Comments

1
$30 million - that's like eight times what that nutso "suicide fence" on Aurora Bridge is costing us.

Watch as Gates and Allen get it spent all in South Lake Union and Seattle Center.
2
Yes. YES YES YES.
3
"Now it's up to City Hall to respond."

Why don't you ask them to fucking respond? Make a call. I mean, you've given us plenty of information from the Streets for All Seattle Coalition perspective - you even tried to post their document - but where do the others stand? Or were you planning on getting their responses directly from the coalition? Let's not get lazy now.
4
You can also stay updated with them on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1…
5
Nobody mentions that a "commercial parking tax" would also be levied against the University of Washington, crippling an already precarious UPass program (the bus pass that the UW community can purchase, largely subsidized by the University's parking lot income), forcing many more cars on the road (almost 10% of Metro ridership are UPass users) and taking money from a program that gives millions of dollars every year to the very same pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure for which this group is lobbying.
6
Why does the Commercial Parking Tax hurt the UPASS program? If every parking lot has the same increase in the tax, how would that hurt UW? This argument makes no sense.
7
@5 UW will have to find a better funding source for UPASS, especially with light rail opening in a few years. And make it more equitable for students who are subsidizing the passes, if they expect to increase participation.

To be fair, a lot of big institutions around the city are unfairly burdened with RPZs for local residents, etc. But you need to put bike-ped support by the UW in perspective: they nixed a light rail station that would actually reach campus, they have supported the current 520 proposal with deadly pedestrian crossings in its design, they placed the stop sign facing the Burke-Gilman trail at Pend-Oreille, etc.
8
The UPASS is its own program at the school and it was hanging on by a thread before this even started being discussed. Thousands and probably tens of thousands of students depend on it to get around the city and many of these students own cars but find it easier to use the bus. The simple fact is this: if the program goes under, the streets will flood with more cars and lower income students with no cars will have their transportation source evaporate.

@7 I agree with your second paragraph there, and the UW should do more to support light rail. I'm a huge supporter of public transportation and I'm a little shocked that people on here want to nuke UW's biggest public transportation program.

As for the stop signs on the Burke I have dreamed of taking an acetylenetorch to those things.
9
Again, why does the Commercial Parking Tax hurt the UPASS program? If every parking lot has the same increase in the tax, how would that hurt UW? This argument still makes no sense. Can you explain?
10
McGinn will respond...if and only if the 30 million is spent on a planning committee who will be tasked with writing a white paper to create a blueprint to build a 12 lane "Bike Tunnel" from Renton Airport to Downtown.
13
@11 and 12 - That article still doesn't explain how an increase in the CPT hurts the UPASS program. How does free parking at Northgate affect the UPASS? What does the cost of parking have to do with a subsidized transit pass?
14
WTF! A 20$ tax on cars? Go fucking figure. Bike riders want nice lanes they can ignore, and they want to stick the cost to the people always stuck behind their slow asses on the roads. Oh the irony. Get over it people. Cars are here to stay. You will never have your utopia where everyone rides bikes, walks, and/or buses. Sorry.
15
@14 Maybe they're tired of listening to the users of the most subsidized form of travel bar none - right bucko - that's driving. Any way you look at it, we drivers suck more of *other people's* private and tax dollars down when we drive than wimpy bicyclists could ever dream of doing. My German sport sedan is veritable (Miele) vacuum cleaner suck'n down the spoils of empire. Gotta love America!

So it's probably best not to whine too much - someone might actually check up on things and wake up to the the highway robbery we drivers are constantly up to. Seeing how you'd actually notice the $20 me thinks you won't be driving in a world where you actually had pay for it for long :-)

http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/…

Bikers - they're in my lane saving me $$$ . Love em! :-)
16
@6 is correct, and @5 needs to crack open a copy of the UW Daily and stop reading other people's horoscopes on Thursday.

Especially Fnarf's. Seriously, that way leads to madness.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.