Our Response to Governor’s revenue proposal

Transportation for Washington released the following joint statement from campaign co-chairs Hilary Franz, Executive Director of Futurewise and Rob Johnson, Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, reacting to Gov. Gregoire’s proposed multi-billion dollar transportation package:

“We credit the Governor for taking this first step to address our state’s transportation crisis.

“More investments in our transportation system are critical to getting our economy moving again. By putting an emphasis on safety, maintenance and operations, the Governor is making sure that our existing infrastructure is working efficiently and safely. Her call for progressive transit funding at the local level is urgently needed as demand for transit is growing but service is being cut across the state.

“It’s a positive sign that in this proposal, oil is being asked to pay their fair share and that a portion of these funds are going towards helping keep our waterways clean. The public has historically supported this “polluter pay” approach as the fairest way to fund clean-up. Still, we do have concerns that this revenue is being allocated too broadly.

“While we commend the Governor for stepping up to tackle the transportation crisis, we strongly believe that any proposal must be balanced. As it currently stands, the proposal is still overwhelmingly weighted towards serving automobiles and doesn’t provide any funding for bi-partisan supported safety programs such as Safe Routes to Schools or the newly created Complete Streets grant program.

“We look forward to working with the Governor and legislators to balance out the proposed package and make sure it is designed to meet the growing needs of our economy. As we move forward, Transportation for Washington will ensure that any funding package meets three principles: fix-it first, more transit, and build great, healthy communities.”

Contact:  Viet Shelton, 206-719-8598