King County City Council backs tax and bus fare increase for 2008

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

There are some good things about this and then there are some bad. I won’t get into totally but I don’t want my tax to be increased to pay for somebody who will keep going back to rehab (Read: Lindsay Lohan) when there are more important things our tax dollars can go toward, like fixing First Avenue South between Royal Brougham and Spokane Street or all of Spokane Street from Airport Way to the lower West Seattle Bridge.

Secondly, it’s about time the Council agrees to increase Metro Transit fares by 25 cents. The last increase was in 2001 and even with this increase, we are still one of the lowest fare transit agency in the Country. This additional funding will cover increase fuel and operating costs. Personally I hoped it would have been 50 cents. The way fuel is going, the extra buffer would be welcomed.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/338897_county09.html

On May 16th, 2007, New Flyer of America procurement for up to a total of 715 60-foot articulated buses from King County Metro (KCM) in Seattle, WA. This order includes a firm order for 22 hybrids with options for up to 493 diesel or hybrid buses for KCM and 200 assignable options for a total value of up to US $514 million, which was included in the order backlog reported in New Flyer’s 2007 First Quarter Financial Report.

This order does not include the New Flyer DE60LF-BRT buses that Metro Transit will be ordering for RapidRide. Community Transit has ordered 15 of these buses with an option for 34 more.

In 2003, Metro and Sound Transit ordered 213 New Flyer DE60LF 60-foot Articulated Hybrid buses powered by CAT Diesel and Allison Hybrid Drive.

Senator Murray keeps light-rail moving

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

Another update on getting Link to the University of Washington this evening as State Senator Patty Murray continues her efforts to secure FY 2008 light rail funding.

http://www.soundtransit.org/x6641.xml

Sound Transit today lauded Washington Sen. Patty Murray for her efforts to secure $94 million in FY 2008 light rail funding, including $24 million for the University Link light rail extension and $70 million toward completing light rail from downtown Seattle to the airport. The funding is part of a key Congressional funding bill now headed for the White House

This is great news as it ensures that Link continues it’s progress on the 3.15 mile long extension to the University of Washington. It’s just a shame tunnel boring is so bloody slow. Construction will start next year with a completion around 2015 and testing will have the line open for service in 2016. Sound Transit is opting to only use one tunnel boring machine, the Emerald Mole, that is currently boring the second 4,000 foot long Beacon Hill tunnel which is scheduled to come out of the tunnel next month. If a second one was purchased for University Link, the system could open in 2011 but that would double the cost of the operation.

King County propose Vashon/Lake Washington foot ferry

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

I can see additional Vashon, Bainbridge, Edmonds, Mukilteo passenger only ferry routes but Lake Washington? Seriously?!There is no ‘fast’ route from the Kenmore, Kirkland, Renton, or Bellevue waterfront to Downtown Seattle. You would have to transfer to a bus at either Madrona, Madison, or Leshi. Metro Transit 2 (Madrona), 11 (Madison Park), 27 (Leshi) are the only routes that serve those areas and equally take about 30 minutes to Downtown Seattle.

We shall see….

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/338924_ferry09.html

Major Nickels pushes for Light-Rail Vote in ’08

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

Mayor Nickels makes a strong point in this article. General Elections during an non-Presidential election turns out much fewer voters. Coming back in 2008 would not only bring more voters but also the younger generation of voters.

Nickels recalled that Sound Transit lost its first attempt to pass a regional package in 1995, revised its plan, then won in the 1996 presidential year.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004003616_soundtransit09m.html

At this stage of the game, I would say it would be best to bring a much smaller, rails only vote in 2008. Light-Rail to Northgate Mall to the North, Light-Rail South to Federal Way Commons Mall to the South and a Streetcar or Light-Rail in the Bellevue – Redmond corridor, along with funding for a permanent Tukwila Station and Parking Garage. I still believe a new station at Lakeland Hills is needed. A huge amount of people from Lakeland, South Auburn, and Lake Tapps that use Sounder can benefit greatly from this additional station.

When Sound Transit was formed, Lakeland at the time was very, very small and in it’s beginning stages. Between Lakeland and Lake Tapps, a lot of the traffic is divided between Auburn and Sumner stations.

Water Taxi ridership up 32 percent for 2007

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi blew the old record out the door this year. A total of 161,331 riders used the West Seattle-to-downtown service this summer, as compared with 122,650 riders in 2006. The additional ridership revenues generated allowed King County to operate the water taxi during October weekday commute hours.

The Water Taxi also ran one month less in 2007. Not too shabby.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/338929_watertaxi09.html

King County RapidRide BRT Information

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

Thanks to SeattlePI forum member ‘TCMetro’ for finding this great pdf file regarding RapidRide service in King County. This goes over what routes may or may not become RapidRide BRT routes and changes to current routes that will become RapidRide.

http://mkcclegisearch.metrokc.gov/attachments/26002.pdf

Some Highlights –

The following changes to existing routes are assumed to support the
implementation of RapidRide service (see also Table 1: Transit Now RapidRide
Improvements, page 4):

Aurora Avenue North: Route 358 would be converted to RapidRide
service.

Ballard: Service options would involve combinations of resources
converting some or all of routes 15, 15X, 18, and 18X.

Bellevue-Redmond: Service options would involve combinations of
resources converting some or all of routes 230 and 253.

Highway 99 South: Route 174 would be converted to RapidRide service
between Tukwila/International Boulevard Link station and Federal Way,
and a new local route between Tukwila/International Boulevard Link
Station and downtown Seattle would serve the northern segment of the
current route 174.

West Seattle: Service options would involve combinations of resources
converting some or all of routes 54 and 54X to RapidRide service, and
possible changes to service levels or route structure to routes 55, 56 and
128.

Sound Transit Q3 2007 Ridership

Posted on by Brian Bundridge

Some highlights from the report on the rail side…Take a look at Tacoma Link vs Everett Sounder……….

http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/newsroom/Ridership_Q3_2007.pdf

Cost per boarding Q3 2006 – $13.98
Cost per boarding Q3 2007 – $11.18

On-time performance Q3 2006 95.60%
On-time performance Q3 2007 98.06%

Q3 2006 Regular Service Everett – Commuter 45,050
Q3 2007 Regular Service Everett – Commuter 52,351

Q3 2006 Regular Service Tacoma – Commuter 355,334
Q3 2007 Regular Service Tacoma – Commuter 480,952

And Tacoma Link….

Q3 2006 Regular Service Tacoma – Streetcar – 220,149
Q3 2007 Regular Service Tacoma – Streetcar – 234,257

Q3 2006 Average Weekday Boardings – 2,914
Q3 2007 Average Weekday Boardings – 3,030

Q3 2006 Cost per boarding – $3.22
Q3 2007 Cost per board – $3.44 (Additional trips for Tacoma Dome concerts were added)

I foresee Everett Sounder getting a major boost in ridership in 2008 when Mukilteo Station opens. I really believe ridership will increase heavily when Everett, Mukilteo, and Edmonds stations get parking garages. This seems to be the consistent complaint for North Sounder riders. I do find it amusing that Tacoma Link’s ridership is half of South Sounder…Impressive even.

MacDonald on Plan B

Posted on by Frank Chiachiere

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Joe Connelly outsources his column today to former transportation secretary Doug MacDonald, who writes:

“We can assemble a better, cheaper, more adaptable, more useful foundation for public transportation than a few light rail corridors. Tomorrow’s systems will exploit fast, frequent buses operating on an affordable network of free-flow lanes crisscrossing the region. And also vans, private custom transit now coming to Microsoft, even modern-age jitneys. And probably yet-to-be-seen Web-matched ride sharing.” [my emphasis]

I do like the emphasis on IT. Putting better traffic-sensing tech in cars will help, too.

But what is “an affordable network of free-flow lanes,” exactly? I mean, it sounds good and all, but like all these whiz-bang turns-of-phrase, the devil’s in the details. We’ll need more expensive, dedicated rights-of-way for all these hep new buses, jitneys and rickshaws, otherwise they’ll just get stuck in traffic.

Nickels Wants Transit Only Vote

Posted on by Andrew Smith

According to the Times. Good Stuff. One thing Prop. 1 lacked was a clear leader, and if Nickels can spear-head this effort while he is Chair of the Board, that would be really great.

Interesting, the only part of the region that supported Prop. 1 was the 43rd district in Seattle.

In other news for Transit-only votes, Ron Sims is ramping up his foot-ferry package that will raise property taxes slightly to provide more passenger ferry service. I love that idea, the water taxi is the most fun transit trip in Seattle.