“Yay! Metro is Saved” (By Killing the Ride-Free Area?)

At his press conference, someone should ask Dow what he intends to do about people who refuse to pay their bus fare.

“One we left off—we didn’t think it was newsworthy because it seemed like
an obvious donation to us—was this: $200,000 from the Washington State
Central Democratic Committee.”

See, gidge, I told you it wouldn’t take long.

The ride free area is a thing of the past.  I think the system will operate better without it.  For instance the entire need to have different times to pay will be gone.

The ride free area is a thing of the past.  I think the system will operate better without it.  For instance the entire need to have different times to pay will be gone.

How about reporting that McKenna received money from credit card companies (American Express: $500), payday lenders (Ace Cash: $400) and general doers of evil (Monsanto: $250)?

How about reporting that McKenna received money from credit card companies (American Express: $500), payday lenders (Ace Cash: $400) and general doers of evil (Monsanto: $250)?

#1 – “King County Executive Dow Constantine is holding a press conference
today  announcing a deal on Metro funding and the vehicle license fee.”

I thought that we didn’t like backroom negotiated compromise deals by elected officials!!!

#2 – I thought we already voted this down last year. Why is it that when we voted on a cut and cover tunnel (kind of similar but very different from the DBT) years ago, anti-DBT always reference it as if the people have spoken, but everyone seems happy to vote again on a similar but very different booze initiative.

#3 – Quick search on publicola
“sugar-daddy” – 1x in story above regarding Eyman/Dunmire
“sugar daddy” – used 5x: 1x Publicola/HugeAssCity; 2x Eyman/Dunmire; 1x Eyman/Freeman; 1x TEA Party/Koch

See a trend? Funny, this term was never used once in relation to Bill Gates Sr.

Employees at those companies or the companies?

Just like we do today, the bus driver will mumble and look at his steering wheel, the other riders will look away with embarrassed expressions, and the young thug ( it usually is ) will sit in the back and harass some old person.

Welcome to Seatte

Just like we do today, the bus driver will mumble and look at his steering wheel, the other riders will look away with embarrassed expressions, and the young thug ( it usually is ) will sit in the back and harass some old person.

Welcome to Seatte

Killing the ride free area would be one hell of a start.

Drivers are specifically prohibited – by written policy – from challenging or denying service to anyone refusing to pay their fare.

A fact.

Who signed the policy?  Someone should ask Dow if he intends to change that policy.

Oh shit, Bigot Don has escaped from UseNet.

That’s been the policy for decades.  A major prerequisite to assaults on drivers are fare disputes.  The policy says that if someone refuses to or does not pay, the driver is to “state the correct fare – once – and only if comfortable doing so.  No fare disputes.”

The alternative is turning drivers into cops – not our job, not safe to do, not in the best interest of safe and timely operation of the bus.

That’s been the policy for decades.  A major prerequisite to assaults on drivers are fare disputes.  The policy says that if someone refuses to or does not pay, the driver is to “state the correct fare – once – and only if comfortable doing so.  No fare disputes.”

The alternative is turning drivers into cops – not our job, not safe to do, not in the best interest of safe and timely operation of the bus.

Another alternative is turning drivers into the unemployed.  I think voters will get sick of having their hands continually bitten.

. . .or Metro could put fare enforcement officers on buses at random like Sound Transit does with the Link light rail. 

Drivers aren’t cops, security officers, mediators or ninjas.  We’re there to safely operate the bus – not prompt some miscreant to spit on us, hit us, stab us or even kill us over a lousy fucking $2.50 fare.  And if you think about it – you don’t WANT us to be.

This is a good business policy too. Why waste hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, if some idiot doesn’t want to pay? Not to mention endangering employees and the time wasted of the other customers.

Nevertheless, it might become increasingly difficult to convince taxpayers to pony up more, more, more if they feel the people they entrust with their money are not doing anything about crooks stealing it.

Nevertheless, it might become increasingly difficult to convince taxpayers to pony up more, more, more if they feel the people they entrust with their money are not doing anything about crooks stealing it.

Thank god we won’t have “mini-marts and corner stores turning into liquor stores.”  Instead, people will have to DRIVE THEIR CARS out to shoreline and burien to go to megastores to buy liquor, then when they get there they will doubtless buy PALLETS OF BOOZE not just one bottle.  This will go a long way to tamping down the overdrinking and dangers of booze.

Thank god we won’t have “mini-marts and corner stores turning into liquor stores.”  Instead, people will have to DRIVE THEIR CARS out to shoreline and burien to go to megastores to buy liquor, then when they get there they will doubtless buy PALLETS OF BOOZE not just one bottle.  This will go a long way to tamping down the overdrinking and dangers of booze.

Keep an eye out for whether the ride free zone persists in the tunnel. If so, this wouldn’t be much of a loss at all.

Keep an eye out for whether the ride free zone persists in the tunnel. If so, this wouldn’t be much of a loss at all.

_ L-O-O-O-O-T…loot-loot…LOOOOOOOOO-O-O-O-O-T
    /
  /              Libruls HOOTin’ YIPPin’ SHUCKin’ and JIVin’
o_II_-__-__—–____________ —————-/========================
 I_________I__I I  PS8Scum  I I  LOOTers  I I  Mobile Needle Exchange I
/-o–0-0-0-0~~~~~o=o~==~o=o~~~o==o~~~~~~o==o~~~o=o=o~~~~~~~~~~o=o=o~~~~

_ L-O-O-O-O-T…loot-loot…LOOOOOOOOO-O-O-O-O-T
    /
  /              Libruls HOOTin’ YIPPin’ SHUCKin’ and JIVin’
o_II_-__-__—–____________ —————-/========================
 I_________I__I I  PS8Scum  I I  LOOTers  I I  Mobile Needle Exchange I
/-o–0-0-0-0~~~~~o=o~==~o=o~~~o==o~~~~~~o==o~~~o=o=o~~~~~~~~~~o=o=o~~~~

@731d5d807934ba1639a34c6e8b533504:disqus or it could please taxpayers to know that they are not wasting thousands of dollars or more in L&I claims and lawsuits when a bus driver gets attacked. Or wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn our bus system into a police state. Learn a bit about how businesses function and you’ll see that theft is just a cost of doing business that’s not worth pursuing on an ROI metric.

Given two unpalatable choices, Jakers, the voters might choose C: None of the above.

Yeah, that’s the one.

What kind of people refuse to pay then beat up drivers?

Oh, that’s right….never mind. Just look at the floor and put away your iPhone when you see ‘them’ coming.

What kind of people refuse to pay then beat up drivers?

Oh, that’s right….never mind. Just look at the floor and put away your iPhone when you see ‘them’ coming.

an infamous USENET legend , BigDon was

an infamous USENET legend , BigDon was

Why do you bite on this troll’s bait? He’s just trying to take this discussion off-topic, and at first glance, succeeding.

Don’t feed the trolls!

The one thing that it the new liquor initiative has going for it is effectively shuts out boutique shops like Malt&Vine and The Bottle Shop from stocking any unique liquors they think their clientele might like. Large stores like Costco and supermarkets will be the only place to buy hard alcohol, which will eventually reduce selection and raise prices even higher. Large stores depend on volume sales, add to that the cost of shelf space and there’s no way that these stores will give up any of it to low volume specialty items.

Before any of you vote yes on this initiative, I highly recommend watching the movie Beer Wars so you can see what an uphill battle small companies face against the big distributors.

The one thing that it the new liquor initiative has going for it is effectively shuts out boutique shops like Malt&Vine and The Bottle Shop from stocking any unique liquors they think their clientele might like. Large stores like Costco and supermarkets will be the only place to buy hard alcohol, which will eventually reduce selection and raise prices even higher. Large stores depend on volume sales, add to that the cost of shelf space and there’s no way that these stores will give up any of it to low volume specialty items.

Before any of you vote yes on this initiative, I highly recommend watching the movie Beer Wars so you can see what an uphill battle small companies face against the big distributors.

The one thing that it the new liquor initiative has going for it is effectively shuts out boutique shops like Malt&Vine and The Bottle Shop from stocking any unique liquors they think their clientele might like. Large stores like Costco and supermarkets will be the only place to buy hard alcohol, which will eventually reduce selection and raise prices even higher. Large stores depend on volume sales, add to that the cost of shelf space and there’s no way that these stores will give up any of it to low volume specialty items.

Before any of you vote yes on this initiative, I highly recommend watching the movie Beer Wars so you can see what an uphill battle small companies face against the big distributors.

Killing the ride-free area means that in the afternoon peak, everybody boarding downtown has to enter through the front door and pay at the farebox, greatly increasing dwell times. Buses will back up at bus stops, and the system will slow down.

Maybe those suburban councilmembers should talk to their constituents once in a while, at least those who commute by bus to/from downtown Seattle. They may not be so thrilled with this development.

The RFA has more going for it than just free rides.

Killing the ride-free area means that in the afternoon peak, everybody boarding downtown has to enter through the front door and pay at the farebox, greatly increasing dwell times. Buses will back up at bus stops, and the system will slow down.

Maybe those suburban councilmembers should talk to their constituents once in a while, at least those who commute by bus to/from downtown Seattle. They may not be so thrilled with this development.

The RFA has more going for it than just free rides.

Killing the ride-free area means that in the afternoon peak, everybody boarding downtown has to enter through the front door and pay at the farebox, greatly increasing dwell times. Buses will back up at bus stops, and the system will slow down.

Maybe those suburban councilmembers should talk to their constituents once in a while, at least those who commute by bus to/from downtown Seattle. They may not be so thrilled with this development.

The RFA has more going for it than just free rides.

Please ban him and Monster! 

I have to think that *most* people who actually ride in the free ride area are also Orca card holders so this should not be a big deal.  I hope!  It does piss me off that Seattle is forever getting screwed by the King County Council.  I miss Dwight Pelz on the Council. *sigh*

“Maybe those suburban councilmembers should talk to their constituents once in a while”….at least those who don’t ride the bus. They may be just fine with letting those who do ride the bus using a taxpayor subsidy to have to wait a little bit to get on the bus!

Also, KC Metro could move the far boxes back a little and create a waiting area in the front where people can board and then pay as they get a chance to move back or when they need to exit. Everyone enters the front, exits in the back and passes the fare box at some point along the way (this is how many cities in Brazil, where transit ridership is much, much, much higher, run their buses).

I miss Greg Nickles in the Mayor’s office

actually having an orca reader in the back would be good too, other countries have that.  As well as roving fare inspectors…

The dwell time by having everyone pay will be offset by having a streamlined system where people use one door to load and another to exit instead of the free-for-all we have now. Plus, you’ll have fewer people getting on the bus – many downtown riders are currently ‘freeloaders’ who would not get on the bus and pay $2+ to ride a few blocks.

Actually, people will DRIVE THEIR CARS to the grocery store, when they normally go shopping, and buy booze. This way they don’t have to make a SPECIAL TRIP to buy at another time.

10,000 sq. ft is not very large. Costco will obviously have a narrow amount of choices, but a store such as Ken’s Market (not sure if it’s 10,000 ft but would be close) will be able to sell liquor as well.

The advantage is that you have multiple stores making choices on what to stock rather than one monopolistic decision maker such as the system that Washington has now.

The purpose of the “loophole” in item 2 is to allow stores in the middle of nowhere, that may not be 10,000 sq. ft, to be able to obtain a license to sell booze.

Let’s take the town of Marblemount for example. Currently, to go to the liquor store you would have to drive to Concrete (16 miles), Darrington (26 miles), or Winthrop (87 miles). If they were able to get an exemption they would be able to stock liquor in the local store, whether or not it was 10,000 sq. ft.

The purpose of the “loophole” in item 2 is to allow stores in the middle of nowhere, that may not be 10,000 sq. ft, to be able to obtain a license to sell booze.

Let’s take the town of Marblemount for example. Currently, to go to the liquor store you would have to drive to Concrete (16 miles), Darrington (26 miles), or Winthrop (87 miles). If they were able to get an exemption they would be able to stock liquor in the local store, whether or not it was 10,000 sq. ft.

The purpose of the “loophole” in item 2 is to allow stores in the middle of nowhere, that may not be 10,000 sq. ft, to be able to obtain a license to sell booze.

Let’s take the town of Marblemount for example. Currently, to go to the liquor store you would have to drive to Concrete (16 miles), Darrington (26 miles), or Winthrop (87 miles). If they were able to get an exemption they would be able to stock liquor in the local store, whether or not it was 10,000 sq. ft.

Or we could add Orca readers at the back doors of the coaches and start making Orca the standard, even for folks who aren’t getting subsidized passes at work. Rather than giving out tickets, Metro could give out $20 Orca cards instead. Use this as an opportunity to get folks more accustomed to using Orca.

You could let people ride free in the tunnel on inbound buses. I’ll bet that would work.

I agree, let’s punish the bus riders! Faggots.

Not very large is exactly why you won’t see niche liquors at places like Ken’s Market. Shelf space is expensive. It’s not worth having items collect dust when they can stock items that move. They’ll have no incentive to ask whoever gets the distribution contract for low volume items. Look at the craft beer selection they have, it’s no different than what I have at my local Red Apple or Fred Meyer.

nothing like the cries of the weak minded trying to suppress speach they don’t like. classic fascist methodology, but that is seattle progressives for you.

more and more Dow has proven him self to be the leader we need.

So does every major business in the area.  They’ve still got the Seattle City Council though.

All the conservatives are just upset because they’re a hopeless minority in Seattle, and decade by decade increasingly in King County.

All the conservatives are just upset because they’re a hopeless minority in Seattle, and decade by decade increasingly in King County.

yet we still manage to prevent all your wild progressive dreams from coming true. 

besides you know what they say about hopeless minorities and marginalized people, they get violent…. similar to if a school yard was to get shot up or a federal building destroyed.

so keep gloating.

Not necessarily. During the afternoon peak no one pays when they enter now, they pay when they leave.  During the morning peak, they pay when they enter inbound to downtown.

It might have a slight effect in the sense that those exiting within the ride free area would not get to use the back door, but overall, traffic conditions impact times more than “dwell” times do when going outbound from downtown.

Without the Free Ride Zone, the number of no-pays will be greatly reduced.  The problem was that people would get on the bus downtown, where they didn’t need to pay, and then hop off without paying when the bus reached their neighborhood.  Now, if they want on the bus, they must pay first.  The whole Free Ride Area scheme was a typical liberal do-gooder idea anyway, meaning it had nothing to do with reality or common sense.

If they are a hopeless minority in Seattle, there should be dozens of non-profit advocacy groups siphoning taxpayer money from the public schools and other government agencies to help improve their lot.

If they are a hopeless minority in Seattle, there should be dozens of non-profit advocacy groups siphoning taxpayer money from the public schools and other government agencies to help improve their lot.

I think you’re right about people skipping on fares. However, I seem to recall the downtown business community initially helping to form the ride-free area.  So, I wonder, has there been a cost-benefit analysis done on this, as must have been done to justify establishing the zone in the first place?

I’m know selection varies from store to store (even within chains), but the Ken’s near me does alright with its beers.  It’s better than most larger stores.  I mean, it’s obviously no Beer Mart, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re selling more than just beer and beer acoutremments.

And let us not forget that many supermarkets will gladly special order items for customers.

So, basically, if you don’t get your way, and the majority does, you think you might end up as a terrorist?

well it worked for the minorities in London.

I asked him–He says he’s going to personally rip their balls off with his bare hand and shove them in your mouth.

Whites are a minority in London?

it wasnt mainly whites doing the rioting.

The whole ride free area was originally done because Martin Selig paid a prorated amount to cover the costs so people would ride out to the buildings he built.

Your dreamworld posts get more amusing by the day. 

Name the last Republican mayor of Seattle.

Want better transit?

Issue members of King County Council and Seattle County Council cab licenses and put them out on the street to serve.

I thought the free ride zone was a sop to tourists, so they don’t hurt their tender feet walking from Westlake Center to the aquarium. It’s ridiculous — good riddance. Maybe buses can move faster now.

I thought the free ride zone was a sop to tourists, so they don’t hurt their tender feet walking from Westlake Center to the aquarium. It’s ridiculous — good riddance. Maybe buses can move faster now.

I thought the free ride zone was a sop to tourists, so they don’t hurt their tender feet walking from Westlake Center to the aquarium. It’s ridiculous — good riddance. Maybe buses can move faster now.

I thought the free ride zone was a sop to tourists, so they don’t hurt their tender feet walking from Westlake Center to the aquarium. It’s ridiculous — good riddance. Maybe buses can move faster now.