(Photo from February snow, courtesy Jeff B)
Back in April – when we were only two months removed from this year’s February snowpocalypse – we reported on the King County Council considering waiving Metro fares during that kind of weather. Today, on an extra-warm late-summer day, councilmembers finalized the plan. Here’s the announcement:
Today the Council approved legislation sponsored by Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles that would waive enforcement of Metro transit fares when Metro activates its Emergency Snow Network to encourage people to use transit and avoid driving during severe snowstorms.
The legislation was approved 7-2 with Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Kathy Lambert voting in opposition.
Metro customers will be able to ride without paying the transit fare while the Emergency Snow Network is in effect. The legislation increases accessibility of Metro transit service for those experiencing homelessness in need of shelter and encourages all residents to avoid driving during severe snowstorms.
“Like our policy of free fares on New Year’s Eve, this legislation is about promoting safety,” said Kohl-Welles. “It will encourage people to stay off the roads and get to where they need using a safer mode of transportation – regardless if they have an Orca Card or enough money to pay the fare.”
The measure was proposed earlier this year by Kohl-Welles in response to a massive storm that devastated roads and highways across the region in February and became known as “Snowmageddon.” This resulted in Metro activating the Emergency Snow Network for the first time.
A memo accompanying the legislation projects this could “potentially cost Metro approximately $64,750 per day during a snow event warranting enactment of the Emergency Snow Network.”
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