Snohomish County seniors and those with disabilities stand to benefit from more than $560,000 in recommended grants for local transportation programs.

The Puget Sound Regional Council invites public comment on the proposed projects, which focus on services to seniors, people with disabilities and others with mobility challenges.

Some of the projects are in line for federal grants, while others could see priority rankings for state grant requests. Funding itself won’t start rolling in until spring.

Senior Services of Snohomish County has several projects on the list totaling more than $460,000 in recommended grants:

$42,739 to provide custom instruction for seniors on the use of public transit, the Orca card, obtaining reduced-fare permits and other transportation information;

$143,962 to fund the efforts of the Snohomish County Transportation Coalition (also known as SNOTRAC);

$34,037 to add to a fund set aside to acquire three replacement buses and five minivans for the Transportation Assistance Program, an on-demand service;

$45,000 to fund mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers through the Transportation Assistance Program; and

$194,905 to help cover operations of the Transportation Assistance Program, which helps transport those who live outside DART service areas.

Northshore Senior Center is recommended for $100,850 to sustain existing transportation service to seniors, including those with disabilities, in south Snohomish and north King counties.

The public comment period is a routine part of the process and required by law.

The deadline to provide public comment about a particular project is Jan. 26.

To submit a comment, email gcerise@psrc.org or mail to Puget Sound Regional Council, attn: Gil Cerise, 1011 Western Ave., Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104.

Or attend a Puget Sound Regional Council meeting, 9:30 a.m. Jan. 12 or 10 a.m. Jan. 26 at the above address.

Special rules for tow trucks

Brent Waters, of Bothell, asks: “I was wondering about the ‘status’ of tow trucks. I’ve seen the drivers on the phone, driving much below the speed limit, weaving, etc. Also, using their red lights to simply pull out in traffic … I know they have a job to do, but let’s be safe.”

Sgt. Mark Francis, of the Washington State Patrol, breaks it down for us:

They are exempt from the cellphone law if they are responding to a disabled vehicle;

If they are impeding traffic (five or more cars on a single-lane road) due to their slow driving/hauling, they’re required to pull to the right shoulder when it is safe to do so just like everyone else;

They can’t be weaving;

They can only use their red lights as they are arriving on scene, at the scene or leaving the scene (unless they’re specifically asked for a priority response and they need to use their lights to get through a big backup to get to the scene).

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