You’re kidding – right?

Earlier you mentioned that scheduling an exception into the reduced weekday schedule would be a challenge. I think that they could do it the same way they add extra trips on game days. In my opinion that is what they should be doing – advertising transit as a reliable post-celebration option and adding trips. But, you’re right – someone needs to pay for it. Until that happens, maybe they could cut back little-used service on the east side and use that funding.

Anyway, happy new year! We’ve about gone round on this enough.

I hear you – but I have yet in 2 years driving routes at 3 different bases to see a police officer on board a bus – ever.

There were “transit options” for revelers – just not past a certain time. Budget cuts being what they are, the “reduced weekday” plan has seen it’s first year this last service period, and will continue to see them.

If you want more transit options scheduled during more hours (and more security), as I keep saying – all it takes is money. Slamming “planners” for doing their jobs and making cuts during overall low-demand periods is what they get paid to do.

And other than the 174, I can’t think of what bus I’d least want to drive (or ride) than a 358 headed north from the Seattle Center after midnight on New Years.

Would YOU want to be on that bus?

You’re referring to a series of trips cancelled due to “reduced weekday” scheduling.

I’m not sure what would be required to make an exception for 1 run out of the entire week, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be simple to schedule.

As a driver, I’d be damned if I’d want to drive the 358 at 12:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day anyway – not without a SWAT team onboard at any rate.

County to give bus tunnel to Sound Transit

Resulting traffic concerns downtown business owners

Wednesday, April 26, 2000

By GEORGE FOSTER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

When workers convert the downtown bus tunnel to light rail, it will mean substantial changes in the way cars, trucks and buses get around in the central business core.

Yesterday, elected officials from King County and Seattle announced that that the county would give Sound Transit the 1.3-mile downtown tunnel so that it could make the conversion.

As part of that announcement, King County Executive Ron Sims said the county would try to minimize disruptions when work begins in 2004.

But business owners have raised concerns about the dual-powered, 60-foot coaches that would be driving on downtown streets once the tunnel is permanently closed to buses.

Although planners originally thought that some buses would have to be shifted to surface streets, they later said that sharing the tunnel with King County’s Metro buses would not work.

“We’re furious,” said Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association. “We went through three years of very difficult construction . . . with the promise that we would be able to remove some of the buses from downtown streets.”

(Rest at: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/tran261.shtml )

There have been at least two cases of private vehicles using the bus tunnel. One was a lost woman in a car, the other was a truck who thought he was “transiting” the city and so followed the “Transit Only” signage.

There are is a big difference between Sound transit and Portland’s Metro. Sound transit is a transit agency and Portland’s Metro is a planing organization, which deals with way more then just transit.