Link Light Rail vehicles are 70% low floor. All four of the doors on each side are at the same level as the platform, only a short portion at each end is raised. This means there will be no waiting for wheelchairs to board, as they can roll right on, and no trouble for those who have difficulty climbing steps.
Ten weeks left!
I also want to make a comment about SB 5433 – the bill that modifies local option taxes this year. Just to recap, it allows for two new things: Cities and counties can now ask the public to vote for a congestion charge on car tabs to fund transit, although unlike the MVET this would be flat, rather than based on the value of the car. The bill also changes property tax rules.
Right now, without this bill, the King County Council can vote, without the public, to increase property taxes for ferries from today’s $0.075/$1000 to a total of $0.75/$1000. 5433 makes two changes – it reduces the total allowance  to $0.15/$1000, and it reserves the currently uncollected $0.075/$1000 for transit.
The Governor hasn’t signed this bill yet, and openly anti-Sound Transit Joe Turner has some incorrect reporting on the matter. He claims this is a new tax. Taxes are clearly not his motivation – this reduces the amount of tax the County Council can impose. This would be a good time to call or email the Governor’s office in support of SB 5433, as it will take a big bite out of King County Metro’s shortfall – and save routes we use.
It’s great that those in wheelchairs won’t have to wait to board, but also, those with strollers won’t have to wait or scramble either.
I didn’t consider that. Good point. :)
And don’t forget bikes!
Yeah! I could ride right on and get yelled at! Skateboarders too. And maybe even the occasional rollerblader…
Yes, a great big thank you.
– My Trusty Wheelchair
Though this does make me wonder about restraints.
Will I be strapped in like riding a bus or do I just roll on-roll off like the SLUT or Tacoma Link?
You’ll just roll on or off. Acceleration is smooth, you shouldn’t have any problems. Just put on a brake if you’ve got it, I’d imagine.
Edit: Actually, I shouldn’t tell you that you won’t have any problems. Do you think you’ll have any problems? Is the SLUT okay?
No problems riding the SLUT, no problems riding the Tacoma Link.
Can’t wait for opening day :)
The way I read SB 5433 (sections 5 & 6) King County can double the amount from 7.5 cents per $1,000 to 15 cents per $1000; not 75 cents per $1000. I have my doubts about the legality of special taxing authority being granted by the State to individual counties.
The state has dozens (just that I know of) of laws that don’t apply to Seattle (usually specifically mentioned, but also often mentioned as “cities over” 400K or 500K in pop, Seattle’s the only city in the state over 210K) and many others that apply to just specific counties. I think the state has geographic prejudice hardwired.
Usually it’s small things. But recently two have been in the news. The stadium tax is a big one that is imposed in just King County, but has been used for the state’s general fund. The Viaduct bill obviously screwed seattle.
The 75 cents is what the law reads *now* – 5433 amends it.
I’m confused. I read the final substitute bill. It looked to me like 75 cents for everybody except King County who was limited to 7.5 for ferries and a new additional 7.5 cents that could be used for “transit” provided the first penny went directly to SR520. The whole thing looks like monkey micro management by the legislature (the folks that promised steel electric ferries with money from the nickle package).
Right, but the 75 cents existed in law before. This cuts king county’s total taxing authority in this option down to 15 cents. That’s why Turner’s article is so misleading, he’s talking about this as if it’s a new tax, but the 75 cents was in state law before anybody wrote 5433.
1 ad valorem tax on all taxable property located in the district not to
2 exceed seventy-five cents per thousand dollars of assessed value,
3 except a ferry district in a county with a population of one million
4 five hundred thousand or more may not levy at a rate that exceeds seven
5 and one-half cents per thousand dollars of assessed value. The levy
6 must be sufficient for the provision of ferry services as shown to be
7 required by the budget prepared by the governing body of the ferry
8 district.
18 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 84.52 RCW
19 to read as follows:
20 (1) A county with a population of one million five hundred thousand
21 or more may impose an additional regular property tax levy in an amount
22 not to exceed seven and one-half cents per thousand dollars of the
23 assessed value of property in the county in accordance with the terms
24 of this section.
25 (2) Any tax imposed under this section shall be used as follows:
26 (a) The first one cent for expanding transit capacity along state
27 route number 520 by adding core and other supporting bus routes;
Oops, for got understrike wouldn’t work. I had thought King County already had a lower limit than the rest of the State. The total taxing authority is less but they were only using 5.5 cents to fund the ferry district and that had a surplus. Opening this up for new purposes will undoubtedly increase property tax without a vote of the people.
The lids are part of the new flyer stop design so I guess Rep. Hunter and Eddy and Senator Tom feel that if Medina and Kirkland have to pay for passenger only ferries to Vashon it’s only fair Vashon (and everyone else) fund the lids at Hunts Point, Evergreen Point and Yarrow Point.
Bernie, the 520 money is to pay for operating the 45 buses Metro will buy with their Urban Partnership grant to increase service on 520. WSDOT is paying for the lids. No need to give King County taxing authority for that.
Why isn’t that coming from the sub area equity money that’s piling up under ST1 and 2 that was supposed to fund more bus transit on the eastside?
Because King County will be using the money to operate Metro routes, not Sound Transit routes.
Another point about ST I observed today, but it might be off-topic. Is Sound Transit getting the SOUNDER Coaches they lent to Metrolink back. I saw a strange thing on the Starlight tonight. First I thought I was seeing through the window of the Jack in the Box I was eating at SOUNDER cars being pulled by Amtrak Locomotives(2 Genesis locomotives), but it was just two coaches, then the baggage cars and the rest of the Starlight appeared. If it is true Sound Transit is reclaiming their cars, I wonder if they are getting all the coaches back?
ST should be getting back all the coaches leased to Metrolink in the LA basin – not sure about the renamed “Baby Bullets” used in the SF Peninsula service. Metrolink are borrowing some cars from Utah (ex NJ Comets) and Virginia to tide them over until new cars get delivered.
Another texting train crash. I hope STB posts about it.
We will not be getting the Caltrain cars back. Those were sold to Caltrain if I remember correctly. The cars returning from Metrolink will cover the Sound Move 9 R/T’s Seattle – Tacoma, 4 R/T’s Seattle – Everett.
Brian