“Neighborhood Residential” (previously called “Single-Family”) is the most common zoning type in Seattle. It makes up about 2/3 of the land zoned for development in the city. This is where we have the greatest potential for improving population density and affordability in Seattle. Here is a proposal for simple changes that could make a huge difference. This zoning type used to be three minimum lot sizes. Now there’s only one: 5,000 square feet. Along with lowering the size limit for new lots, other rules are now a bit more liberal. While these changes are laudable, they are still complicated and aren’t as liberal as what Spokane has. I believe we can do better.

Continue reading “Changing the Zoning for most of Seattle” | 30 comments

In 2004 California released an excellent service-led plan to expand its state rail network, both the high-speed rail projects and other corridors and a few BRT connectors. This video by nandert goes in-depth on why service-led planning is an important paradigm all agencies should use (5:33), the benefits of California’s plan, and how the governing boards would need major structural changes and reforming their priorities to actually make it happen this well.

He defines service-led planning as “Start by determining where the transit demand and need is, and tailor the plan to meet that demand.” In other words, determining how much of what kind of service each corridor needs. Then draw up cost estimates for the resulting lines to operators (agencies). The California plan specifies the rail/bus mode and frequency, but you could also leave the mode for a later step before assigning them to agencies, as Jarrett Walker does.

The difference between this and most transit planning is, corridors are chosen to meet the bulk of mobility/trip needs, without certain city/county jurisdictions having undue influence to override these for demands that contradict them. It also puts frequency first in the spec rather than leaving is as an afterthought, so the public can see what minimum frequency the entire network or each project will have so that they can see what their experience will be like.

This is an open thread.

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The 2 Line will be replaced by shuttle buses Saturday and Sunday between South Bellevue and Chinatown/International District. The shuttles will run every 10-15 minutes and serve every station. The link has the bus stop locations; the Judkins Park stops are on Rainier Avenue under I-90. The 1 Line will increase to every 8 minutes to mitigate the loss of westside 2 Line service. The shuttles will run every 10-15 minutes and serve every station. The link has the bus stop locations; the Judkins Park stops are on Rainier Avenue under I-90.

Mike Lindblom in the Seattle Times got some background information on the work:

Sound Transit has operated at reduced speeds of around 40 mph at Mercer Island…, spokesperson Henry Bendon said.

This weekend, crews will install additional supports for overhead power rails, that are attached to the underside of Mercer Island lids (commonly called tunnels), to make those parts more stable. Last winter in test runs, electric arcing appeared between power rails — which serve the same purpose as the familiar overhead catenary wires throughout the network — and the trains at high speed, Bendon said.

Despite that anomaly, project staff chose to open the cross-lake and Mercer Island tracks on schedule, and finally they’re reinforcing the overhead equipment.

“We would like to get the speed back up to a full 55 mph,” Bendon said. He cautioned it probably will take one more weekend of work to get the job done.

I-405 will also be closed in downtown Bellevue, so expect more traffic on I-5 and the bridges.

No Kings will march on Saturday at 1:15pm from Cal Anderson Park to Seattle Center. The focus this time is on increasing voter turnout. This will likely fill Link trains between noon and 3pm, with only a few standing spaces available if that. A lot of people come from the Eastside: they’ll have to take the shuttle or other bus routes like Metro 255 or 270, or ST Express 542 or 545. (Yes, the 542 runs on Saturdays.) Hint: from Judkins Park station you can transfer to Metro route 8 to both endpoints of the march.

There will also be the usual sports and events events like the Sounders on Saturday at 7:30pm.

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On Wednesday, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay transmitted RapidRide R Line alignment legislation to the King County Council. The R Line will travel between Rainier Beach station and downtown Seattle on Rainier Ave when it opens in 2032. In August, Metro asked the public for feedback on an initial alignment proposal. While many support the project, the planned removal of several existing Route 7 stops drew widespread criticism from Rainier Valley residents, transit advocates, and disability advocates.

In response to this feedback, the latest plan restores the stops on Rainier at Bayview St and State St/Grand St. The King County Council will discuss and vote on the R Line’s alignment over the next few weeks. This will establish the route’s path and general station locations. Additional project components, such as transit priority infrastructure, new crossings, and sidewalk improvements, will be finalized in later project stages. Executive Zahilay has proposed front-loading the project’s budget in an effort to potentially move up the R Line’s opening date.

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Two RapidRide R Line Stops Restored” | 95 comments

News and commentary from the past week or so.

News:

• Tug-of-War Over New Transportation Funding Heats Up in Bellevue (The Urbanist).
• Building I-5 left many scars in the Pinehurst neighborhood, new walking and biking projects hope to heal some of them (Seattle Bike Blog).
• Mukilteo’s Plans for ‘Vibrant Waterfront Village’ Start to Come Together (The Urbanist).
• Sound Transit Panel advances land acquisition for West Seattle Light Rail line (Westside Seattle).
• Beacon Ave S safety improvement design work resumes (SDOT Blog).
• ‘The Ave for All’ Transforms U District’s Main Thoroughfare (The Urbanist).
• 2026 Transportation Choices Hall of Fame (Transportation Choices Coalition).
• Peter Ngo named King County Metro’s Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year (Metro Matters).
• Seattle’s ‘Centers & Corridors’ Zoning Update Delayed Another Year (The Urbanist).
• Tacoma Pushes to Reimagine Crash-Prone Portland Avenue (The Urbanist)

Commentary:

• Making Every Bus Rapid (City Hikes).
• Greater Seattle: A Supermajority, a Mistake, and a Chance (PubliCola)

This is an Open Thread.

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An animated rendering of West Seattle Link. (Sound Transit)

A conservative vision for urbanism. (The Atlantic) David From interviews Reihan Salam. I’ve been following Frum since he was on Left, Right, and Center in the 2000s; I consider him the most thoughtful conservative analysist nowadays. They discuss housing, education, street parking, blue cities, and their non-Trump conservatism vs Trumpism.

This is an open thread.

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The leaves are finally starting to fall and there is no better place to admire King County’s incredible scenery than from a historic Metro bus. The annual Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association (MEHVA) Fall Foliage Tour is back this year on October 25. Ride on one of the historic buses in MEHVA’s fleet through the Cascade foothills. Buses depart from 6th Ave S & S Royal Brougham Way (one block from Stadium station) at 11am and will return around 3pm. Tickets cost $10 and the group will stop for lunch along the way.

If you prefer to stay in Seattle, the Washington Park Arboretum is incredible this time of year. The arboretum is located just west of Madison Park, near stops for routes 8, 11, 43, 48, and the G Line. UW station is the closest Link station, about a 20 minute walk from the park.

This is an open thread.

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Reminder: Buses replace Link trains between Westlake and Northgate after ~10pm from Oct. 6-8 as part of Sound Transit’s rotating monthly maintenance program.

News and commentary from the past week.

News:

• Puget Sound ferry service returns after 23 ferry engine room workers staged a “sick out” amid tensions over low wages and long hours (KUOW). Also well-covered by The Stranger.
• Zahilay Proposes Advancing RapidRide R Funding to Spur Bus Upgrades (The Urbanist).
• Deadline Approaches for Outside Ideas to Curb Costs on Ballard Light Rail (The Urbanist).
• The push to Reconnect Fremont across Aurora (Fremont Neighbor).
• Paid Parking Could Expand to West Seattle, Upper Queen Anne (The Urbanist). Also on West Seattle Blog and the SDOT Blog.
• Nathan Vass’ Deciding to See is a Finalist for the Washington State Book Awards (The Urbanist).
• New Night Bus routes offer regional connections 24/7 (The Platform)
• KCRHA Consultant Finds the “Missing” $8 Million; Strauss’ RV Ban Moves Forward (PubliCola).
• The Seattle area’s most extreme bedroom communities (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• King County Metro apprenticeships offer a chance to shift gears (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• WSDOT’s Cascadia Program exploring regional high-speed rail in coordination with statewide I-5 needs (WSDOT Blog).

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: Sick Out” | 91 comments

We’re about a month into the Fall shakeup, where a substantial number of service changes were implemented to improve connections to Link. This is a recurring playbook that Metro has used ever since light rail service began: identify duplicative services and restructure existing bus routes to connect to Link stations rather than running all the way into downtown Seattle.

When Northgate Link opened, Sound Transit truncated many of its 510 series routes to connect at Link instead. After Lynnwood Link, all of Community Transit’s direct services to downtown Seattle were restructured. And with the August changes, both Metro and Sound Transit no longer offer any one-seat rides from Bellevue or Issaquah to Seattle, save for the 2 Line.

Critics of this approach generally lament the loss of the one-seat ride, that trip times generally increase when factoring in wait times, and that Link is not necessarily faster point-to-point than express routes. The Sound Transit subreddit and other various community forums feature countless examples of riders testifying to that end. There is even now a “Restore 554” petition circulating among Issaquah residents, urging the restoration of a direct Issaquah-Seattle route.

The planning justifications for this type of restructuring are quite straightforward: Link provides a frequent high-capacity serve to major regional centers; instead of running costly peak-directional bus service, reinvest the hours into boosting local connecting service. This implementation aligns with Jarrett Walker’s “frequency is freedom” mantra and is generally a position this blog has supported.

Continue reading “Duplicative services and commuter route truncation, again” | 70 comments

Seattle City Councilmember (District 6) and Sound Transit Boardmember Dan Strauss is hosting a community form discussing the Ballard Link Extension alongside several other elected officials and Sound Transit representatives. The forum will be held in the Osberg Great Hall at the National Nordic Museum on Monday, October 19, from 6-8pm.

Continue reading “Ballard Link Community Forum on October 19” | 72 comments