Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Endorses the 2024 Transportation Levy
- JoshHolland
- Aug. 15, 2024
The Seattle Neighborhood Greenways coalition of neighborhood groups has voted to endorse the 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy!
Why Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Supports the 2024 Transportation Levy
The decision to endorse the 2024 levy comes on the heels of months of advocacy to increase investments for walking, biking, and connections to transit. While the proposed levy doesn’t fully rise to meet the city’s identified needs, the $1.55 billion 2024 transportation levy headed to voters this November is a balanced compromise and deserves your vote.
We’re proud of the changes we advocated for that were ultimately included in the levy. A few highlights include funding for a new People Streets program, 350 blocks of new sidewalks, and a commitment and increased funding to bringing safety to Seattle’s most dangerous streets. A deeper dive into what was won can be found in our previous Wins and Losses blog post.
A compromise level of funding
Disappointed in the size of the levy?
Us too, because polling found voters would be willing to support up to a $1.7 billion levy to meet our city's transportation needs, but in the end, democracy is about compromise, and the $1.55 billion levy represents a major increase over the $1.35 billion levy that was originally proposed — and that increase is thanks to people like you who told the city you wanted more investments in sidewalks and safety projects.
Additionally, if the levy were not to pass, SDOT would lose a third of its budget and nearly all of the walking and biking funding. This would mean massive layoffs and at least a year of progress lost while the city regrouped to run another initiative, which is not guaranteed to be better.
The 2024 Levy has huge potential
In crafting this levy, the city felt that the previous Move Seattle levy was too rigid, and did not allow flexibility to adapt in the face of major headwinds like a Trump presidency that was hostile to transit funding and a major pandemic. So the new proposal swings in the other direction and has much more flexibility. Flexibility is good, but it means there will be a critical role for ongoing advocacy to hold the city accountable to its goals around climate, equity, accessibility, and safety.
If we are vigilant and fight for these critical outcomes, the Seattle Transportation Plan and this funding levy could make Seattle one of the best cities to walk, bike, and take transit in the United States. But we will need your continued engagement to help push our city to achieve its highest potential.
What Comes Next?
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways will be campaigning with Transportation Choices Coalition and other advocacy groups now through November to pass the levy!
Now more than ever we’ll need your support in door-knocking, phone banking, and much more.
Inspired to get involved, please contact Clara to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
After November, if the levy is passed, we will continue to advocate for additional progressive revenue and state and federal funding, and push elected leaders to implement a bold vision for our transportation system.
The Seattle Transportation Levy deserves your vote, and we hope you’ll join us on this journey to pass the levy this November.