council Heats Up

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by Jake Goldstein-Street

Half a dozen candidates for the Seattle City Council’s District 2 spot met for a Tuesday night forum at the New Holly Gathering Hall as they answered questions on transportation, housing, and the environment — three of the most important issues for local residents facing gentrification and displacement, pushing them farther and farther away from their jobs, forcing them into cars, and driving up carbon emissions.

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Transportation

Income-Based Fare Program Offers Hope, But Some Say Metro Still Needs to Close the Gaps

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by Mary Hubert

King County Metro has proposed an income-based fare program that would enable King County residents to pay transit cost on a sliding scale.

This plan responds to increasing concern over the escalating costs of metro fares, which currently exceed those of many other major cities. Although Metro recently rolled out its ORCA LIFT program, which allows qualifying participants to pay $1.50 per ride, the growing number of transit users who either cannot afford this rate or otherwise remain unassisted has prompted further strategizing.

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Opinion, Transportation

Some Depend on Generosity of No. 7 Bus Drivers; RapidRide Could Change That

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by Mary Hubert

Susan* is all business as she boards the 7, toting a cart with her that contains most of her belongings and expertly flipping up the front seats on the bus to nestle it securely in an out-of-the-way spot. She rides this route frequently.

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