The new Transit Riders’ Union, together with Amalgamated Transit Union 587, is holding their first big event to agitate for more transit funding:

Date: Wednesday April 4, 2012
Starting Point: 11 AM, 6th and Royal Brougham (Northbound)
Rally Point: 11:30 AM, Westlake Park, 4th and Pine

After a rally at Westlake, we will be taking our message to the buses and to the streets, flyering along 3rd Avenue and at Westlake until 6 PM. Join us if you can!

This is part of a “nationwide day of action.” Here’s my report on what the new TRU is all about.

30 Replies to “TRU “Day of Action” Tomorrow”

    2. We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

      It’s up to the voters to decide.

      1. [ot]

        I think you see my point. I am pro-mass transit. I am just against screaming that its an entitlement up there with freedom of religion, freedom of the press, right to bear arms, etcetera.

        Roads are for the general welfare, if we’re lucky mass transit is for 5% of us – I wish it was 75%!

      2. Bill of Rights came later and in my opinion, are less important than these founding principles.

  3. No argument on this one, Mike- just so you and WPC understand that same applies to driving, parking, building roads for, and fueling an automobile.

    Right now chief obstacle to general freedom to travel is huge number of cars standing still in traffic lanes. Fueled by petroleum necessitating large numbers of US soldiers being killed and disabled securing supplies in parts of the world that were never in our sphere of influence.

    And also requiring domestic activities that threaten rights like drinking water and breathing air- 10th Amendment if nowhere else, where you could also locate workable language on both transit and the beneficial use of automobiles.

    Every discussion of “rights” needs to start with one recognition: The United States of America was founded during the Age of Reason.

    Mark Dublin

  4. I don’t want my tax dollars paying for Mikes military retirement check anymore. Since he’ll refuse to fund mine at the county. What are your solutions Mike to transportation? Are you currently working with a private company to get in the buisness of moving people around? No, probably just looking for a way to support your ideology that is against any role for government. You’re right public transportation is a service that has been supported by the good citizens of King County (that’s not you Mike)for over 40 years. I’ll take their collective wisdom over your narrow point of view. And it is the TRU’s right to advocate for that service in the streets of Seattle.

  5. TRU needs to fix that logo. The wheels on that bus are driving it 45 degrees to the left of center.

  6. It is a huge mistake to think our bus system is like other larger cities and tie transit activism up with the Occupy movement.

    I would assume the commute demographics in King County mean a majority of our riders are white and middle or even upper class.

    1. I think the demographic between Los Angeles MTA and Metro Transit are fairly similar.

      The difference is that LA took operations funds away from buses to operate rail. Seattle’s rail is overseen by a separate agency from the local buses, the rail operation fees likely providing a small bump to bus operations.

      1. The I know the average Metro riders makes more than the average King County resident. That is probably even more evident with ST and CT service.

      2. I can testify that the demographic of LA Metro (or “Los Angeles MTA” as you call it) and KC Metro are, like the two cities, quite very, very different.

  7. Do they not know where the state capitol is? Do they not know how easy it is to get there by public transportation? Preaching to a choir that has all the funding appropriated that they can get serves no purpose but to cause grief and suffering.

    Brian Bradford

  10. This plan to “Occupy Trasit” seems a little aggressive. My concern is that it will turn off and alienate the very people it needs to have on its side. Pro-Transit should not equal militancy.

  11. Martin, would have put this in sooner, but had to work tonight. Sorry to be party to putting something so far off-topic you’d shut it down.

    I’m somewhat confused about exactly what the Transit Riders’ Union is planning for tomorrow that’s drawing so much heat. Very glad to hear that ATU Local 587 is involved.

    Handing out leaflets asking passengers to help raise more money for transit on a Wednesday afternoon is more likely to draw encouragement and support than the opposite.

    Will attend if I can. Thanks for the notice.

    Mark Dublin

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