SEATTLE RED

Spady: E-Scooters are coming, and you can’t stop them Jenny Durkan

May 8, 2019, 11:18 AM | Updated: Oct 10, 2024, 2:25 pm

Bothell dockless scooters, lime, scooter share...

Scooter shares continue to grow in the Northwest. (Lime)

(Lime)

I had a conversation over the weekend with a millennial friend of mine who does a lot of work with the local chamber of commerce. She informed me that the topic of e-scooters coming to Seattle is actually being discussed in our local government consulting circles. This is incredible news and it means the conversations we are pushing, are working!

The core philosophy of the Rational Opposition is simple — We will drive true, substantive change by supporting fiscally responsible politicians who are transparent and accountable to results. We encourage our listeners to break out of the political boxes we’ve been shoved into and create a new millennial movement finds new solutions to old problems.

While not the traffic panacea, e-scooters and other private transportation solutions are an important part of the 21st century transportation network we build in Seattle. When solutions are this simple, it’s no surprise that our Mayor Jenny Durkan has done everything she can to stop you from having joyful scooter rides.

RELATED: Could Washington be powered by waste?
RELATED: History lesson on how to flip the Seattle council

I have been pushing for Seattle to allow scooters since the beginning of my show. I think they could help make progress in solving our transportation issues. What we need to help get people out of their cars is options. Not just buses and bicycles. I also want them because Tacoma has them, and it infuriates me that Tacoma is becoming cooler than Seattle.

Sure, there are bigger issues in our region than scooters. But we can’t miss the fact that leaders in our community are starting to listen to the rational opposition and our message. When you engage those from different backgrounds and opinions, and engage those who disagree with you in new conversations, we can drive true change.

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump have defined how we should think about scooters. I joke about that all the time, but there’s an element of truth to it. We are so fixed into our political boxes that we sometimes fall into a habit of forming our opinions around what our most recent presidential candidates believe. When we discuss topics outside of national echo chambers we create an opportunity to think for ourselves and build bridges with our opposition.

We’re not going to stop talking about these issues and neither should you until the rational opposition is whooping and hollering with joy while riding scooters to lunch after the Saul Spady Show.

If you’d like to lend your voice to the Rational Opposition and our quest for scooters please join us as we take the fight to city hall this Thursday, May 9 at 11 a.m. Register here.

An election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Offi...

Associated Press

Nothing changes yet with the Supreme Court’s order on elections. But it could open door to ‘chaos’

The Supreme Court’s decision giving preliminary approval for President Donald Trump’s order restricting mail voting may not lead to a single election procedure changing during the November midterms, but it has already thrown into uncertainty the method that nearly one-third of the country uses to vote. Rather than saying that Trump’s order is legal, the […]

14 minutes ago

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, looks on as Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a deba...

Associated Press

Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman face South Carolina voters yet again Tuesday in a special Republican primary runoff to replace the late Lindsey Graham in the Senate, one month after his sudden death. The two-week runoff window since the two Republicans were the top vote getters in […]

20 minutes ago

FILE - Tize W. Clark, right and his son, Zion Clark, participate in a walk to honor Native American...

Associated Press

FBI sets $25,000 minimum reward for dozens of unsolved Indian Country cases

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established a minimum reward of $25,000 in cases where people went missing or were killed in Indian Country, part of a broader effort to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and […]

21 minutes ago

President Donald Trump speaks with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen after a back to school event in the Ros...

Associated Press

Trump’s trade war with Canada could rattle economies in states with key Senate races

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada is escalating as the midterm elections approach, threatening Republican efforts to address voters’ economic concerns in a year when control of the U.S. Senate hinges on states along the border between the United States and its northern neighbor. The dispute flared over the weekend […]

22 minutes ago

A dragonfly rests on a plant at the Lake Merritt Dragonfly Habitat Garden in Oakland, Calif., Frida...

Associated Press

Unusual dragonfly swarms sweep across California after warm spring rains

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Californians are spotting swarms of dragonflies flitting around parks, chasing mosquitoes in ponds and hunting flies on farms, a phenomenon experts say was likely fueled by unusually warm spring rains. Peter Veilleux, who owns a nursery in Oakland, said he started noticing the dragonflies — at one point spotting about 100 […]

25 minutes ago

Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei delivers his closing remarks at a televised...

Associated Press

Trump-backed businessman Mike Mazzei looks to secure GOP nomination for Oklahoma governor

Tulsa businessman Mike Mazzei hopes to win Tuesday’s hotly contested Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma governor after President Donald Trump endorsed him and sharply attacked Mazzei’s rival, state Attorney General Gentner Drummond. The contest between Mazzei and Drummond for the GOP nomination to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt — another Trump target — is […]

25 minutes ago

Spady: E-Scooters are coming, and you can’t stop them Jenny Durkan