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| The Public Transit Improvement Conference, about 15 minutes before showtime. |
A few of the people who came to speak who weren't necessarily against the boundary, sought to try to spare those riders on Shuttle service from being stranded in their homes. Mayors Enslow and Johnson of Sumner and Bonney Lake warmly spoke of partnering to create a new transit system to service their jurisdictions in East Pierce County. So those transit-bound outside the boundary will not be without transport if they are successful.
Thank you to all of the people who wrote in via email or followed on Twitter. Thank you to the Seattle Transit Blog, for your timely post to get the word out. Thank you to Andrew Austin at the Transportation Choices Coalition and Patti Sutton with Downtown on the Go and Liz Kaster and Jane Moore with the Washington Coalition to Promote Physical Activity and Bliss Moore with the Sustainable Tacoma Commission and all of the others who spoke. I want to especially thank the PTIC staff for their stellar work. Without their efforts, we would have never got this far.
Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all and goodnight. I'm going to go have a drink.
Some of the most notable comments from tonight were not from the audience, but from the public officials. Pierce County Councilmember Rick Talbert encouraged everyone there to stress with the people they know that:
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| Pierce County Councilmember Rick Talbert (D) |
"...even if you never set foot on a bus, transit is a benefit to you somehow - whether it's your sister, or son or mother. We have not made a convincing argument to people who drive their cars that transit is worth those extra six-tenths of a percent."One of the points during the meeting where I said "ouch," was when a retired driver, Don McKnight, told the Conference:
"I'm here to speak for the riders. ... This is the worst it's ever been. Even in 1980 we ran buses till midnight. ... We need to pass this map."
So it's true. We did hit bottom. Service has contracted a full 42% since 2007 (source: Pierce Transit Report to the Community 2011). And now that the boundary is contracted, the only direction we have to go is up. It's about time.
For all you political process people, understand that the map is by and large now adopted, because without being overturned by the County Council, it stands. It is unlikely that the County Council will overturn it due to the unanimous decision by the cities to adopt the map as designed. If they did, that would have to be within the next 30 days. Cities have 60 days to withdraw from the boundary if they are in and wish to leave. If there are no objections by the County Council, the map will be sent to the County Auditor for elections and to Department of Revenue for their modifications.
For all you political process people, understand that the map is by and large now adopted, because without being overturned by the County Council, it stands. It is unlikely that the County Council will overturn it due to the unanimous decision by the cities to adopt the map as designed. If they did, that would have to be within the next 30 days. Cities have 60 days to withdraw from the boundary if they are in and wish to leave. If there are no objections by the County Council, the map will be sent to the County Auditor for elections and to Department of Revenue for their modifications.
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| Meet the new Pierce Transit boundary. Analysis on voting prospects will follow. |
Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all and goodnight. I'm going to go have a drink.