Welcome to Ideas For Seattle. Here you can contribute your ideas for the future of our city. You can also vote on existing ideas submitted by your fellow citizens.
To get started, simply choose a category from the list on the right. Then search to see if your idea has already been submitted. If it hasn't, you can then submit it for others to discuss or vote on.
-
4,108 votes
Expand as much light rail and subway as possible
Seattleites have resorted to using mediocre and unreliable bus transportation as the only mode of mass transit since the failure of Forward Thrust. Expand light rail on the west side, connect neighborhoods like UW, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, etc. Look for smart financing methods to grade se... more
-
1,397 votes
Make Seattle the most Bike Friendly City in the US
(1) Create an extensive network of true bike lanes (not just "sharrows") including protected lanes along major bike commuter routes. This may necessitate removing on-street parking in some locations. We will know we're successful when older people or inexperienced cyclists can feel comf... more
-
719 votes
Provide affordable all-day scooter/motorcycle onstreet parking in downtown - just like SF
Many of us are unable to bike to work and the bus isn't practical for our schedules. San Francisco provides affordable all-day parking on-street for scooters and motorcycles - 8 can fit in one car-sized parking spot. It would make Seattle greener if we didn't have to drive our cars and would fr... more
-
521 votes
reprioritize transportation spending to emphasize pedestrian/bike/transit modes
we talk a lot about walkability and promoting other modes, but the Department of Transportation's budget doesn't fully reflect that.
-
245 votes
Build new streetcars and restore the Waterfront Streetcar
Streetcars always get at least 50% higher ridership than buses along the same route, spur sustainable development, increase transit capacity, have very little operating cost (and can even be profitable) and are better for the environment. And the Waterfront Streetcar was a great tourist attractio... more
-
241 votes
Let's pick up where the monorail left off.
Begin talking about a light rail line that goes to Ballard and West Seattle.
-
191 votes
Provide separate bicycle lanes on commuter routes
Add bicycle lanes, separated from car traffic, on major commuter routes such as I-5, Eastlake, Westlake, 15th Avenue West, Rainier Avenue, 4th Avenue South, and East Marginal Way South. These routes have good grades for cyclists, but they are not safe to ride on. We could even put a roof over t... more
-
188 votes
To make it legal for pedal mopeds to park in the same places as bicycles off the street
More and more people are choosing to use alternative forms of transportation. This would simply cater to those of us that have chosen the 70's style moped as our alternative. As the law is currently written mopeds that park on the sidewalk are subject to a 42 dollar ticket. The main issue is that... more
-
143 votes
Create more bus-only lanes.
If buses had a significant time advantage over cars, then more people would ride them and they'd be cheaper*. Moving buses out of traffic would help achieve this.
* If it takes half as long to run a route, then you get twice as many trips from the same bus - that's twice the capacity and twice ... more
-
129 votes
Repair the roads
The roads in this city, for the most part, are crap. I have no idea where my taxes dollars are going, but I do know that they are not going to fixing the pot holes and cracks. The roads in my neighborhood were paved with pea gravel last summer, this seems like something that is done in a rural ... more
-
121 votes
Create a public bike system like: http://montreal.bixi.com/home/home-bixi
Public/private partnership should be created to make a public bike system. An example of this is Bixi. Which is currently established in Montreal, and headed to Boston.
-
106 votes
We should invest money into an electric car integration plan to reduce our carbon footprint
Seattle, as a progressive, green city with VERY clean energy already being produced (89.8% hydroelectric, 4.6% nuclear, 3.5% wind, 1.1% natural gas, 1% coal) is the perfect place to make the proliferation of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) a reality.
We should implement legislation to ... more
-
96 votes
Eliminate "Dead Heading" of Taxicab Fares to and from the Airport
Current regulations prevent airport taxi cabs from picking up street hails or pre-arranged fares in the City of Seattle. Seattle City cabs also cannot pick up fares at the airport (or in the county outside of the city). This means that there are probably thousands of one way trips to and from th... more
-
95 votes
Improve Metro for high schools
It's a great money-saving idea for Seattle Public Schools to put high school kids on Metro and there's even talk of putting middle schoolers on city buses, but so far it has been poorly implemented. 1.) The routes need to be designed with high schools as a destination. Most neighborhood routes ai... more
-
95 votes
Sidewalks
In the interest of environmentalism and public health, Seattle should install sidewalks or sidewalk alternatives on *all* streets now lacking them in N and S Seattle within 4 years.
-
94 votes
Expand the Streetcar network to link SLU, Downtown, Pioneer Square, The ID + First Hill/Capital Hill
Sound transit is already funding the new First Hill Line. Linking the existing South Lake Union Line to this First Hill Line via Stewart Street, 1st Ave, and Pioneer Square will create incredible ridership, bring life back to Pioneer Square and put Seattle on the map as a well connected, vibrant,... more
-
94 votes
Support Government and Private Purchase of EV's
As PRESIDENT of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, I can not stress the NEED to integrate Electric Vehicles into our region more. The EFFICIENCY FACTOR of Battery Electric Vehicles and Plug In Hybrids is 5 times over Petrol vehicles and even Fuel Cell Vehicles. Our non-profit organizatio... more
-
73 votes
Improve Motorcycle and Scooter Parking
Right now, only 1% of metered parking spaces in Seattle are motorcycle specific. But 5% of the state ride motorcycles(that doesn't include scooters). Currently, when motorcycles share parking spots, all vehicles are required to pay individually, plus pay station stickers can be taken, and while u... more
-
71 votes
Support neighborhood work centers to encourage telecommuting and support independent professionals
The city should support and encourage the creation of community-centered work spaces (coworking spaces) to better enable telecommuters to get their work done. This would also support individuals who work from home to share resources with their neighbors and work in collaborative, creative worksp... more