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Seattle voters defeat car-tab fee

Seattle’s $60 car-tab fee to fund Seattle transportation projects failed Tuesday. The measure was long on bus and bike improvements but short on road repairs.

Critics of the 10-year, $204 million measure complained that there was no money in the plan to repair the city’s aging bridges or add new bus routes or hours — while it directed $18 million to study a new streetcar line.

The $60 fee would have been in addition to a $20 license tab fee already imposed by the city in May and a two-year, $20 fee approved by the Metropolitan King County Council to preserve Metro bus service that goes into effect in January.

Supporters argued that improving transit corridors would make bus service faster and more reliable, and that, in turn, would reduce congestion for drivers and improve roads for all users. Organized labor supported the measure, saying it invested in new jobs at a time when the economy is struggling.

Environmental groups also supported the effort to reduce auto emissions and nudge Seattleites toward a less car-dependent future.

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The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and edited by Assistant Metro Editor Nick Provenza. This blog uses Facebook’s commenting tool. More details on the blog and commenting system. Please send feedback about this blog to webmaster@seattletimes.com, and direct news tips to newstips@seattletimes.com.

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