Dori can’t believe the City of Tacoma is considering this
Feb 25, 2016, 8:27 PM | Updated: Feb 26, 2016, 8:09 am
Tacoma considers starting a bike share program as Seattle considers saving its own. What are the best parts of Seattle that other cities should emulate?
Seattle has a lot of great features to boast of. But one feature, according to KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson, that is not worth bragging about — the community’s controversial effort to start a bike share.
And that’s worth noting, Dori said, as the City of Tacoma considers starting a bike share of its own.
Related: Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue and Issaquah considering joining forces
“Don’t let them do this! Tacoma leaders are considering getting into the bike share businesses,” Dori said. “Tacoma, are you insane? The things that have made Pronto! a failure in Seattle … the weather in Seattle and Tacoma — people are not going to ride bikes enough to justify it. And we have hilly cities — in Tacoma, not so much as Seattle, but it’s still hilly in Tacoma.”
The City of Seattle is currently considering purchasing Pronto’s assets and taking over its operation for a $1.4 million price tag. That’s after the Seattle Department of Transportation kept Pronto! afloat for the past three months with more than $300,000.
It begged the question for Dori: what in Seattle is worth emulating? What aspects should other cities take away from Seattle?
“Dick’s Drive-In,” said show producer Jake Skorheim.
Dori agreed but didn’t stop there.
“Dick’s is good. The Space Needle. You know what I’ll throw in, the big ferris wheel on the waterfront — the Great Wheel. All private things. But nothing the government touches around here is worth emulating.”
Jake also noted the waterfront sculpture park, but that’s where their agreement ended.
“Ridiculous. I don’t like it. My wife and I went a few years ago — boring. It’s really boring.”
What aspects of Seattle should other cities emulate? The Dori Monson Show asks its listeners, and readers, to text 98973 with suggestions, or email the show here.
