ctrl-F "truck" find nothing wonder WTF because yeah your 4000lb Prius isn't great for roads but compared to this guy and his friends it's absolutely fucking irrelevant
What other options do we have? Rail? Inducing usage taxes on trucks based on distance? Side note: What's your opinion of ST-3? It's been all over the news for me lately and I haven't been in WA nearly along enough to feel like I have an informed opinion.
There are 2 basic arguments against it. The first is the cost. No ST3 loves to throw around the $54 billion number because it is admittedly very large. But that's split across ~3 million people over ~3 decades in one of the most economically vibrant parts of the country. And what we'll get for all that money is huge. Many miles of expanded light rail, an entire second transit tunnel downtown, BRT bus rapid transit) lines all over the place and more. The second argument against it really is still about the cost. Opponents will tell you that we just need to put all this money into BRT because it's so much quicker, cheaper and more versatile than rail. I've already spent hours of my life typing out long explanations for why this isn't really true so luckily just this morning I found an article that backs it up. So basically if neither of those arguments convince you, vote yes. (Please please vote yes) Also, if you haven't completely abandoned reddit and want a forum that isn't a complete shit hole (yet) check out /r/seattlewa. The moderating is far far less heavy handed and the conversations aren't as toxic. We'll see how that changes as more people join in.
No options necessary. Heavy use taxes exist. The IFTA exists. Mass transit in Seattle is an utter joke. Anything that improves it is worth the money. Spend time in Portland or San Francisco to see what's possible, then contemplate getting to, say, the Airport right now without car or Uber and vote accordingly.
They are taxed several times. For the miles they drive. For the fuel they use. And for the freight they transport. Every meter they drive, they are taxed multiple times for it. (My company actually helps them recover some of these taxes when commercial vehicles are used off-road, for example. So this is a thing I know a lot about.)