Propositions and Initiatives
Washington Conservation Voters positions on propositions and initiatives appearing on the 2008 November ballot.
Vote NO on Initiative 985
I-985 would also require opening High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to solo drivers for all but three hours each weekday morning and evening, creating havoc with an HOV system that has taken decades to build. Additionally I-985 would threaten our efforts to tackle global warming by:
- Opening Puget Sound’s high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to all
motorists during rush hour, which will bring buses and vanpools to a
standstill, paralyzing our transit system and putting more cars back on
the highways, increasing congestion and pollution from cars,
- Diverting over half a billion dollars away from schools, healthcare and law enforcement throughout the next five years and using the money to build wider, noisier
highways,
- Prohibiting the diverted money from being spent on public safety, bicycle paths, light rail, heavy rail, buses, park and rides, or even ferries!
Initiative 985 does not invest in alternative transportation options, benefit rural Washington, encourage the development of livable, walkable communities, or help cut down on bumper to bumper traffic. Instead, it assaults our quality of life with a thoughtless and disastrous “more lanes good!” approach. Find out more at http://www.no985.org/
For King, Snohomish and Pierce County Voters:
Vote YES on Proposition 1: Mass Transit Now
Soaring gas prices and increased traffic congestion threaten our economy and quality of life. Proposition 1 is a smart plan that delivers an immediate 17% increase in express bus service across all three counties and up to 30% on the highest-demand routes, plus more Sounder commuter trains between Lakewood, Tacoma and Seattle. Find out more about the plan at http://www.masstransitnow.org/.
For Seattle Voters:
Vote Yes on Proposition 1: Support Our Market
Pike Place Market is internationally recognized as America's premier farmers' market and the poster child for our local commitment to supporting local farms.
The Market embodies the kind of urban amenities we must support to make our City livable, density desirable and to keep a mix of incomes in our community's heart. Supporting compact urban growth near transit helps address the major issue of our time - global warming. Find out more at http://www.supportourmarket.org/
Vote Yes on Proposition 2: Seattle Parks for All
Find out more information at http://seattleparksforall.org/
As our city grows up around us, it would secure open land and add new parks and green spaces in the neighborhoods that need them most, including 66 acres of new open space on reservoir lids.
Prop 2 would create important green connections in Seattle, such as the Burke-Gilman Trail, the Duwamish River Trail and the Lake to Bay Trail, improve safety and playability and build more than a dozen new parks, playfields and recreational facilities to help protect our quality of life, take care of the citywide treasures we value most such as the Washington Park Arboretum, Camp Long and Discovery Park and would preserve urban greenbelts for salmon and people, enhance green connections and restore streams and forests in Seattle's watersheds.
