And people in King county, as well as all other counties across the state, have chosen their homes, were they live and where they work based on the convenience of bus service. We cannot renege on the promises we have made all across the state on behalf of workers and living families. There are no easy answers, but its the state's responsibility to do all they can to stop the bleeding. And that's why I propose some temporary measures. And we in Olympia must help, and provide the help, until long term solutions can be found at the local level.
Traffic is bad enough, excellent bus service keeps it from getting worse.
So we must find ways to continue to provide quality bus service and encourage people to leave their cars at home. We have an amazing system of public transit in this state and it is helping make Washington a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Let's keep public transit strong in our state. Thank you very much. The ballot initiative for Island Transit passed in 1983 and few years later the busses started running and it wasn't long before North Whidbey requested annexation into the transit service area.