The Seattle Transportation Levy: Join us at council hearings to advocate for safe biking
- Together, our advocacy added bike investments totalling $114 million in the Mayor's Proposed Levy. We need to secure the $114 million and push for more.
- The City Council now has 6 weeks to finalize the proposal before voting it onto the November Seattle ballot for voters to get their say. Sign up to join us at upcoming public hearing dates on the Seattle Transportation Levy to make sure Council knows biking investments matter and should not be cut.
- Read below for a reminder of where Council members stood on biking when they were on the campaign trail last year. (hint: they all said they support biking)
Tyler Vasquez
What’s funded in the Seattle Transportation Levy is a big deal.
The Levy makes up 30 percent of the transportation budget and is where the vast majority of local dollars fund Seattle’s bike network come from. With the Move Seattle Levy expiring, the size and focus of the new Levy took shape over the last year, and Seattle voters will get the chance to renew the Levy this November.
Last month, people who bike – or want to – in Seattle sent hundreds of messages to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s team to support boosting the bike funding proposed in the initial Levy draft. Advocates flooded inboxes requesting additional funds to invest in bike routes in South Seattle. Your calls were successful!
Now, the Mayor’s Transportation Levy, with a total of $114 million for new and improved bike routes, plus better bike lane maintenance, is being scrutinized by the Seattle City Council, which must vote it onto the November ballot at the end of June.
The Levy proposal in front of Council will help close the divide of biking haves and have-nots. For too long, only North Seattle and downtown have been prioritized, leaving areas like SODO to face deadly consequences. But there’s a lot of room to make the levy more boldly address Seattle’s transportation challenges, especially safety. Join us to speak up for safer biking at the Monday, May 21 City Council hearing!
As Council shapes the levy to reflect its priorities, we’re advocating for increased funding across the board for multimodal investments, including for the bike network. The Mayor’s proposal commits to completing a few critical bike network projects (Beacon Ave and S Henderson), and getting others started (connecting Southpark to the Green River Trail and filling short gaps between SODO, Georgetown, and downtown).
We need additional dollars to help complete those essential projects for safe biking in South Seattle during the lifetime of the Levy and more of the connections we highlighted last month in the Seattle bike network map:
Does the Council Know Biking Matters to their Constituents?
It’s a fair question. Six out of the nine Council members have less than six months of experience on the Seattle City Council. The newness of Council had us reaching for the 2023 Washington Bikes Council Candidate Scorecard, which all but one sitting council member completed last year.
To put it simply, this City Council said they would invest in bike infrastructure and prioritize building the South Seattle Bike Network faster. We believe the Transportation Levy is the perfect chance for them to prove they were truthful to Washington Bikes and the bike community.
View it for yourself. Below is the candidate scorecard that our sister organization, WA Bikes, put together for our current City Council members:
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D1: Rob Saka |
D2: Tammy Morales |
D3: Joy Hollings-worth |
D4: Maritza Rivera |
D5: Cathy Moore |
D6: |
D7: Bob |
D8: Tanya Woo* |
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1. Will vote for a transportation levy to significantly fund biking, walking and transit? |
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2. Will identify new revenue for multi-modal investments? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
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3. Supports prioritizing safety of people over speed of cars? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
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4. Agrees all road projects must include safety upgrades? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
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5. Will speed up delivery of Seattle bike network, especially South Seattle? |
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ANSWER |
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6. Supports building bike lanes on arterial streets? |
YES |
YES |
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YES |
YES |
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YES |
YES |
* Tanya Woo provided these answers when she was running for D2 seat. She was appointed to D8 in January. Washington Bikes also asked the candidates each a question about a District-specific issue or bike network priority. Here are those answers:
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Questions |
Response |
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D1: Rob Saka |
YES |
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D2: Tammy Morales |
YES |
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D3: Joy Hollingsworth Support current design (including bike lanes) of Eastlake Ave upgrades? |
NO ANSWER |
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D4: Maritza Rivera Will advocate investment in safe bike connection across I-5? |
YES |
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D5: Cathy Moore Will ID near-term funds for Aurora as a complete street? |
YES |
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D6: Dan Strauss A rebuilt Shilshole Ave NW should include safe bike infrastructure? |
NO ANSWER |
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D7: Bob Kettle West side bike lane on Alaskan Way with detours only during cruise hours? |
NO ANSWER |
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D8: Tanya Woo Will identify funding for the Beacon Hill bike route? |
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Add your voice during the 6 week council sprint to the finish!
As Council finalizes the Levy plan, it’s critical they hear that biking matters to Seattle voters as well as people who work, shop, and play in the city. Please make comment at one of the two public hearings coming up:
Dates and Locations:
- May 21, 4:30 p.m. – Public Hearing at Seattle City Hall (virtual option available)
- June 4, 4:30 p.m. – Public Hearing at Seattle City Hall (virtual option available)
Additionally, mark your calendars for these important dates:
- June 18, 10:30 a.m. – City Council proposes their amendments to the Transportation Levy
- July 2, 10:20 a.m. – City Council votes on the Transportation Levy
Join us to speak out about better biking in the Transportation Levy.
The dates that we're watching:
For more information on cascade’s advocacy, especially on Seattle’s Transportation Levy, follow us on X (@CascadeBicycle) and Instagram (@CascadeBicycle).
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