Never Mind Drugs, King County Can Boot ‘Smelly’ Transit Riders?!?

   SeattleRefined.com has done a humorous look at some ridiculous laws in our state, especially on the West Side. But one of them is taking a back seat to...drugs?

   You could be tossed off a King County Metro ride for smelling bad?

Yes, the King County Metro Code of Conduct says you could be asked to get off any ot their modes of transportation (bus, train etc) or asked to leave their facilities if your body odor is such that it offends or affects others nearby--really bad.

However, over a number of years, this has probably dropped way into the backround, especially with the homeless and drug issues suffered throughout much of the Puget Sound Corridor. Many people are known to use the back seats of a bus or train as a temporary shelter for a day or so. They just camp out in the back for hours and hours.

Less than two years ago, a study done by UW researchers showed 98 percent of the buses and trains that were sampled contained at least trace (or higher) detectable amounts of meth and or Fentanyl. The study was done after researchers pointed out that bus drivers and other Metro operators could potentially be harmed by the constant exposure to even trace amounts of drugs during long shifts.

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Dozens of samples taken from seats and railings to, and benches also showed trace amounts of even more drugs, including coke.

Seattle has had a difficult enough problem just getting homeless or other addicted or 'misbehaving' persons to even pay the fare when they get on buses or trains, to worry about the smell.

A Facebook page started a few years ago that now has over 120K followers called Seattle Looks Like S**t constantly posts images from followers and members about the sad decay of the Emerald City. Many of the post topics deal with the sketchy task of using public transportation, including King County Metro and Sound Transit.

It's a sad take on what's happened on the West Side.