Over at Seattle Transit Blog, there’s a discussion of the upcoming elimination of the free ride area, and answering some objections to it. While I generally agree with the post, this stuck in my craw: “while I would like to see more County programs that provide transportation assistance to the poor, giving everyone a break on downtown trips seems like a badly targeted way to do it.”
I’m not sure that it’s in the county’s best interest, in general, to separate things that help the middle class from those that help the poor. Programs tailored to the poor have a tendency to get the ax earlier than those with middle class support.
I readily admit that I don’t know what busing should look like downtown. And I support eliminating the ride free area (although I supported it a lot more before the fare increases). But in general, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have separate programs for the poor and the middle class.
Whidbey Island Transit is free…….everywhere.
Island County government is now open only four days a week, to cut costs.
Municipalities make choices. These were Island County’s.
@2 There’s a third choice — ignore conservative government-haters and pay enough taxes to support the public services most people need and want.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to have separate programs for the poor and the middle class.”
Given that the middle class is the new poor, I don’t think it is, either.
Puddy has always advocated you libtards should pay more taxes. It’s you progressives who live in Seattle and King County libtardland who choose not to do this. Now the poor peeps suffer Roger SENILE Wabbit.
There were a bunch of studies that showed that making transit free increased ridership a whole bunch, even over cases were the cost was nominal like a nickel. More people rode the bus when it was free. Since the goal of Island Transit was to get people on the bus, they made the right call and made it free. It wasn’t about helping poor folks or whatever, it was about getting as many people on the bus as possible.
The free-ride area in down town Seattle’s the same deal. People could get on and off buses faster if they didn’t have to screw with change so more people would ride the bus and the route would speed up a bit and by making the buses free more people would ride them.
Income variable bus passes might be a good idea, but the idea behind free ride areas is to get more people on buses and light rail trains and to speed up service. Let’s not conflate the two issues.
@5
Bah, the edit feature’s busted.
Island County also provides vans for van pools off-island, typically to Canyon Park, Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle, and Renton.
I don’t know if those are part of what is paid for by the taxpayers as well, or if the riders pay separately for that.
In a world in which resources are limited, money spent on one interest is money that is not available for other competing interests. It’s great that retirees like RR @ 2 desire that taxation of others be increased to fulfill public ‘wants’, but the ‘wants’ are always increasing while the tolerance of others to fund them are not.
Island County laid off a sheriff’s deputy due to the cutbacks. Given the small population of the County and the geography of the area to be covered (two long islands that aren’t anywhere close to connected), it was a big deal.
@6 “It’s great that retirees like RR @ 2 desire that taxation of others be increased to fulfill public ‘wants’, but the ‘wants’ are always increasing while the tolerance of others to fund them are not.”
Let’s skip the generalizations and deal with specifics. Tax rates are at the lowest levels in the last 60 years. Most of the tax cuts went to the most affluent, who are the only group doing well in this economy. Meanwhile, despite the fact public needs go up during a recession, we’ve been cutting public services, not expanding them. What should happen next is obvious.
As for “tolerance,” we all know what conservatives want: No taxation of wealthy estates. No taxation of capital gains or dividends. Which also would mean no taxation of “carried interest,” i.e. the income of hedge fund managers earning $1 billion a year, instead of being taxed at 15%, wouldn’t be taxed at all. Lower or no property taxes on expensive homes. In other words, the tax “tolerance” of the richest people in our society is zero — they think wage earners should pay all the taxes and they should be none.
As for me, I don’t give a flying fuck what conservatives’ “tax tolerance” is. I say let’s win elections for Democrats, then pass the tax laws Democrats want, and if rich conservatives don’t pay what the tax laws require them to pay, prosecute them for tax evasion and throw their fucking asses in prisons and I don’t mean country-club prisons.
I’m tired of coddling these selfish bastards. I’m tired of their whining. I’m tired of their bullshit. Let’s work our asses off to win this election and then shove it down their throats.
The rich don’t create jobs, and giving tax breaks to the rich didn’t create jobs. Customers create jobs, and most customers are workers. We’re not going to have economic growth until wages stop going down and workers stop getting poorer. It’s that simple. The financial system has more investment cash than it knows what to do with and doesn’t need more. It’s obvious who should get tax breaks and who can pay more. It doesn’t take a genius.
Free?? Free to the deadbeats.
Are the drivers driving for free?
Are donors paying for gas & maintenance?
Free my ass.
But this shows how Dummocrats think.
“Many of the problems we face today came about because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.”
@11
Free from the standpoint of there’s no fair box. Obviously, it’s supported by tax dollars just as roads are.
That gas tax you pay when you drive doesn’t come close to paying for all the costs of roads. Same with your airline ticket fees, there’s a huge subsidy there.
The free zones in Seattle and Portland result in a cost savings for the cities, reduced traffic congestion, and a reduced need for parking, so buildings can be used for higher value things than parking garages.
Is being as big of an idiot as you are painful? It seems like it would be.
Online Travel Sites Sued For Price-Fixing
The Seattle-based class-action law firm of Hagens Berman has filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal district court accusing Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hilton Hotels, Sheraton, Marriott, and others with conspiring to fix prices of hotel rooms booked through the travel sites. The suit alleges the hotel chains cooperated with the travel sites because online bookings account for a large share of their business.
http://articles.latimes.com/20.....g-20120820
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Now let’s hear it for the honest hard working businessmen trying to earn an honest buck! If there are any. Do you get the impression that contemporary businessmen have no ethics and modern business is utterly and thoroughly corrupt? No problem, just vote for Republicans who promise to get rid of consumer protection laws and agencies, and enact tort reform for good measure, and these predatory lawsuits will go away! It’s all the lawyers’ fault!
Another example of “successful” people getting rich at consumers’ expense by committing fraud. Poster boys for the one-percenters.
Isn’t Island Transit independent of the Island County Government, although with a board of directors made up of elected officials?
As for the Ride Free Area, I am concerned about the impact collecting fares on tunnel buses will have on Central LINK. It could be a plus. Right now, off-peak on MEtro is $2.25, one-zone peak, $2.50, with 2-zone being $3. Central LINK between Westlake, and I think as far south as Beacon Hill Station, is $2.00, on a trip from Westlake, it get to be $2.25, and a maximum fare(for now) is to the airport, $2.75. I like the ORCA Card, used it on just about everything it’s valid on, hopefully this will see more of it being used.
Up until the late 1960s, drivers used to give change, but it seems the farebox makers have finally got around that law that prohibits it. Not cash change, but a change card usable on later travel. I believe SKAT in Skagit County uses this model. Although with Downtown Seattle, a ticket vending machine would be better to facilitate faster boarding.
http://www.gfigenfare.com/Products/Prod_Ody.html
http://www.skagittransit.org/page-1370.html
The Ride Free Area being eliminated was a compromise to get a temporary $20 Vehicle License Fee passed, without going through a contentious election fight. THey needed 6 of the 9 to avoid that, and got 7. It was County Councilmembers Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert, I believe, that voted for the fee, Dunn and Von Reichbauer were against it.
Interesting article from Tampa Bay people attendeing the DNC in Charlotte, admiring the LYNX Blue LIne Light Rail, and how in Tampa, a few years ago, they voted something similar down. Tampa does have rail transit, but a tourist trolley that does not get much riders.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/p.....es/1249759