As a bus driver I’ve witnessed firsthand how vitally important public transportation is to our local economy, and what an absolute necessity it is for many in the Puget Sound region [“Seattle sees big gains in public transit ridership,” seattletimes.com, March 10].
It is their means to get to work and to medical appointments and to a variety of other basic needs. If service is cut, everyone will be affected, from middle class commuters, to the working poor, to those elderly and handicapped citizens whose only transportation is the bus. This measure may be regressive, but cuts to public transportation will perpetuate the poverty cycle and are regressive.
With all the extra traffic that would result from cuts to service, our region’s economic engine would be slowed down at the worst time possible given the current recession and with transit ridership growing to record levels. The environment, as well as commuters, would suffer from the 30,000 or more extra cars idling in the ensuing traffic jams. Everyone benefits from public transportation; whether it’s in the form of reduced traffic for commuters, reduced emissions for the environment, increased access to basic needs, or increased economic opportunity for everyone.
Andrew A. Jeromsky, Seattle