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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Metro Riders Have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome

Morning Fizz   March 2, 2011 at 8:22 am Morning Fizz

1. One political factor we didn’t mention in our post about Seattle’s potential annexation of White Center yesterday: The debate is shaping up to be (yet another) battle between city council president Richard Conlin and Mayor Mike McGinn. McGinn, who initially supported annexation (he wanted to put it on the ballot last year), now opposes it, while Conlin is reportedly pushing for a speedy approval.

2. We’ll have more to say about Metro’s new strategic plan later today (good news: No more 40/40/20!), but we just had to share this chart, which lays out what Metro riders say they care about (on a scale of “big deal” to “not a big deal”) and the frequency of various problems Metro riders encounter (on a scale of “high numbers of problems” to “low number of problems.”)

From the looks of it, Metro riders have a bit of Stockholm syndrome: Although lack of seats and rude or unsafe drivers are apparently a major problem, most riders say they’re not a big deal, suggesting that maybe they’ve just gotten used to it.

3. Two footnotes on yesterday’s Afternoon Jolt, when we A) gave the day’s loser to the 15,000 people who were kicked of the Basic Health Plan; and B)  gave the day’s winner to Puget Sound after the state senate passed its version of the oil spill cleanup bill.

Footnote #1. The 96 to 2 state house vote denying subsidized health care to undocumented immigrants and/or a family of three making more than $24,000 a year—starred Reps. Andrew Billig (D-3, Spokane) (a freshman) and Marko Liias (D-21, Edmonds) who cast the ‘No’ votes.

Footnote #2. We were a little too generous about the senate version of the oil spill bill.

The house version, which passed the day before, requires oil companies to upgrade their oil spill response capabilities with better equipment and planning. The senate version simply expands a company’s liability. With the senate’s limited version now in play, Fizz is afraid Puget Sound may actually wind up as a loser when all is said and done this session.

4. This morning, the Seattle Times nudges the school scandal story  where it needs to go: What about the contractors who were providing the iffy services? Times writer Jim Brunner reports on the Urban League, which was the biggest recipient ($600,000) of contracts from the suspect program.

For one thing, Brunner has the scoop that Mayor McGinn canceled a $500,000 contract with the Urban League for submitting vague and inaccurate invoices on its youth violence prevention program contract.

 

 


  • CDBaby

    Dig a little deeper. Key words: Washington Mutual, Bob Flowers, Seattle School Board, African American Heratige Museum and Cultural Center, Urban League, Condominiums.

  • ratcityreprobate

    Re. #4. Yes, the news reporters at the ST do a much better than usual job this morning in three or four articles about the SPS fiasco. The self serving, ass covering editorial however, is another matter. Having read innumerable fawning editorials about MG-J in the ST by that credulous hack Lynn Varner the unsigned editorial this morning is beyond the pale. They should have offered an apology to the citizens of Seattle for their past complicity in deception and announced the departure of Varner. That or politely kept their mouth shut as they have no credibility.

  • ratcityreprobate

    Re. #4. Yes, the news reporters at the ST do a much better than usual job this morning in three or four articles about the SPS fiasco. The self serving, ass covering editorial however, is another matter. Having read innumerable fawning editorials about MG-J in the ST by that credulous hack Lynn Varner the unsigned editorial this morning is beyond the pale. They should have offered an apology to the citizens of Seattle for their past complicity in deception and announced the departure of Varner. That or politely kept their mouth shut as they have no credibility.

  • Verd1n

    I thought I-200 was approved so that everyone, not just the connected black community, could get a fair shot at bidding on public contracts.

  • ivan

    What ratcityreprobate said goes double for me.

  • superman question

    what’s the dropout rate for seattle schools?

  • Blue Light

    I don’t think Publicola is the arbitor of where the Seattle Public Schools scandal “needs to go”. I’m guessing PC (can I call you PC?) won’t want it to “go” to a full look at how public monies are being misappropriated to politically-connected “non-profits” in furtherance of a Democrat/union agenda.

  • ivan

    You silly bastard, it’s anything BUT a “Democrat/union agenda.” Anybody paying even the slightest attention has known for years that Goodloe-Johnson and her cronies HATE the unions.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    Or maybe Metro riders care more about access to fast service vs always having a seat vs standing, or for drivers more focused on the road and on-time delivery than on being cheery rays of sunshine? I equate it to air travel and UPS: yes, sometimes my UPS person is wonderful to chat with, and yes, sometimes I get a pilot that is equal parts Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Nye, and Tony Bourdain sharing cultural, travel, and comedy bon mots, but I’m equally fine with the guy that says

    “Heres your box”
    or
    “We’ll be arriving in 2 hours” and that’s it. If it’s on time and gets me there, I could care less if I have to stand once in a while. That’s life.

    People’s expectations are out of whack. I watched one lady board the 18 the other week on Elliot by F5 who loudly announced, “Driver, please let me off at Pike & Pine. I need to be there in 10 minutes.” Seriously, what? She had an Orca card so she obviously had a fraction of a clue how the whole ‘public bus’ model globally works in general.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    Or maybe Metro riders care more about access to fast service vs always having a seat vs standing, or for drivers more focused on the road and on-time delivery than on being cheery rays of sunshine? I equate it to air travel and UPS: yes, sometimes my UPS person is wonderful to chat with, and yes, sometimes I get a pilot that is equal parts Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Nye, and Tony Bourdain sharing cultural, travel, and comedy bon mots, but I’m equally fine with the guy that says

    “Heres your box”
    or
    “We’ll be arriving in 2 hours” and that’s it. If it’s on time and gets me there, I could care less if I have to stand once in a while. That’s life.

    People’s expectations are out of whack. I watched one lady board the 18 the other week on Elliot by F5 who loudly announced, “Driver, please let me off at Pike & Pine. I need to be there in 10 minutes.” Seriously, what? She had an Orca card so she obviously had a fraction of a clue how the whole ‘public bus’ model globally works in general.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    Oh, and nothing about the Port gang boss getting a 9% raise voted on yesterday, to almost $400,000 a year, when teachers and cops are taking layoffs or pay cuts?

  • Josh Feit

    Blue Light,

    PubliCola does not shy away from stories that are unflattering to the “Democratic/union agenda.” First of all, we broke and dogged the Moxie Media story: http://publicola.com/2010/10/28/commission-recommends-forwarding-moxie-media-case-to-attorney-general/

    And we have given a ton of ink to the WEA vs. ed reformers story. A good place to start to follow our coverage of that issue is here: http://publicola.com/2011/02/16/dissident-teachers-union-member-testifes-in-favor-of-ed-reform-bill/

    As for the Seattle Schools Story, I think the Seattle Times coverage this morning was the right step in getting to the bottom of any larger corruption.

  • Anonymous

    here’s the story, in case Publicola missed it:
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014368706_portpay02m.html

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    In most scenarios, I’d say, “Good for him,” but as the Port isn’t profitable at the moment AND it’s a King County government income, this was frankly a retarded vote to even have, in one of my rarer “The conservatives are right on this one” moments. The morons who voted to approve this with things the way they are deserve a swift kick in the balls.

  • Justininindia

    And in a world with a level playing field, without any history of racism or oppression, without banks redlining and refusing to loan to minority-owned business for decades, without favoritism for white- and male-owned business going back decades, you’d be somewhat right.

    But unfortunately, we live in a world where minority-owned businesses were kept from developing the capacity necessary to compete for these contracts — through a combination of both overt and institutional racism. This program was there not to give contracts to “connected” minority communities, but to build their capacity to compete fairly for these contracts.

    The worst tragedy of the whole story is that it allows people like you to pretend that the most marginalized communities in the city are somehow more “connected” and are in fact marginalizing white people…when nothing could be further from the truth.

  • Blue Light

    Please try to post without name-calling. It cheapens the discussion.

  • http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/ Jeff Welch

    Of all the things indicated in this chart – why the comparison of Metro riders to hostages? Why not a headline indicating the highest priority indicated by riders is ON TIME PERFORMANCE?? Bus drivers have been advocating for better scheduling in response to audit-based re-working of schedules for the last year. How about some real reporting for a change? Start here:
    http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/video-rtc-meeting-video-available/

    -jw

  • http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/ Jeff Welch

    . . .or maybe the driver is cranky because they haven’t gotten a meal break or have to take a leak.
    http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/layoverrecovery-time-and-operator-rest-periods/

  • http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/ Jeff Welch

    I’m also kind of wondering in this analogy if you guys are comparing bus passengers to hostages and kidnap victims – do you not see who you’re comparing bus drivers to?

    Come on, guys. Seriously.

  • Barleywine

    ivan is correct on this one.
    He’s been wanting to get rid of Goodloe-Johnson for years.

  • Barleywine

    I agree, and “like” your comment.
    But I have also seen preference given to companies with crap to offer, merely because they were minority/women/disabled owned.

    And if two or three of those applied, there was no way to get around buying this crap. Just have to buy the crap, throw it away, then buy the workable stuff out of different funds.

    That’s not good, is it? That wasn’t the intent, I’m sure.

  • d.p.

    For the last time, Jeff.

    The higher proportion of downtime that you like to euphamistically call “better scheduling” actually translates to “lower frequency.”

    And lower frequency invariably leads to an uneven distribution of riders and externalities, thus less reliability, thus a longer trip for all.

    So since what you advocate flies directly in the face of all cumulative best-practices precedent, would you please give it a rest?

  • http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/ Jeff Welch

    Double Penetration,

    For the last time – no it doesn’t. Buses running late (which is what these scheduling tweaks are causing – late operation is up 5-6%) translates to lower frequency. It also translates into bus drivers not having time to tend to basic personal needs – like using the restroom.

    So what you advocate flies in the face of COMMON FUCKING SENSE.

  • d.p.

    Would you please explain, in your infinite wisdom, how running the same number of buses on a route, but increasing the scheduled downtime, does not lower frequency (far more than 5-6%).

    High-frequency public transit experiences fewer hiccups; those hiccups do less cumulative damage; drivers therefore have less chance of arriving super-late; actual downtime increases without the need for extra scheduled downtime.

    You advocate for sending the above cycle in the other direction, and you are wrong!