REI Supports Sustainable Commuting Options

REI supports Proposition 1 (also known as Sound Transit 3), because the initiative will help tackle the Puget Sound region's transportation issues. It will mean we all spend less time in traffic and more time doing what we love. Taking action to provide sustainable commuting options will be good for our air, waters and forests. A more extensive, affordable mass transit network also will provide more equitable access to transportation options and will sustain this region's appeal to talented employees.

Under Prop. 1, this region will get more than 60 miles of new light rail connectivity between 2024 and 2040, with extensions reaching into Ballard, West Seattle, Tacoma and Issaquah. (That's almost double the number of miles already funded.)

ST3 also will make large investments in bus rapid transit (BRT), including projects aimed at reducing congestion on I-405, and in Sounder Train service. By 2040, the expanded regional transit system could reduce vehicle miles driven by 400 million and avoid almost 800,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

We also believe that this work will help create communities that are better connected in a more environmentally-friendly way. It's in line with our longstanding commitment to support connected communities through funding of organizations like People for Bikes, Rails to Trails Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land. We also regularly engage government on the importance of public funding both for recreation and for transportation alternatives that get people outdoors.

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