About Smarter Transit

Smarter Transit is an all-volunteer, pro-transit, non-partisan, non-profit citizens’ organization. Our mission is to support and advocate for accountable public transportation governance and investments that grow transit, vanpool, carpool ridership, and safe bike and walking routes throughout the Puget Sound region in the most cost-effective way.

Smarter Transit builds on the work of CETA, The Coalition for Effective Transportation Alternatives started in 2001. With new people, a new website and new information we can reach more people and work together to educate ourselves and others about better transportation options in our Region.

Additional information at these three great companion sites:

Sound Transit Revealed – Mark Ahlers, an engineer and transit guru wades into the weeds of transit data so you don’t have to

Smarter Transit Facebook Page – New articles everyday

Help us get our message out!  Donation form at bottom of page and Contact form on menu if you’d like to join the team!

What We’re Working For

We Can Go Faster, Farther, Sooner and Safer By Building on What Works Best For Our Region

1. Invest in a high capacity, affordable, rapid bus system that covers the whole Region within years instead of inflexible, expensive and limited capacity light rail lines that reach a fraction of the Region in decades.
2. Finish the HOV system and commit to policies that keep it functioning at 45 mph 90 percent of the time.
3. Realize the extraordinary potential of carpool and vanpool programs.
4. Recognize that new technologies will change the way we get around making it even more critical to have the flexibility to upgrade and change as we need.
5. Maintain our existing roads and bridges and fix the choke points that lead to congestion.
6. Spend money on the simple sidewalk, safe crosswalk and bike path.  These make communities truly livable and walkable.
7. Start with the question, What’s the problem we’re trying to solve? Identify real goals and performance measures and allow objective analysis of the alternatives.
8. Put directly elected people in charge instead of unelected boards who have no accountability and often a conflict of interest.

Even Former FTA Administrator Advocated for Expanding Bus Rapid Transit type Service over Expensive Rail …at one time.

In a speech about the future of transit in 2010, Peter Rogoff, the head of the Federal Transit Agency said:

“Supporters of public transit must be willing to share some simple truths that folks don’t want to hear.

Yes, transit riders often want to go by rail. But it turns out you can entice even the diehard rail riders onto a bus, if you call it a ‘special’ bus and just paint it a different color than the rest of the fleet. Once you’ve got special buses, it turns out that busways are cheap. Take that paint can and paint a designated bus lane on the street system. Throw in signal preemption, and you can move a lot of people at very little cost compared to rail.”

In 2016, Peter Rogoff took over as CEO of Sound Transit and “is excited by big light rail expansion plans.”

In 2010   Administrator Peter Remarks at the Boston Reserve Bank – Next Stop: A National Summit on the Future of Transit (SOGR)
Federal Transit Administration

In 2016   Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff excited by big light-rail expansion plans
Seattle Times 3.24.16

Additional Information and Resources

Key Facts

In the News

Donate

Smarter Transit is a non-profit organization run by all volunteers.  Your donation will help us print and distribute material and get our message out.  Any amount is appreciated.  This form takes you to Paypal where you can use their service or a credit card.  Thank You!