Seattle City Council member Rob Saka has proposed an amendment that would cancel SLU Streetcar service and decommission its assets. This amendment has been co-sponsored by CMs Bob Kettle and Cathy Moore. The group has also sponsored an amendment to remove the 1st Ave Streetcar extension (dubbed the Culture Connector) from the Capital Improvement Program. Together, these amendments will effectively end any hope for a high quality streetcar system in our city.

While the SLU Streetcar suffers from low ridership, it is widely attributed to the lack of connectivity rather than anything inherent to streetcars. We cannot fix the design mistakes of the past, but we can certainly make improvements. SDOT ridership figures for 2022 put SLU streetcar at 500 daily riders and First Hill streetcar at 2,500 daily riders, with ridership trending upwards since the pandemic. By SDOT’s own estimate, the proposed Culture Connector extension would attract 28,000 daily riders, making it more popular than the busiest bus line in the city. This city council also called out the Culture Connector as a key improvement in their own Seattle Transportation Plan which they passed in April. Rob Saka himself said at the time, “It’s time we commit to our transportation goals and give them [SDOT] the resources they need to succeed. That’s what this plan is all about.” They are now prepared to go back on that commitment.

Ridership is an important metric, but transit rider equity should be a focus for the council as well. Streetcar offers a unique advantage in terms of accessibility and inclusivity. As a form of transit with on-street, level boarding, spacious cabins, and a smooth ride, it caters to a diverse range of riders, including those who are blind, elderly, pregnant, mobility-challenged, or carrying bulky items. This level of accessibility surpasses that of buses, which is the suggested mode of transit to replace SLU Streetcar service. Once again, City Council made a commitment to equity in their Seattle Transportation Plan. They are prepared to overlook this commitment, signaling that they do not take it seriously.

Rob Saka and his colleagues in city council seem to think it’s a good idea to save $4 million by axing vital streetcar service, throwing huge ridership potential, equity concerns, and their own commitments out of the window. In the same breath, they would like to spend $2 million to remove traffic safety improvements in Delridge that pose a personal inconvenience to CM Saka. These are very clearly misaligned priorities.

Write a letter today to tell Seattle City Council to get their priorities straight, honor their commitments, and avoid killing the SLU Streetcar as well as the 1st Ave streetcar extension!