Seattle, Wa – Yesterday voters in the Sound Transit District overwhelmingly approved Sound Transit’s Proposition 1 to give the greater Seattle area a world-class transit infrastructure. After a combined roads and transit measure failed last year by a 5% margin, Sound Transit striped down this year’s Proposition 1 to a Transit-Only package. With this year’s Proposition 1 passing by a healthy 10% advantage, voters embraced a transportation vision for Seattle that revolves around a comprehensive transportation solution that doesn’t rely on the automobile.
“The passage of Proposition 1 arms Seattle for the challenges of the 21st century. After decades of inaction, we are finally able to join world-class cities by embracing the benefits of a world-class transportation infrastructure,” said WashPIRG Transportation Associate David Kosmos.
Proposition 1 will add 36 miles of light rail to the existing line running from Sea-Tac airport to downtown Seattle. The measure will also add 100,000 bus hours to a strained ST Express system and double the capacity of the Sounder Commuter trains. Beyond the individual improvements to our transportation infrastructure, Proposition 1 creates an integrated mass-transit system that allows commuters to use multiple different modes of transportation to travel throughout the region.
“Proposition 1 is a great victory for the future of Seattle,” said UW Student Gregory Johnsen. “It is great to see the people of our region make an intelligent investment in a 21st century transportation system. In twenty years, our children will be thanking us for the vision and foresight we showed yesterday.”
Yesterday’s victory is a giant step forward for our region, but the hard work for our country isn’t over yet. This year Congress will reauthorize the federal transportation bill which has historically been heavily skewed towards paving roads instead of funding mass-transit. Seattle’s passage of Proposition 1 sends a message to our congressional delegation that it’s time to start looking for transportation alternatives that move our country into the 21st century.
Prop-1-Victory-Release.doc