Two weeks ago, my wife and I were riding Sound Transit home from Benaroya Hall to Redmond at 9:30 p.m. This was far outside of regular commuting hours, and yet nearly every seat on the bus was occupied.

We ride the bus because it’s easy, it prevents congestion and we care about our carbon footprint. And yet even with transit ridership at its highest and the increasing threats of global warming to our health and our economy, Senate Republicans like Andy Hill have tied our hands with a “poison pill” transportation package.

We’ve waited for years for a transportation package that will fund roads, bridges, transit and bicycle and pedestrian options. Yet this Republican bill says we have to make a false choice — if Gov. Jay Inslee moves forward with plans to fight global warming, then any funding for transit in the bill is entirely cut.

We can do better. If the Republicans listened to what their constituents want, they would not pit the environment against transportation options. My senator, Cyrus Habib (D), made a great comment that, “Riding a bicycle or taking the bus are not necessarily environmental policies. People have been doing that since before Al Gore was born.”

It’s common sense to fight global warming, prevent the wildfires ravaging eastern Washington and save our $100 millions shellfish industry. It’s also common sense to ease the congestions on our road with more transit options so more of my neighbors feel comfortable relying on the bus, too.

Let’s hope the Senate Republicans grow some common sense and listen to the progressives in the House and Senate who want to fix both.

Steve Thompson,

Redmond