Despite criticism, tax proposal a good deal

Published 9:00 pm Monday, September 10, 2001

I have read and am now tired of all the letters that express concerns about empty buses. Yes, some days there are not as many riders on buses as there are on other days. This usually happens on days when the community college is not in session, local schools are closed or on holidays that are considered working holidays for transit.

The average passenger count for a local trip varies on a day to day basis. Yet these trips do carry enough passengers to validate the need. When a passenger boards the bus at Lynnwood Park and Ride, that passenger’s destination may be a mile down the road or somewhere towards the end of that trip. The job of transit is to pick up and drop off. People get on, people get off. A local trip may carry on average 15 to 40 passengers. They do not get on or off all at the same location. Do these nay-sayers follow the bus all the way from start to finish? If they did, they would in fact see that these buses always carry a number of passengers.

When I decided to purchase my home, one of the reasons was that the area I chose had a reliable transit system. I also chose to support the amenities that my community offered. That includes the transit system. Three-tenths of a cent more on my taxes is more than a good deal for a reliable transit system. It’s a great value. With this money, the transit system will stay in place. Furthermore, the transit system will be allowed to become more efficient than it already is. Vote yes for Community Ttransit proposition 1.

Lynnwood