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Rainier & 39th, Sometime after 10pm / Thanks for that Vote!

11/6/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
"I'ma be real wit choo, man. You deserve to be driver uh duh year. Every time I see you you be friendly. You be gettin' out and helpin' somebody. And not jus' this year, but every single time, you be tellin' em where we at, lettin' people know. Really though. Dude. If it was a vote, I'd be votin' for you."

He came all the way from the very back to say that, this kid. He'd stalked up here from the nether regions of the bus, pulling his headphones down around his neck, this adolescent boy dressed in classic thuggy teen gear, visually indistinguishable from the thoughtless, glum and confrontational youth persona we're all familiar with, the fellow you're supposed to be wary of on your walk home. 

But here he was, one of the very same, sharing such unabashedly unhip praise. I don't know specifically what inspired him. I'd just hopped out of the bus to help a Latino boy learn how to use the bike rack. Of course I blush at his kind words, but I'm blown away less by what he said than the fact that he felt the need to say it, to walk all the way up here and go to the trouble of expressing his adamant approval for those most utterly uncool of attributes– decency, graciousness. Altruism. 

Who says virtues are lost on the youth?

--

Once again, regarding my current show, which is one of my all-time favorites and one of the better shows I've ever been in, is closing! Last chance to see 150 small works! I'll be there from 5pm to 6:30 only. Stop on by if you can!

--

And much more importantly, THANK YOU, you lovely Seattle voters, for voting yes on buses! Without knowing it, this boy thanks you. The great human collective thanks you, the churning organism that keeps this city alive, the fastest-growing city in the nation.  No major city doesn't also have an excellent transit infrastructure, and no city with a great rail network doesn't also have killer bus service. Seattle doesn't just need to preserve its system, but to expand, and this measure allows for that. Incredibly, we'll finally be looking at service changes that aren't just a bunch of reductions. People working in the off hours or unusual commutes will be able to keep their jobs, allowing the city to keep thriving. I'll be able to continue the blog, to keep riding the bus everywhere, and I won't be laid off! Honestly, how can I thank you enough?

The new service hours will largely go into maintaining the current network and beefing up existing service with added runs and frequency. But look also for a possible split of the C and D with new service on those routes to South Lake Union and SODO, as well as extending the daytime 70/71-series express pattern into the evenings and Sundays. Details here. For myself, I'd love to see some more wire! And the 280 restored! One can hope!

4 Comments
Ian link
11/6/2014 03:32:02 am

I'm super stoked the measure passed too! I'm glad the 47 is back, as weird of a little route as it is it provides some much needed connectivity on the side of the hill. I'd also love to see more wire, hopefully the BRT plan for Madison will be electrified.

Reply
Nathan
11/8/2014 04:30:59 pm

Ian,

I didn't know the 47 was for sure returning! That's excellent news! I used to rely on the old 14 myself. I'd love to see more wire (48 and 8 are often brought up, but how about some really bold choices- the 40! 16, 50, 60, 31-75 family!), and also more night owl service- perhaps on the 41, 522, 150, Renton, 124 to sea-tac, and of course Harborview. More realistically, I'd like to see the current network preserved, particularly the through-route and crosstown routes, and if somebody could get to work on those infamous 5 & 70 schedules, and build a bathroom for the 36...

Reply
Alexis
11/9/2014 12:20:25 pm

I was traveling and almost forgot to mail my ballot in, but then I remembered the bus measure. There were other important things on the ballot, but the chance to reverse some of the bus cuts was the biggest. The 7, 8, 14, 43, 49, and especially the 48 have been good friends to me, and I'm glad to help them. And this blog!

Reply
Nathan
11/10/2014 03:51:47 am

Alexis,

Thank you for your vote!! Those are all such great and important routes. I'm still overjoyed that the measure passed!

Reply



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