Friends of Seattle

Friends of Seattle believes that Seattle should be a city where everybody has the freedom to safely walk, bike, or take transit to get where they need to go. That is why we are proud to endorse Seattle's Proposition 1. As an early member of the Streets for All Seattle coalition, Friends of Seattle helped to bring Proposition 1 to the ballot.  Now we urge our members to support the campaign and to vote Yes in November.

Over the next 10 years, Proposition 1 will raise $100 million to give Seattle faster, more reliable transit service; provide for much-needed road maintenance; and allow Seattle to build more sidewalks, improved crosswalks, and more family-friendly bike infrastructure.

Thanks to the recession and several Tim Eyman-backed initiatives, transportation spending has not kept up with demand. Although Proposition 1 will not fill all of our needs, for just $60 a year, it will help us make meaningful improvements to all transportation modes, while putting people to work. Seattle cannot afford to pass up this opportunity.

We need your help to be successful this November. Sign the petition to endorse the campaign. To get involved in the campaign, visit Streets for All Seattle's website, find Streets for All Seattle on Facebook, or email Bridgette Maryman. The campaign calendar shows the many opportunities for you to take action with the campaign!

Streets for All Seattle, of which Friends of Seattle is a coalition member, released this statement today:

SEATTLE – Today, environmental, social justice, and transportation leaders sent a letter to the Seattle City Council urging them to place the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee III’s (CTAC-III) full $80 vehicle license fee proposal on the ballot for consideration this November. These investments will not only advance Streets For All Seattle’s goal of creating a more equitable transportation system that prioritizes walking, biking and transit, but will also create local, well-paying green jobs throughout our community.  

Last year, Streets For All Seattle launched an ambitious multi-year campaign with the goal of securing $30 million dollars in dedicated annual revenue for walking, biking, and transit infrastructure.  Streets For All Seattle worked closely with the City Council to create a Transportation Benefit District and enact a $20 Councilmanic annual vehicle license fee to help support basic street maintenance and fund pedestrian and bicycle improvements.  The Council then formed the CTAC-III, asking them to undertake a full review of the city’s transportation funding system and evaluate and examine the potential for a ballot measure asking Seattle voters to fund additional transportation projects.

Earlier today, the CTAC-III co-chairs, along with SDOT staff, presented the Committee’s recommendations to the City Council acting as the Board of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District.  The proposed CTAC-III package would ask Seattle voters to approve an $80 vehicle license fee, generating approximately $27 million in dedicated annual transportation revenue for walking, biking and transit infrastructure, along with significant money to fix and maintain Seattle streets.

“We’d like to thank all of the members of CTAC III for their hard work in listening to a number of community interests and developing a funding proposal to support Seattle’s transportation priorities,” said Craig M. Benjamin, Co-Chair of Streets For All Seattle.  “We look forward to working with the Council to ensure that Seattle voters have an opportunity this Novembers to approve a package of transportation investments that will make our city work for the future.”   

“Seattle voters have consistently demonstrated their willingness to pay for transportation investments that reflect our values and priorities,” said Brice Maryman, Co-Chair of Streets For All Seattle and a member of CTAC III.  “We urge the Council to seize this opportunity to put people to work building an equitable transportation system that reduces health disparities and our dependence on oil while allowing everyone the opportunity to safely navigate our city.”

Transportation for Washington has a powerful video series on what transit cuts mean to people in our community.

Here is Part IV, where a university student explains how cuts in bus service would affect her daily life.

Transportation for Washington has a powerful video series on what transit cuts mean to people in our community.

Here is Part II, where a bus rider explains that, for financial reasons, the bus is her only option.