For many Seattle families, public transit costs are a major household expense. National data shows that transportation costs are the second highest household cost after housing, affecting cost-burdened households in Seattle.  But few people know they can set aside money for transit expenses through a pre-tax payroll deduction. That money can be used to commute […]

Last week the city council passed Resolution #31826 committing the city to completing certain pieces of the downtown bike network in the next 18 months. I expect the City’s Department of Transportation to do their best work in identifying cost efficiencies as they finalize designs for these projects so that we can get the safety […]

Riding a bike is proven to keep communities healthy, and to reduce climate pollution, and approximately 60% of Seattleites want to bike more than they do now.  But today we heard loud and clear that the lack of safe, connected routes is cited as the number one reason why they don’t. In recent years there […]

On Monday, the Seattle City Council voted on  legislation that expands the uses of the voter-approved Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), which has generated approximately $50 million each year to meet demand for transit since 2015. You may remember voting for Proposition 1, creating the STBD, in 2014. We invested big time in public transportation, and […]

This week, I am proud to share that we passed updated street and alley vacation polices, as well as a resolution defining and recognizing the value of Equitable Development Agreements (EDAs). Street vacations allow property owners to petition City Council for private use of the public right of way. These decisions permanently change the right-of-way […]

UPDATE 5/7/18 4:30pm:   Today, the Council approved the conditions for the street vacations required for the WSCC addition.   In light of my colleagues’ support for the buses coming out of the tunnel in March, I proposed an alternative amendment that would have created an additional million-dollar transportation mitigation fund, which SDOT could have utilized […]

Upcoming Office Hours We are once again bringing City Hall to District 6 on Wednesday April 5! Please join me at the Ballard Public Library from 4:30-6:30pm. Bring your questions and concerns about your neighborhood. There is no official sign-up and one-on-one meetings will be available based on first-come, first-serve. Greenlake Community Center The Green […]

In October 2014 Seattle joined many other municipalities in welcoming bike share as a component of our public transit system. One hundred and forty thousand rides later, the bike share program Pronto continues to grow, but now requires a public investment to continue operations and to expand its network.  We faced a decision to either […]

As a board member of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District, I am casting my vote today in support of Resolution 12, which would ask Seattle voters to approve a funding package to help retain bus service in the City when Metro starts making cuts next year. If we are serious about our climate goals and […]

Today, I was the lone vote against Council Bill 118140. This bill was worked out by the Mayor’s office in a negotiated deal with industry stakeholders from the Transportation Network Companies (TNCs, such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar), the taxi industry and the for-hire vehicle industry. There was no opportunity for the public to vet this bill, […]