Seattle needs an ambitious transportation levy that matches our city’s current needs and expected growth. The next Seattle transportation levy must implement the vision presented in the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Seattle Transportation Plan (STP) “Alternative 3 for Rapid Progress” that was preferred by 95% of Seattleites surveyed: A vision of easy and accessible multimodal transportation and re-allocated street space for people walking, rolling, biking, and accessing transit.

As advocates, the MASS Coalition and Allied Organizations are proud to release a report outlining the level of investment required in the next 8 year transportation funding package to adequately address Seattle’s transportation needs.

To put Seattle on track to meeting the STP’s safety, equity, and sustainability goals, Seattle must invest just over $3 billion over the next 8 years in safety, mobility, maintenance, and livability, including:

• Address the pedestrian safety crisis through safety redesigns on Seattle’s five deadliest streets to prevent fatal crashes: Aurora Ave N, MLK Jr. Way S, 4th Ave S, Rainier Ave S, and Lake City Way.
• Increase sidewalk investment. 24% of Seattle streets are missing sidewalks, and where sidewalks exist, 47% need maintenance. Sidewalks are a core part of our transportation system, and we need to build them on a timeline of decades, not hundreds or thousands of years. We must build 331 miles of new sidewalks to fill in gaps in the network.
• Move buses faster: Make transit fast, frequent, comfortable, and reliable by adding 60 new linear miles of dedicated transit corridors to cut commute times by 20% or more on key bus routes.
• Create a protected network of bike lanes: Bike routes that are safe, connected, and efficient make it safer for people already biking, increase the number of people willing to try biking to get around, and improve safety on our streets for all users. We must build 154 miles of new safe bike lanes and 73 miles of upgraded protection on existing bike lanes to advance our citywide bike network.
• Improve safe crossings at 750 intersections with upgraded safety treatments and 320 accessible pedestrian signals to make our city easier to get around for people with disabilities.
• Finally complete the Streetcar Network which will in part allow more bus hours currently used for local connections through downtown between the Chinatown International District and SLU to be reallocated to other needed service throughout the City.
• Improve community spaces and livability. Transportation is completely intertwined with our housing options, health outcomes, and local economies. That means as part of the transportation vision we must focus on people: people streets and gathering places, public bathrooms, pedestrian lighting, benches, street trees, and more, as detailed in our report.

But the Mayor is currently crafting a proposed levy, and is leaning towards austerity budgeting – an unambitious, maintenance and status-quo levy. Join us in writing to Seattle’s elected leaders to support an ambitious levy that matches our current needs and expected growth today!

Thank you!

350 Seattle
Be:Seattle
Cascade Bicycle Club
Disability Mobility Initiative
Disability Rights WA
House Our Neighbors
Puget Sound Sage


Real Change
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways
Seattle Subway
Transit Riders Union
The Urbanist