I love the deal to end the free ride zone (Is it a zone or an area? I’ve always called it a zone, but John Jensen at calls it an area at the link. Then again I still call it the Bus Tunnel, so let’s concede that a transit expert may know more than me about transit terminology.) and adopt the $20 car tab/saving bus service. In addition to the points Jensen made, the economic rule about free things (that people don’t value them) certainly applies to the free ride zone.
The jokes about the rolling homeless shelters have been around since I’ve been in Seattle. You find yourself sitting next to a drunk or a junkie sometimes. Of course we all try to ignore them, but sometimes you can’t if they smell like piss or are yelling. I imagine it’s worse if you’re a woman, and there’s harassment, etc. Those riders will still be on the bus, but in fewer numbers and more distributed throughout the system. Buses aren’t equipped to handle social services anyway.
The other problem is that all the people who can’t afford to pay get off the bus at the same time. I’ve always suspected that at least part of the reason that the open air drug market on Bell Street is so persistent is that all the junkies who ride back and forth in the free ride area get off there (there are other factors, of course, the Recovery Cafe was nearby for a long time, there were businesses that catered to that clientele, a general neglect of downtown).
I guess what I’m saying is that while the $20 tabs and saving bus service is clearly the best part of the deal, ending the free ride zone is a nice bonus. Here’s hoping they implement the changes well.
MSNBC has picked up the Rachel Beckwith story, which should help keep donations coming in at a brisk pace for several more days.
Rachels goal of $300 has now reached the $1,030,000 mark and is raising money for clean drinking water in poor countries at a rate of $50,000 to $100,000 a day.
Each $20 donation helps one person in those countries. Rachel’s goal was to help 15 people; the number who will be served by her charity drive now tops 50,500.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44.....ws-giving/
I hate to see the Ride Free Zone eliminated. The “lost” revenue from free riding is much less than Metro thinks; who’s going to pay $2 to ride 3 or 4 blocks from one downtown point to another? A lot of people who have used the buses in the RFZ for convenience will now simply walk. And this will make access to downtown emergency services more difficult for the downtown street denizens who need them most.
Now the trolls will jump in here and excoriate the County Council for being “afraid” to put the $20 vehicle surcharge to a public vote.
And in case anyone hasn’t kicked in yet,
http://www.mycharitywater.org/.....n_id=16396
“You find yourself sitting next to a drunk or a junkie sometimes.”
Better to sit next to them than a wingnut.
The free ride was a good idea. The buses were running anyway, so why not a free ride for a few blocks?
“the economic rule about free things (that people don’t value them)”
That sounds like a wingnut talking about social safety nets.
@4 I think what this charity group should do is drop the 48-day deadline, set up a permanent Rachel Beckwith Foundation, and continue this cause indefinitely. The need for safe drinking water in the developing world won’t go away anytime soon. This foundation could become a global focal point for those efforts.
@5 “Better to sit next to them than a wingnut.”
Ain’t that the truth. Street drunks only want a dollar. Republicans want everything you’ve got.
The Ride Free Zone was set up back in the day when everyone drove cars, Seattle was a much less dense place, and few people lived down town. It was a was a way to get people who drove down town out of their cars while they were in down town.
It’s different now. Now, driving and car ownership have peaked. Now, it’s easy to get down town with using your car. Now, you have quite a few folks living down town. There’s a renewed interest in cities and better understanding of how they function and that means you want feets on the streets. And there’s going to be street vendors! Seattle will be better off with those folks who are only going a couple of blocks walking and picking up a cup of coffee that the city can tax along the way.
@5,
“the economic rule about free things (that people don’t value them)”
That sounds like a wingnut talking about social safety nets.
It’s how a lot of people think of social safety nets. That’s why FDR made Social Security a program we pay taxes into (visibly) our whole life, for example.
Roger, I’m happy with the Seattle Republicans working behind the scenes to Save Our State… two King County Council Republicans saved the people of King County a Metro Meltdown (TM).
Roger, BTW, how is it dating Senator Wrinkles?
@6 I agree. I’ve had thoughts along that same line.