Dear friends,
Can you believe there are just 19 days until Election Day? Ballots are arriving in the mail this week. We’ve been saying all year long that transit is on the ballot this November. Now is the time to mobilize!
If you’re in Seattle, join the Keep Seattle Moving campaign for an upcoming phone bank or outreach event to ensure Seattle can make critical investments in sidewalks, access to transit, and safe streets for all. And all across Washington, plug in to the No on 2117 campaign to preserve vital transit service and free youth fares.
Read on for more news and updates, including an intro to our new Deputy Director, highlights from Tuxes & Trains, an upcoming Youth Advocacy Workshop, and more!
Keep moving,
– Transportation Choices Coalition
GET INVOLVED
Help Pass Prop 1 to Keep Seattle Moving!
With historic investments in sidewalks, increased funding for safe walking and biking, and targeted improvements to make bus trips faster and more reliable, Proposition 1 will make it safer and easier for everyone to get around Seattle.
Just today, The Stranger released their endorsement in favor of Prop 1: “If you ever leave your place of residence, you should absolutely vote “yes” on Prop 1 to pass our desperately needed transportation levy,” they wrote, adding “every argument against Prop 1 falls apart like much of Seattle’s poorly maintained infrastructure would if this levy were to fail.”
The Keep Seattle Moving campaign needs people to knock doors, make phone calls, and table at community events to ensure voters know about Proposition 1!
Sign up to volunteer or register for one of these upcoming events:
- TONIGHT, Wednesday, Oct. 16: Phone bank with Mayor Harrell at the TCC office
- Thursday, Oct. 17, 6-8 PM: Phone bank (At the TCC office or join us online)
- Friday, Oct. 18, 5-7 PM: Tabling at the Madrona Farmers Market (Central District)
- Saturday, Oct. 19, 10 AM -1 PM: Leafleting at the Delridge Farmers Market (9421 18th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98106)
- Sunday, Oct. 20, 10 AM-1 PM: Leafleting at the West Seattle Farmers Market
Volunteer with the No on 2117 Campaign
If passed, Initiative 2117 would have major consequences for transportation in Washington. It would cut one-third of our state’s already stretched transportation budget, making traffic congestion worse and commutes even longer. It threatens to drastically slash funding for transit service, ferries, road and bridge maintenance, and even the popular Youth Ride Free program, which provides fare-free transit to 1.7 million Washingtonians ages 18 and under.
The No on 2117 campaign has brought together an unprecedented coalition of over 500 environmental and business leaders, Tribal nations, labor unions, and community organizations to protect our air and water, forests and farmlands, jobs, and transportation investments — and Transportation Choices Coalition is proud to be one of them. Join us to defeat I-2117!
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
Celebrating Our New Deputy Director!
We’re thrilled to announce that McKenna Lux has been promoted to the role of Deputy Director at TCC.
McKenna has served brilliantly as our Events & Engagement Manager since 2021. She’s shepherded our annual fundraising gala, Tuxes & Trains, organized Transit Talks and Ride Transit Month festivities, and led our engagement work, including hosting youth focus groups, and organizing an upcoming youth advocacy workshop.
McKenna is passionate about TCC’s mission, and excited to help grow the organization so it can achieve even more transformative wins across Washington. She’s also passionate about supporting staff success and well-being, and preserving the “Culture of Care” that TCC built under the leadership of former Deputy Director Kelsey Mesher.
McKenna shares: “I love this organization, and I’m so excited to step into the role of Deputy Director. I look forward to continuing to work with our amazing team and partners!”
Hosting Tuxes & Trains: The Art of Mobility
Tuxes & Trains 2024 was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who showed up to support our work. It was an inspirational evening filled with people who are helping to improve transportation across Washington.
Honoring New Inductees to the Transportation Choices Hall of Fame
At Tuxes & Trains, we recognized our new 2024 Transportation Choices Hall of Fame inductees: Mayor Lisa Brown of Spokane, the Transit Safety Officers at Whatcom Transportation Authority, and the Week Without Driving. What an incredible group of transportation advocates! Read more about these transportation champions here.
WHAT’S COMING UP
We’re Hosting a Youth Advocacy Workshop
Join Transportation Choices Coalition and Youth for Equitable Streets for a Youth Transit Advocacy Workshop!
This workshop is designed for youth aged 18-23 who live, work, or go to school in the City of Seattle. Come learn about how mobility justice is climate justice and practice skills to help support your community’s access to safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation. Connect with fellow transit supporters and advocates, and we’ll play a little Transit Trivia along the way!
Participants will hear from an incredible panel, including Annya Pintak from the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Transportation Equity Team and Jessica Nguyen with ChangeLab Solutions. Then, they’ll learn about different advocacy skills and practice together. Participants will receive a $50 stipend upon completion of the workshop.
Register here — and help spread the word!
STAFF PICK
As we gear up for the 2024 presidential election, explore the evolution of transportation with Eno Center for Transportation’s new series, “From Lighthouses to Electric Chargers: A Presidential Series on Transportation Innovations.” So far, this ongoing series covers about 27 presidential decisions that shaped the United States’ transportation landscape. It offers a fascinating journey through time, showcasing how transportation innovations have propelled the nation’s growth and profoundly impacted society. As we look toward a safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation future for all, it is an opportune moment to reflect on the historical precedents that have led us to this pivotal point.
Nivya Murthi
Policy Analyst
WHAT WE’RE READING
The Stranger’s Endorsement of Proposition 1 — The Stranger
“If you ever leave your place of residence, you should absolutely vote “yes” on Prop 1 to pass our desperately needed transportation levy.”
Opinion: Historic duty to care for environment calls for ‘no’ on I-2117 — The Kitsap Sun
“The Suquamish people’s relationship with salmon goes back thousands of years. Our ancestral stories speak of the reasons we must care for our salmon relatives who, in turn, take care of us. Our duty to care for the salmon people and, more broadly, for the natural environment is why we are asking you to vote no on Initiative 2117. ”
J Line Breaks Ground, Delivering Bus and Bike Upgrades by 2027— The Urbanist
“Work to build the J Line will include full street reconstruction up and down the corridor, most of which will replicate the existing Route 70. Protected bike lanes will be added to Eastlake Avenue E, filling a critical and conspicuous gap in Seattle’s bike network.”
Rick Steves launches video series to introduce Snohomish County towns — The Seattle Times
“If you missed some of the recent public transit changes in Snohomish County, Rick Steves is here to explain them — and show off some of the Puget Sound area’s best spots to explore along the way.”
A guide to Spokane’s current bike network for the bike-curious — and what it’ll look like by 2030 — Range Media
“This is a guide to the current and upcoming bike network for my in-laws and everyone else in the “interested but concerned” category. You might be surprised by how many routes already exist and even more surprised by the list of routes planned for construction before 2030. ”
Time to tip the scales in favor of more transportation options — Transportation for America
“For decades, federal highway funding and funding for all other types of transportation (like public transit and opportunities to walk and bike) have been severely unbalanced. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pedestrian deaths, and traffic, federal leaders must invest in more transportation alternatives.”
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