Which is why he ALWAYS loses.

Kemper’s fake support for buses parallels Niles’ fake support for BRT – almost perfectly.

Of course Niles is sympathetic to Kemper’s “one person per car” mantra.

Amazing how disingenuous John Niles continues to be: yeah, his boss doesn’t call for the de-funding of Metro. Because IT’S NOT POSSIBLE. Kemper does do a heckuva lot of complaining about spending on transit (passed by popular vote) vs spending on roads (no public vote). Niles rails against rail, but conveniently ignores the fact Metro takes in just as much sales tax (most of which is burned on spiraling operating costs)

Funny how it was Kemper’s top two henchmen who ran the anti-Rapid Ride campaign, don’t you think? Pure coincidence. Does John Niles think we are all stoopid enough to believe the garbage he continuously puts out? We get it, John: you’re paid to distort the truth. But why embarrass yourself in front of a bunch of people who know better? Really…

Freeman’s opinion as a Republican business type simply reflects the market share that transit achieves in Puget Sound region, about 4% to 5% now and on into the future. He says on that video that transit is very important for serving that slice of the market.

As he knows and you know, this region’s commute trip market share on public transit is best in America west of the Mississippi River except for San Francisco area. There is nothing in that video about cutting back on Metro’s bus transit.

Is the current government planning for more transit around here going to improve its market share? Is Sound Transit’s $2 million per day in tax collections going to make mobility better? Not according to the Puget Sound Regional Council, which recently published a draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan alternative for 2040 including ST2, ST3, and ST4 expansion, and putting pay-by-the-mile charges on every expressway and arterial in the region.

Over 50% of government transportation revenue would go to transit. Yet one of the best regional computer models in America was unable to show a doubled transit share from today, that is, reaching 8% in 2040 from 4% today. Can’t do it. Creeps up to 5.2% after spending billions.

With billions going into urban railroads, I testified that PSRC damn well ought to write a plan for 2040 that forecasts doubled transit market share, or explain why it cannot in detail. Former SecDOT Doug MacDonald is calling for the same transit market share goal.

John Niles is reminding us of the fact he’s been stuck in the same tiny, anti- mass transit echo chamber for nearly 15 years?

Seems like something one would want to downplay…

Apparently Mr Niles wants to ignore the video Kemper Freeman produced (featuring a Kemper Freeman lecture). You know, the video where he equates ALL public transit with communism and infers the terrorists also want to drag us out of our cars.

John Niles has a right to speak as many mistruths as possible when he tries to stop the next phases of light rail expansion – including those already approved by voters. But he also has an obligation to avoid telling monster lies about Kemper Freeman’s supposed support for buses and bus ‘rapid’ transit.

BUT: Me & my wheelchair CHOOSE to ride the 230 to/from work.

And, as for your connection? Take the 590 series to the 550

The City of Bellevue has been very forward-thinking about transit, and it’s not their fault that the best technical solution is also the more expensive. Should the city pick up a share of the extra cost? Definitely. It just seems punitive to force them to pay for the whole thing. It would be more equitable to have the subarea pitch in.