ST3 - car tabs and other taxes (Seattle: middle-class, sales)

[mhays25]

Being patriotic, I have no problem with supporting my country, and this corner of it.

[noah]

It will be great to have when its build out but its the timeline that seems so far away, partly because they haven't even completed ST2 yet. Even in 6 years when ST2 is completed having light rail go from Federal Way to Lynnwood to Bellevue will be pretty good, but ST3 when done will put Seattle at or near the top for transit coverage for a city of this size (Remember Seattle isn't even close to a top 10 metro by population size). With so many jobs concentrated in the city something had to be done and that 28 minute ride from Lynnwood to DT in just 6 years will be a life saver for many, especially with housing getting to the point where there is no choice for many than to go further out.

But sticker shock is real when many are already paying 40-50% of their pay on housing and the tax increases keep on coming. Plus, like it or not min wage increases are causing the cost of eating out to increase rapidly.

[cmswazey]

It's predicated on auto value, yah? So our 2017 car will cost more to renew than our 2005? Le sigh.


Well, at least I'm prepared.

[OneTimeSEALover]

Miles driven makes more sense than gas tax. There is no straight correlation between gallons of gas and use of highways. My insurance goes up and down depending on miles driven. Miles driven also correclates with likelihood of crashes. Which sometimes correlates with hospital trips.

[pnwguy2]

Sound Transit won't solve the traffic problems in the Seattle metro. However, they may be able to help. Yes, very expensive, but alteast they are doing it right with mostly underground routes. I think it is a great step, and it is finally coming to fruition after decades of slow starts and finally catching up, and surpassing cities of similar densities.

Transit ridership in Seattle sets record, growth leads nation - seattlepi.com

[Jiff]

Originally Posted by noah

With so many jobs concentrated in the city something had to be done and that 28 minute ride from Lynnwood to DT in just 6 years will be a life saver for many, especially with housing getting to the point where there is no choice for many than to go further out.

During rush hours Lynnwood to downtown Seattle by bus is 35 minutes, 45 minutes back. Simply change the HOV lanes back to three and it's 25 and 35 and you save a few billion dollars.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Sound Transit won't solve the traffic problems in the Seattle metro. However, they may be able to help. Yes, very expensive, but alteast they are doing it right with mostly underground routes. I think it is a great step, and it is finally coming to fruition after decades of slow starts and finally catching up, and surpassing cities of similar densities.

Transit ridership in Seattle sets record, growth leads nation - seattlepi.com

Transit is more about providing viable alternatives to driving and increasing capacity in a space efficient manner. The only things proven to "solve" traffic problems are 1) congestion-based tolling, and 2) becoming a very unpopular place to live.

I'd opt for 1) if I were you.

[cmswazey]

Originally Posted by Jiff

During rush hours Lynnwood to downtown Seattle by bus is 35 minutes, 45 minutes back. Simply change the HOV lanes back to three and it's 25 and 35 and you save a few billion dollars.

Jeez. Downtown Seattle to my W Seattle home 9 miles away takes 35-50 minutes. But then again, it makes a lot of stops and a 3 mile city street with stoplights before I disembark.

[Botev1912]

Yeah, the bus from Lynnwood almost makes no stops.

[Flightoficarus87]

I definitely have mixed feelings on ST3.

The Seattle area desperately needs a good mass transit system, as the existing infrastructure is clearly inadequate for the population base these days. We might not be LA bad for traffic (yet), but based on other major US cities I've been to (and in traffic during rush hour), it's pretty clear just how irritating the congestion has gotten. Existing public transit is really only decent for people in Seattle, and it's immediate 'burbs.

The big problem I have is the amount of time it's going to take to build everything. People further out (i.e - Pierce and Snohomish counties) who won't see the benefits of ST3 for many years are getting screwed big time on their car tabs, many of whom have no other practical option for commuting other than driving (or may not even commute into Seattle/the Eastside). Even worse, could it be a case of too-little-too late by the time it's actually finished? (Which I suppose would depend on how much this region grows in 20-25 years).

Overall, I think what we're seeing is the reckoning of putting off a good mass transit system for decades. I don't think WA's regressive tax system has helped, either.

Just my opinion, of course .