By Associated Press - Wednesday, July 8, 2020

SEATTLE (AP) - The mayor of Seattle has proposed creating a fund that would generate up to $30 million each year for city public transit over the next six years.

Mayor Jenny Durkan said Tuesday that the measure would replace a previous one set to expire at the end of this year and would maintain a 0.1% sales tax passed by voters in 2014 and continue to support access to frequent and reliable public transportation, KOMO-TV reported.

The City Council must approve the measure if it is to go before Seattle voters in November.

The proposal would maintain critical elements and bus routes in the transit system, including equitable access, and it would allow the city to offer more frequent service as ridership recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Durkan said.

The proposal is “about providing safe, efficient, and frequent transit for working people – particularly our essential workers. An equitable COVID-19 recovery depends, in part, on people getting where they need to go,” she said.

The current transportation district’s funding is partially supported by vehicle license fees and the sales tax. But it’s unclear if license fees will be available in the future after an initiative restoring $30 car tabs was passed, officials said.

The city of Seattle could consider additional transit funding options should vehicle tab revenue again become available or if a regional transit measure is pursued in future years, Durkan said.

The loss of the West Seattle Bridge means the number of lanes to and from West Seattle have been reduced from 21 to 12 through at least the end of 2021, Councilmember Lisa Herbold said, adding that the bridge served up to 120,000 travelers every weekday before it closed after engineers discovered cracks.

“To address the fact that no number of detours will be able to handle the current number of cars seeking to get off the peninsula, (Seattle’s) goals are to increase West Seattle bus commuters from 17 percent to 30 percent,” Herbold said. “To accomplish that, we must have a commitment in this proposal to address the unique access problems West Seattle faces without the bridge.”

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