What’s Next for 2045 Seattle, T-Shirts and a Thank You
What’s Next for 2045 Seattle?
Some of us are already discussing what’s next for 2045 Seattle while others are taking much deserved naps, but we’re all wondering the same thing: where do we go from here? The reality is that it’s all up for debate, but when there is a consensus but no voice, when it’s something that’s clearly worth fighting for, that’s when 2045 Seattle will kick back into action. So, we’ll be talking to our friends and neighbors, we’ll live our lives like we normally do and something will emerge that will once again start a fire in us all.
What Will Happen to the Website?
All of the monorail content will be archived, but still available and we’ll replace it’s front and center location with some general information about the group, our past work and how to get involved in our future.
Fashionable Mayor Gridlock T-Shirts Available
Mayor Gridlock t-shirts are now available from The Stranger and they’re going quick at the low price of $10. Head on over to The Stranger if you want one.
A Serious Thank You To You All
From wetsuits to races to protests and enduring long government meetings, everyone here deserves a long appreciative hug for fighting for something they believe in. 2045 Seattle started pretty simply: with shared concern among a group of friends that a voice was not being heard. In the months that followed, we grew into a genuine community of progressive, like-minded people. Seattle is an astounding place to live, but it’s clear we can make it better. It’s our city, and with the exception of those pesky laws of physics, there’s no limit to where we can take it.
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:58 pm
What about starting an initiative that would make it so the car tab money collected for the monorail would have to be spent on rapid transit (of some kind).
November 23rd, 2005 at 11:24 am
David - Sounds like you and Mayor Gridlock have some common ideas. You know, that is really what Mayor Gridlock is planning to do - use our monorail money for light rail and build a tunnel to replace the viaduct. The West side of Seattle can continue to finance everyone’s rapid transit and roads but get nothing in return. Makes sense to me - do you work with Mayor Gridlock?
November 23rd, 2005 at 11:59 am
Natasha, I think David’s more than on the level here. He’s looking for the money to be used on transit, not roads. Clearly, something has to be done to keep West Seattle as a part of the city when the Viaduct comes down. Now that our leaders have made sure our closest solution is dead, it’s now on them to come up with something else.
November 23rd, 2005 at 8:20 pm
Maybe I’m wrong about this, but I wonder if the way to bring rapid transit to Seattle is to aim for something huge and comprehensive right from the outset. In the weeks before the election, people were saying “who the hell wants to go to Interbay?” Or that they were voting against the monorail because it wouldn’t be useful to them in their lines of commute.
The fact is that cars really don’t make any sense at as a way of getting around the city. If we set a goal of eliminating cars by 2045 within Seattle city limits (perhaps electric cars could be available for emergencies and for the elderly or disabled), and developed a really comprehensive tranist system, we could eliminate roads and replace them with parkland. Imagine people’s kids playing outside their house in an open field, without fear of an SUV coming along and running them over. It would be expensive, but I believe it would point the way forwards for the rest of the world. The reality today is that driving a car is an act of violence: against the earth, the atmosphere, and all the millions of victims of oil-related warfare and injustice. We don’t just need an “alternative;” we need to do away with cars altogether.
It might seem counterintuitve to think that something like that is possible, after voters rejected a system that would have cost 25cents a day. But maybe the problem with the green line was that it seemed like too little, rather than too much.
November 27th, 2005 at 8:05 pm
I lived in Seattle from 2002-2003. I was elated when the 2003 monorail iniative passed, and now I am stunned that voters have shut it down completely after only two years!! I guess Seattle isn’t the progressive city it claims it is. I suppose people were just being selfish and worrying about car taxes and stuff. Did they really consider the consequences, however?
The end of monorail is absolutely insane to me.
It seems to me that a large portion of Seattle just wants to regress and go back to the days when it was some piss-ant little city that no-one cared about. Vancouver to the north has certainly surpassed Seattle as a cosmopolitan area. The Canadians were smart enough to build the SkyTrain up there - what is WRONG with Americans?
And what is the alternative anyway? I know how Seattle is laid out and there just isn’t any more ROOM to add more lanes to I-5 corridor running through the city. Not that this helps West Seattle anyway. I remember the gridlock near that thruway (can’t remember the name) that goes over Fremont…it’s only going to get worse, people!
At any rate, here’s the upshot of this. I was considering moving back to Seattle some day and now I think I might look into Portland, which is more transit-friendly. Seattle is apparently filled with a bunch of eco-hypocrits.
Seattle…grow the eff up!!!
January 14th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Hi Stephanie,
Progressive means fiscally responsible. The failure of the Monorail was due to poor implementation and sabotage of the plan from day one, or at least that’s what I believe. Because of the stupid way the plan was financed, and the poor public outreach the Board did, the plan failed in the eyes of the public and anti-monorail people were able to kill it.
Chad