SDOT apologizes for tweet calling West Seattle drivers ‘scumbag’

The Seattle Department of Transportation says it’s sorry for the staffer that called West Seattle Bridge drivers ‘scumbags’ in a tweet Monday.

Someone on the SDOT Twitter feed posted a picture of eastbound traffic that was backed up during the morning commute, even though it was an accident in the other direction that had closed the bridge. The would-be comedian added a series of baseball caps to the cars, with a caption reading “you get a scumbag hat, you get a scumbag hat, everyone gets a scumbag hat! haha (sic) I’m mean #sorry”

The scumbag hat is in reference to a popular Internet meme depicting a pathetic kid that goes by “Scumbag Steve” with a sideways cap with text centered around drugs, partying and other bad behavior.

While SDOT often uses humor in its posts, it wasn’t long before it became clear the scumbag post touched a nerve.

“While SDOT can at times be funny on Twitter, this joke is completely inappropriate and unprofessional,” wrote the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in a blog post. “With years of cuts to bus service and decades of questionable infrastructure design, many West Seattle commuters today have no choice but to drive over the bridge to get to their jobs in a timely fashion.”

SDOT quickly deleted the post and issued an apology:

“The use of the hat meme was not intended to insult drivers but to highlight a roadway problem and help drivers make decisions about their trips. We apologize to anyone that was offended by the tweet.

Our traffic management center personnel typically use humorous memes to highlight problematic situations for drivers. The staff member was trying to note that rubbernecking near a collision site was creating delays.”

SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan says the unidentified staff member would be getting some remedial training from their supervisor, who “will also reinforce the department’s standards for social media.”