After the Burien hearing, Motro General Manager Kevin Desmond posted this note on the King County News Blog:
Last night the King County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee concluded its third public hearing on the Executive’s proposed congestion reduction charge and potential cuts to the Metro Transit system.
I had the privilege of attending all three hearings and was quite taken by the outpouring of support for bus service in this county. Thousands of you turned out from all across the county because you are concerned about the prospect of losing your service.
You told us what the bus means to your life, your family, your daily commute to work or school – and to your mobility if you are transit dependent. And the vast majority of you asked the council to pass this modest charge to keep congestion in check and keep Metro bus system intact.
As I was watching this outpouring of concern last evening, I happened to read a guest opinion article written by the Washington Policy Center. The article spoke of Metro’s failure to deliver on past promises as it made the case that bus service should be cut.
Its conclusion struck me as misguided in light of the thousands of riders who took the time to come to public hearings and contact their councilmembers. I doubt they would have done so if they thought Metro failed to deliver.
Read a full version of the blog post here.