Last week I renewed the registration for my fourteen 14-year-old car that I drive about 5,000 miles per year [“As bus ridership rises, battle over funding measure heats up,” page one, March 20].
The cost of $72.75 included a Regional Transit Authority tax of $9 and a congestion reduction charge of $20 which went to King County Metro. Now Metro, in Proposition 1 on the April 22 ballot, wants another $60 “… to prevent a 17 percent cut in bus service …” and a sales-tax increase of .001 percent, part of which would go to transit service.
My renewed registration arrived yesterday. Included in the envelope was an application to get eight free Metro bus tickets, apparently to encourage me to ride Metro buses. There must be at least a half million cars registered in King
County and if Metro can afford to give away four million free rides every year they certainly don’t need another $60 plus more sales tax from my meager pension. I suggest they learn to live within their income.
Be assured my wife and I will vote no on Proposition 1.
Harry Petersen, Bellevue