This afternoon the City Council gave final approval to an ordinance establishing a minimum wage standard for Uber and Lyft drivers, after passing it out of committee last week.
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Audit on SDOT’s bridge maintenance finds program vastly underfunded, lack of strategic plan
Two weeks ago the City Auditor released a report on vehicle bridge maintenance in Seattle. The report, which was commissioned by Council member Alex Pedersen following the closure of the West Seattle Bridge earlier this year, highlights a point SCC insight reported earlier this year: that SDOT’s bridge maintenance budget is only a fraction of the recommended amount. However, the Auditor cautions that before the Mayor and City Council try to increase the budget, SDOT needs to get its house in order to make sure that the money is well-spent and the work is done well.
Continue readingUnderstanding what happened to Pier 58
Late afternoon this past Sunday a portion of Pier 58, better known as Waterfront Park, collapsed as construction workers were beginning the work to carefully dismantle and remove it. Let’s look at what led to the collapse, where things stand now, and what happens next. UPDATE 9-18-20: The city has now closed the adjacent Pier 57, due to a “condition of imminent danger” from the potential collapse of the remainder of Pier 58.
Continue readingCity prepares to launch scooter-share “pilot” program
Last week the City Council advanced out of committee two bills that would set up SDOT to launch a much-anticipated scooter-share pilot program in Seattle.
Continue readingMayor announced proposed minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers
This afternoon, Mayor Jenny Durkan unveiled her administration’s proposal for a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers, largely following the recommendations of the consultants the city hired to analyze the TNC driver labor market.
Continue readingCouncil votes to place Transportation Benefit District renewal on November ballot
This afternoon, the City Council voted unanimously to place a renewal of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District on the November ballot for voter approval. But before pushing it out the door, they made a few last-minute changes.
Continue readingThe war heats up over Seattle’s attempts to regulate Uber and Lyft drivers’ pay
Back in April, it seemed the City of Seattle had finally made peace with Uber and Lyft; after years of legislation and lawsuits, they settled in court and all parties agreed to work together to determine a fair compensation standard for TNC drivers. Sadly, it was not to last: earlier this month a new skirmish broke out, with dueling studies, academic cat-fighting, and some big policy questions coming to the forefront.
Continue readingCouncil advances Transportation Benefit District renewal
This morning the City Council moved a proposed renewal to the Seattle Transportation Benefit District out of committee, after deliberating on several amendments. Assuming it is approved by the full Council on July 27, it will be in front of Seattle voters on the November ballot.
Continue readingMayor proposes slimmed-down renewal of Seattle Transportation Benefit District
This afternoon the Mayor’s Office announced its proposal for renewing the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. Assuming the voters approve, it will be substantially slimmed down from the current STBD that expires at the end of the year.
Continue readingSDOT publishes analysis of “modes of failure” for West Seattle Bridge
Last week SDOT released a consulting engineer’s report that answers the question, “if the West Seattle Bridge were to fail, how exactly would it fail?” The department asked the question to help it plan for emergency procedures — including an evacuation of nearby areas — if it determined that a failure were imminent. While a failure of the West Seattle Bridge would likely not be quite the spectacle that the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was, according to the engineers’ analysis it would still be a sight.
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