Raise your glasses in toast, drunkerati of Seattle! At a press conference held this morning at the Ballroom in Fremont, Mayor Mike McGinn announced that the city is opening five taxi stands to ensure that late-night revelers in Seattle's most popular nightlife districts get home safely. The stands, which open on Thursday, December 1, will operate nightly from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. Their specific locations are:

* Fremont—north side of 36th Avenue between Francis and Dayton
* Belltown—east side of First Avenue between Blanchard and Bell
* Downtown—east side of First Avenue between Pike and Pine
* Pioneer Square—west side of Occidental between Washington and Yesler
* Capitol Hill—south side of E Pike Street between 10th and Broadway

The taxi cab stands are also a necessary step in fulfilling McGinn's Seattle Nightlife Initiative—which has also included beefing up bike and foot patrols in crowded areas, allowing drivers to pre-pay for morning parking, and petitioning the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) to build a regulatory framework that would allow cities to lobby the state for later bar hours (a petition that select neighborhood groups are protesting with dishonest rhetoric).

“Our nightlife initiative seeks to enhance public safety while improving urban vibrancy and supporting local businesses,” said McGinn. “The addition of late night taxi stands is one more step for ensuring that Seattle has a rich nightlife and that people can get home safely.”