The Seattle City Council is about to vote on the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) and decide the measure that appears on the ballot in November. We’ve covered the issue closely from the days when a countywide proposal was still on a table to when when it was shelved to the recent jockeying about the right size for the Seattle only proposal to replacing the STBD expiring at year’s end.
I praised Councilmember Tammy Morales’ amendment doubling the STBD proposal and issued a call to action to contact the Seattle City Council to back it. We’ve also documented the benefits the STBD has provided over the years, from the 30% boost to the busiest 15 bus routes noted in the 2017 update to onward march of very frequent transit service which expanded to be in the 10-minute walkshed of 67% of Seattle’s population in 2018 and reached 70% last year.
Our transportation reporter Ryan Packer and many members of the Move All Seattle Sustainably coalition testified during public comment today, including Rooted in Rights, Sierra Club, 350 Seattle, Seattle Subway, Seattle Transit Riders Union. I also submitted the following letter.
