As the home of most of Seattle’s industrial areas, district 2 has unique transportation and infrastructure challenges. It is of the utmost importance that our planning reflects the need in our district to accommodate the movement of freight alongside commuters as our city grows. What might be ideal for Wallingford or Freemont isn’t necessarily the best option for SODO or Georgetown. As your city councilman, I will be sensitive to the individual needs of Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods and make sure that our transportation and infrastructure planning serves all Seattle’s residents, not just those that have the resources to lobby for their interests.  Here are some of my transportation/infrastructure priorities for district 2:

• Find ways to create bike boulevards and walking paths separate from main arteries to increase safety an open up space for large trucks and buses.
• Work with the Port of Seattle to use currently underutilized space to provide more parking options for the many large trucks that travel through our district and open up more street parking for patrons of local businesses.
• Increase access to public transportation in South Seattle and site density around transit hubs.
• Lobby the State Legislature to end the practice of taking funds from the Public Works Trust Fund which is an essential source of funds for local transportation and infrastructure projects.
• Fight for more equity in funding of infrastructure repairs and ensure that the crumbling sidewalks of South Seattle are tended to and accessible to people of all abilities.
• Ensure that Seattle is utilizing the latest in “smart-city” technology to time lights in such a way that traffic is reduced and commute times are lowered.
• Increase Practical Mass Transit Options – Currently Seattle’s new Transit projects have run or are projected to run over budget and have not solved transportation issues. The costs need to be audited to ensure fiscal accountability. The routing needs to be examined so as not to negatively affect businesses or make traffic worse. Practical mass transit options need to be explored and implemented.
• Seek Out New Revenue Sources – Citizens are tired of paying up to $500 per vehicle in car tabs, while many ride the light rail for free. Other revenue sources, such as advertising on city transportation, have been under-utilized. At the same time we should not be seeking new tolls on our roads.
• Moratorium on all Bike Lane Projects – This is to allow time for an audit to be performed on construction spending so there can be full transparency of expenses. The routing of the lanes needs to be evaluated, with community input and discussion, to ensure full transparency and to reduce the impact on parking and local businesses.
• Find New Solutions to Old Problems – Commission a study to find practical common sense solutions to ease congestion with community input as a major component.
• Remove Burdensome Restrictions on Ride Share Companies – By allowing innovative transportation options to operate in the free market we can ease congestion while allowing for affordable transportation options for all.