Seattle Bus System Just B.S.?

Dan Savage weighs in on the city's plan to increase the number of buses in circulation.

1 minute read

May 13, 2006, 11:00 AM PDT

"I made the mistake of reading the Seattle Times over breakfast on Monday, April 24. I quickly lost my appetite. The editorial board at the Seattle Times heaped praise on Ron Sims's latest transportation planâ€"buses! More of them! Lots more! Everybody get on the bus!"

"Busesâ€"the public-transportation option favored by people who do not take public transportation. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that no one on the Seattle Times op-ed board commutes to work by bus."

"People don't take the subway in New York or the 'L' in Chicago because it's virtuous. They take public transit in those cities because it's faster than driving. Busesâ€"slow, stuck in traffic, unpleasantâ€"can't offer commuters speed in exchange for sacrificing the autonomy and privacy of driving solo. So putting more of them on the street won't change a f**king thingâ€"and it's certainly not worth raising taxes to do so, as Sims is proposing."

FULL STORY: Bus Load

Friday, May 12, 2006 in The Seattle Stranger

Transportation Washington

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