SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Ron: Like it or not, Seattle still loves cars

Jul 20, 2017, 4:36 PM | Updated: Jul 21, 2017, 2:19 pm

Seattle parking, seattle parking rates, window stickers...

(KIRO 7)

(KIRO 7)

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE — People in Seattle still like to use their cars. There, I said it.

I know there are those who want nothing more than to shoe horn Pacific Northwestners into light rail or bike shorts, but the fact remains that most people still prefer to get in their automobile and drive to where they need to be.

In a place that seems to clamor to see how quickly they can spend tax dollars on services for any group that might vote for them, the City of Seattle now ranks in the top five cities in America for most time spent looking for parking.

The average is 58 hours — 58 hours!

RELATED: Seattle Mayor Murray is pulling all the levers of distraction

What are we talking about here? In 58 hours you could drive straight to New York City and be a third of way back to the West Coast.

Come on!

And while we’re in our cars, let’s talk about traffic lights.

Pretty simple, yes? Red, green, yellow. Been around for years.

Are you telling me that 200 feet away from a company that has programmed a device that can listen to you talk (Amazon), understand English, and deliver you diapers in under two hours, the City of Seattle can’t find a programmer to optimize a few traffic lights?

What are we talking about here?

Services for the citizens come in all sizes. Yes, many people are in dire straits and need some serious intervention. But the vast majority of people just need for things to work. Fix a pothole and a sidewalk, create more parking spaces, time the traffic lights.

Quit gouging me. I’m more than willing to carry my share of the road, but I deserve some services too.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE airs every day on the Ron and Don Show at 4:50 and 6:50 p.m.

FILE - Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., speaks at the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at ...

Associated Press

Sen. Roger Marshall sought funding to address a water shortage. The project could benefit his ranch

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wanted to solve a water rights dispute in rural Kansas that pitted farmers against environmentalists and threatened the health of a cherished wildlife refuge. The avid outdoorsman requested a $4.2 million earmark, records show, to help finance improvements that would increase the flow of water into the Quivira […]

20 minutes ago

FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises o...

Associated Press

Hot weather and gusty winds raise California wildfire threat as power shutoffs are planned

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Large swaths of California are expected to see fire weather starting Thursday and thousands of people could lose power as utilities try not to spark wildfires during hot and windy conditions expected to last through Saturday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has faced criticism for her city’s response to deadly […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Huey Newton, Black Panther Party minister of defense, raises his arm as he is surrounded by ...

Associated Press

Black Panther Party stalwarts to celebrate 1966 founding in Oakland, programs that aided the poor

The legacy of the Black Panther Party lives on six decades after its founding, in the work of a Seattle medical center started to address systemic health disparities in the African American community, particularly among Black children. Originally known as the Sidney Miller Free Medical Clinic in 1969, it put into practice the national Black […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Steaks and other beef products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in McLean, Va., Jan...

Associated Press

Everyone has the same question in the midterms — where’s the beef? (And how much does it cost?)

In the midterm elections, meat is on the menu. As Democrats and Republicans argue over high prices and the Iran war, they’re also having a food fight over who’s the most red-blooded carnivore. The latest example came this week in Mississippi, where Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom released a video with a snippet of Republican […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., stands in a group photo with members of the Amalgamated Tra...

Associated Press

With anger spreading over Iran war, Democrats hope to flip Republican seats with veterans’ help

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The doorbell chimed “The Star Spangled Banner” as retired Col. Lou Christensen stepped inside the large house on the northeastern edge of Colorado Springs. The registered Republican and 28-year Air Force veteran was doing something he never expected to do — attending a party for a Democratic congressional candidate. “The […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores wave after his swearing-in cer...

Associated Press

Ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is returning to federal court to face torture allegations

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife return Thursday to a New York courtroom to face a rewritten indictment accusing them of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were expected to plead not guilty in Manhattan […]

3 hours ago

Ron: Like it or not, Seattle still loves cars