It looks as though the Beacon Hill tunnel borer has been recently listed on a web site I never knew existed: TBM Exchange International is apparently your one stop shop for old tunnel borers and all the equipment that goes with them. $300,000 and it’s yours! (h/t to Erik Griswold)
I also had a friend from Portland in town yesterday to try the light rail, and as a cyclist who rides MAX, she had some comments about our bike racks. She likes them better! On the MAX, bikes are hung parallel with the direction the vehicle goes (to our perpendicular). When the MAX goes around a corner, the bikes often swing into the doors, and people standing near the doors – but our bikes are separated from standing passengers, and because the front wheel is up against a metal bar, they seem to swing a lot less than bikes on MAX.
Publicola reports that Seattle mayor Greg Nickels has conceded in the primary election, with a generous and humble concession speech. Great City Initiative founder Mike McGinn and T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan will advance to the general in November.
Nickels leaves behind a very strong legacy on transit, and particularly rail. He worked hard to get our light rail built. Last year, against headwinds, he secured a spot for ST2 on the ballot. Without support from his Department of Transportation, a First Hill streetcar may not have been part of those plans. He built the South Lake Union streetcar, a starter line showing that the city can build its own transit infrastructure quickly and on budget. South Lake Union itself is a neighborhood that over the coming decades will see density and strong growth, largely thanks to Nickels. We honor his service to this city.
Mallahan has not offered great encouragement regarding his views on transit. His answers, so far, have been vague and not meaningful. We need to hear why he’s good on transit and land use. Without specificity, we can only assume the worst.
Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn. Photo by flickr user justsmartdesign.
McGinn is an environmentalist through and through. We have no doubt in his commitment to bike improvements, pedestrian investments, and bus amenities. He opposes the SR-99 tunnel, saying we don’t need it. But he’s soft on additional rail expansion until Metro fixes its problems and the state offers new funding. Neither will happen soon, while a near-term investment in rail is a catalyst for the dense land use he recognizes is necessary.
We need to hear from McGinn that he won’t oppose the First Hill streetcar funded by Sound Transit, and that he will support the acceleration of construction proposed by Seattle’s Department of Transportation. We want a re-evaluation — or change of heart — and the 1st Ave streetcar. Streetcars are not for every location, and one can argue that the SLUT wasn’t an appropriate first line, but these two lines are smart investments. The city can’t wait for Metro to fix its house and we certainly cannot wait for the state to move away from highway funding before investing in more-efficient, higher-capacity, and greener rail transit. We are impressed by McGinn’s commitment to buses, bikes, and feet, but we want to see something on rail.
We should make one thing clear: this isn’t about a mode fetish or being rail fans just to be rail fans. There are real, demonstrable reasons to favor an investment in rail over other new transit spending. We haven’t been in campaign mode for rail recently — hey, we won ST2 and we had a mayor who supported a series of streetcar lines, so why bother? But things have changed, and we’re going to have to prove to our readers and the incoming establishment that streetcars and light rail are a smart use of taxpayer dollars. We’re going to spend some time in the coming months reaching out to both mayoral candidates as well as the city council candidates, and hopefully we’ll give their supporters and all other voters the facts necessary to get commitments on rail.
Note: The first installment in this series is here. Part III here.
To cover the 4-year, $501m gap between Metro’s planned service level and projected revenue, County Executive Kurt Triplett has proposed a nine-point plan. This post will cover the first three of those items.
$36m in savings comes from deferring planned Transit Now service increases. RapidRide and Service partnership programs have matching funds that the County won’t pass up, but the “high capacity corridor” and “developing area” improvements that haven’t already been introduced are on the chopping block. More information here.
Interestingly, this approach effectively negates the 20/40/40 balance of TransitNow in the short term. Three of the five RapidRide lines are in Seattle, and they were meant to be balanced by the high capacity and developing area service. (Service partnerships were never subject to the rule.)
Triplett seemed genuinely surprised when I asked why the 83,o00 service hours already implemented under the high capacity and developing area programs weren’t in line for their own 9% cut. It may be a simple oversight, one that could save Metro about 7,500 annual service hours.
The second item is reduced capital expenditures, mainly through fewer bus purchases. There have been rumors that this meant fewer trolley buses, since they’re more expensive. When I asked Triplett this, he said that he’s “not proposing to make that switch” and that we have “3 years to make that decision” because the current trolleys have that much life left. The $83m in savings over four years comes from buying about 200 fewer buses, thanks to less planned service. There are also some cuts in things like bus mobility improvements and passenger facilities.
The third item, worth $27m through 2013, is a 10% cut in “complementary programs”. This includes things like marketing, customer information, landscaping, cleaning, security, and support for special events.
I also asked Triplett what this meant for “station” and “enhanced” bus stops in the RapidRide program. It’s not well understood that only a fraction of RapidRide stops will have off-board payment, next arrival message boards, and so on. Further cuts to these amenities would make RapidRide little more than a frequent express bus with a new paint job and fare inspectors. Triplett insisted that “our default is no,” but that “we’ve been asked by [citizens] to take another look at that.” So for now, no cuts to RapidRide amenities, but that’s subject to change.
That covers the $146m of the $501m budget gap. In the next installment, we’ll tackle property taxes, reserves, and the fleet replacement fund.
[UPDATE: Thanks to some feedback in the comments below, the video is new and improved. I've embedded the new version; the old version is still available here.]
Courtesy of Margitte Kristjansson, the UW has a new video out showing incoming students how to use Metro:
If you’re trying to break someone in who’s reasonably internet-savvy, this might be a good approach. The companion website is here.
Last Wednesday’s Metro brown bag was attended by frequent STB commenter Mickymse, who graciously took some notes and collected the materials for us. Of most interest was the added detail on Executive Triplett’s plan to close the Metro budget gap, contained in Metro GM Kevin Desmond’s presentation (pdf).
There isn’t much we didn’t already know, but the chart below itemizes Triplett’s 9-point plan. Sorry for the lousy image quality.
OneBusAway, or OBA for those that like acronyms, is looking for feedback about their service. They have created a web survey that can be accessed here. It took me less than 10 minutes to complete and I wrote a lot so it will take less time for most people. Those who take the survey will also be eligible to win a $25 dollar iTunes gift certificate.
Besides the money this is also a chance for you help OBA quantify the benefits that real-time transit information provides. Remember OBA was created and developed for free by Phd students at UW so the least you can do to support OBA is take the survey.
Update at 4:49pm:Today’s drop has Mallahan showing significant gains, and Nickels falling behind further.
Yesterday’s primary election had its first drop of ballot totals late last night and — while it’s still too early to call the races — we’re seeing some encouraging news.
On the city council front, Mike O’Brien and Jessie Israel — two candidates our editorial board endorsed — are looking solid to advance to the general in their respective races. Dow Constantine seems likely to move on to the general for the King County Executive race. We endorsed both Constantine and Phillips for the primary. Phillips ran a strong campaign and he’ll continue to be an ally on the county council.
On the mayoral front, Greg Nickels is a close third behind Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan. The delta is just hundreds of votes, and up to half of the votes have yet to be counted. Right now it’s not clear who will advance to the primary. (This blog’s editorial board endorsed Nickels for the primary.)
You can see the first drop’s totals at Publicola. The next drop is schedule for 4:30pm this afternoon.
Next train sign at Tukwila station. Photo by Oran.
Yesterday marked the end of Link light rail’s first month in service. Congrats to Sound Transit for a relatively smooth roll-out. One of the more interesting parts of this first month is seeing the finish touches still being put on the line.
To the right is one of two “Next Train” signs installed at the Tukwila station after opening. One of the signs illuminates depending on which platform the northbound train will be arriving at. This crossover weirdness at the Tukwila stop will no longer be necessary when the Airport station opens later this year.
The buses connecting the Tukwila station to SeaTac Airport have finally been branded with Sound Transit logos and have “Link Light Rail – Airport Connector” signs painted on the sides. Hopefully this will make for clearer transfers to and from the airport. Thanks to Gordon Werner for the note.
The lights change color depending on elevator availability. Picture from litlnemo.
The Beacon Hill Station continues to get even cooler. New colorful lights were installed on August 10 (see right). The lights change color depending on the availability of each elevator below.
We’ve heard of various ticket-vending machine improvements: Stability fixes in the software, shade guards so the machines don’t overheat, and the removal of a redundant confirmation screen.
Of course, not everything is peachy. We’ve heard of some tracks getting wobbly, though it’s unclear if the fault lies in the tracks, the vehicles themselves, or something else entirely.
What goodies will the second month of Link service bring us?
On Monday, there was a groundbreaking ceremony at Everett Station for the northern terminal of Community Transit’s Swift BRT line. Everett Transit Director Tom Hingson, Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, and Stan Suchan from WSDOT’s Office of Transit Mobility spoke at the ceremony.
Hingson spoke of the partnership between Everett Transit and Community Transit to streamline and reduce duplication of service on the SR 99 corridor. The increased service will provide traffic relief for everyone, including freight truck drivers, Hingson said. He also acknowledged engineering consultants, Perteet and IBI Group, among others, for their continual collaboration with the agencies during the design of Swift.
Eleanor was proud to say that Swift, to be Washington’s first BRT line, took only 4 years to get from concept to reality. Swift will begin service on November 30, 2009. She noted that the brand design (name, logo, etc.) was done in-house by Community Transit’s marketing department. She also announced that the project is coming in under budget at $29.5 million, down from the estimated $32 million, thanks to lower construction costs. The Everett terminal is located just south of the current bus loop, next to the pedestrian bridge to the east parking lot across the tracks, on city property that was designated for parking.
More after the jump, with some tidbits I learned.(more…)
If I read my Slog correctly, this election will be decided entirely by elderly women in Medina. If you’d like to have your voice heard as well, this is the last day to have your ballot postmarked in time. So mail it in. Obviously, you shouldn’t just drop it in a mailbox without making sure that it’s going to be emptied sometime today.
Even better, go the extra mile and drop it off in person at one of many conveniently located drop boxes. It saves you the stamp, too! [UPDATE: There are locations very near Pioneer Square (500 4th Ave) and Othello (3815 Othello St) stations, if you need a Link excuse.]
And of course, you should also read our endorsements before you vote. Our county exec roundup is also a good read. And you can share how you voted here if you like.
The Portland Mercury reports that the Fareless Square in Portland is no longer going to cover buses. To get a free trip in Downtown Portland, you’ll have to ride on the Portland Streetcar or a MAX line. Fair inspections on these rail lines is more common, leading to less evasion.
“When Fareless Square was started some 34 years ago, it was a bus-only system. We now have four MAX lines that will serve this area once mall service begins,” says Mary Fetsch, TriMet’s spokesperson.
While eliminating free bus service from downtown saves only $800,000, TriMet expects to see improvements in bus efficiency and a reduction in bus fare-related evasion. TriMet is counting on this projected savings to help close its $3.5 million budget gap.
Yikes. Just a $3.5 million budget gap? Meanwhile, in our region we’re having our own talks about the Ride Free Area and whether Seattle pays its “fare” share.
You can get more information on TriMet’s change, which take effect next year, on the agency’s website.
New Flyer trolleybuses in Vancouver rush hour traffic
It’s the perfect occasion for a transit adventure to Vancouver, B.C. The brand new Canada Line opens today at 1 pm for free rides until 9 pm. If you’re feeling adventurous and have the time, it is possible to travel from Seattle to Vancouver on public transit by making a series of transfers and some walking or cycling across the border. The journey costs $12 and takes at least 7.5 hours. Back in March, wanting to do a transit field trip up north, I decided to try the schedule on Evan Siroky’s Regional Transit Transfers page. The following (after the jump) is an account of my experience with lots of pictures!
We’re thinking about having our next meetup somewhere in Bellevue easily reachable via 550. Anyone out there know of a place there that would, ideally,
- be all-ages
- serve good, cheap beer & food
- is not crazy packed on a midweek night
Not all of these are necessary, but more is better. Thanks?
KOMO news has a story about troubles reloading an ORCA card. Sound Transit says you should wait 24 hours between loading your card up with cash online and expecting those funds to appear. You can also reload your card at the ticket machines at every light rail stop — that cash will appear instantly.
Northwest Hub has coverage of the TCC town hall, including a zinger of a quote from State Senator Haugen: “People who drive cars do pay their fair share.”
As expected, our endorsement of Greg Nickels generated a lot of good discussion. Reasonable transit advocates can disagree on the best pick for Mayor, and they certainly have.
The only thing I’d like to add is to correct a false impression. Some people believe that the credit everyone gives to Nickels for getting light rail built is basically a function of him endorsing a few measures and being in the vicinity when the key decisions were made. In fact, it’s much more significant than that.
Back in July 2008, we covered extensively the battle to get ST2 back to the ballot. It basically came down to a number of fence sitters waiting for all the other fence-sitters to commit. The key swing vote was Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, who was holding out for rail to cross the county line, which required North King funds that Seattle would probably prefer to spend elsewhere. Crosscut did some excellent reporting at the time about the key deal between Nickels and Reardon that got it done. The tone of the piece is also a useful reminder of an atmosphere where further ST expansion seemed much less inevitable than it does today.
The other crucial Nickels contribution that year was in the conduct of the campaign itself. In contrast to the big-money Roads and Transit campaign of 2007, donors were stingy in 2008. Several STBers participated heavily in the 2008 yes campaign, and those that were there know that several Nickels staffers were given leave to run the campaign and do most of the work for it.
And of course, as late as November 1, 2008, the polling was pretty ambiguous as to whether or not Prop 1 was going to pass. Prop 1 was far from a slam dunk, and Team Nickels is what got it on the ballot and put it over the top.
Ballots for the August 18th 19th primary are due next Tuesday, so be certain to mark your ballot up soon. Seattle Transit Blog has endorsed the following candidates:
Something that has frustrated me recently is the theme I hear from some politicians and commenters who say that the debate over the SR-99 tunnel replacement for the Viaduct is over. After all, our leaders decided back in January that we’d have a tunnel. This continued bickering is just another example of the Seattle Process.
When “bickering” reaches the point of a serious primary challenge, though, that means the debate isn’t over. Far from it.
When McGinn came to the blog meet-up last week, I was moved by some of his populist appeals. Politicians don’t tell us when the debate is over. They don’t threaten to withhold state money to get their way. They don’t move the city in a direction that we don’t want them to. That’s not their job. We don’t answer to them, they answer to us. I’ll admit, McGinn’s stump speech struck a chord with me.
It’s true that transit advocates should worry gravely about McGinn’s misplaced softness on rail transit (he’s wrong, it can’t wait). And it’s true that opposing a tunnel doesn’t mean that McGinn will be a functional mayor. We can argue his candidacy, but we can’t argue that he has renewed discussion about the tunnel and whether it’s really the agreement that Seattle should be a party to. How can one see an image like this and think the debate’s over?
[UPDATE 2: I received a link to this WSDOT document (pdf-see bottom of Page 3), which clearly depicts a highway with extensive bridge crossings. Perhaps not an "elevated viaduct", but I believe McGinn's point about not having so many crossings stands.]
Viaduct day continues on STB. This is getting really interesting.
Mike McGinn emailed me with the details of his plan, which is different from the WSDOT surface/transit plan. Key points:
Halting the work on the viaduct between Holgate Street and Royal Brougham. [UPDATE: However, as commenter AGH points out, the current WSDOT plan is for this to be surface roadway. See also UPDATE 2 above.]
Considerably more spending on buses and mitigation.
Zeroing out the First Avenue Streetcar.
$75m from making cheaper choices on city streets.
The plan apparently does not include $500m for the Western Avenue couplet, although I have an email in to McGinn to confirm this.
The chart really lays out the differences more clearly, and is consistent with its own assumptions about what the State is willing to pay for. If I read it correctly, the $300m Port of Seattle contribution would no longer be necessary.
Also from the email:
The biggest savings is, of course, not spending 1.9 billion (plus) on the deep bore tunnel. But without a tunnel, we can reduce other costs on the Moving Forward projects.
Given the Metro funding crisis, I also don’t see financing a 1st Avenue Streetcar at this time. I see streetcar expansion and light rail expansion in the city as desirable when we improve transportation financing regionally and statewide.
[Ed. Note: Cross-posted at RVP. We know you're looking for excuses to ride Link, so here's something for you to do. Previously: the Mt. Baker Walking Tour.]
Columbia City – a historic community tracing back to 1889 – was a separate city until Seattle annexed it in 1907. Now it’s the gem of the Rainier Valley with improvements that have given the district a turn-of-the-century look while creating even more hometown appeal.
For the station hugger, Rainier Vista neighbor and Seattle Transit Blog editor Martin Duke recommends the pan-Asian fast-food joint Maki & Yaki – just one-third of a mile north of the the Columbia City station on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. “It’s really inexpensive with a broad selection,” he said.
Indeed, Maki & Yaki serves teriyaki (beef, chicken and pork), sweet & sour chicken and pork, short ribs, some seafood plates and assorted sushi rolls, all in a bright, clean setting for less than $10 a plate.
Meanwhile, the urban explorer will want to head two long blocks east on South Edmunds Street from the station to the historic Columbia City business district on Rainier Avenue South, which boasts an eclectic mix of retailers, restaurants and entertainment options.
As expected, our 
Mike McGinn emailed me with the details of his plan, which is different from the WSDOT surface/transit plan. Key points:
Columbia City – a historic community tracing back to 1889 – was a separate city until Seattle annexed it in 1907. Now it’s the gem of the Rainier Valley with improvements that have given the district a turn-of-the-century look while creating even more hometown appeal.
