Archives for July 2009

Transit Opponents Sue To Stop East Link

at By

A laundry list of transit opponents have come together in a last-ditch attempt to stop East Link from being built on I-90. We’ve recently gotten word that a suit has been filed against the State over the use of the I-90 express lanes. The petitioner list is almost entirely expected: Kemper Freeman, Jim Horn, Steve […]

[Continue reading...]

Bus Displacement

at By

Nina Shapiro at the Daily Seattle Weekly makes the first journalistic attempt to figure out how Rainier Valley-Downtown Seattle bus service is competing with Link, and throws in a racial angle.  She also makes a fairly big factual error. First the error: One possible railway deterrent: It’s not free to transfer from train to bus, […]

[Continue reading...]

News Roundup

at By

Seattlest tries to obtain a youth ORCA card.  It’s not easy, and I believe the same is true for senior ORCA cards. Vancouver’s bus service in much worse shape than Metro. I-90 closures all weekend for the Blue Angels, 10:45am-3:30pm daily.  Please no “Blue Angels suck”/”Blue Angels rule” debates in the comments.  Reroutes abound. Our […]

[Continue reading...]

ORCA for the kids: good luck

at By

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Seattlest beat me to this, but in summary: you can’t order children ORCA cards online, you have to bring their birth certificate to one of two locations downtown during business hours on the weekday. Score one for bureaucracy.

[Continue reading...]

Ride Link to the Seafair Hydroplane Races!

at By

Thinking of heading down to the Seafair Hydro races? Take Link! A free shuttle (with standard Link fare) will be running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between Othello Station and Stan Sayres Memorial Park. More information is available on the Seafair website, which also mentions that the park isn’t too far from Columbia City Station. It’s […]

[Continue reading...]

First Link Ridership Numbers

at By

[Update 1:09pm. Correction and further points below, in italics.] Earlier, Ben took the position that it’s best not to get too worked up about ridership numbers at this stage, and I think that’s true whether the numbers are good or bad. That said, Link’s first-week weekday boardings were just announced via press release as 12,000/day.  […]

[Continue reading...]

The I-90 Fight Continues, And The State Is Losing

at By

To recap: Approved and funded by last year’s Proposition 1, part of the East Link expansion to Bellevue and Overlake will replace the current I-90 express lanes. Those express lanes were built after a 1976 Memorandum of Agreement signed by several parties, including the state of Washington, to reserve them for transit. They would be used […]

[Continue reading...]

Your Name in Lights

at By

Sound Transit’s looking for subjects for a short blurb: Do you take a Sound Transit bus or train to school, or do you plan to do that this fall? If you’re willing to share your story, please contact Connie at connie.mennie@soundtransit.org or 206-398-5235.

[Continue reading...]

Brush Fire in Tukwila

at By

[Update 4:38pm: P-I reports some more lanes are open, but traffic still looks ugly.  Apparently, this was all caused by a moron tossing a cigarette into a bone-dry median.] Brian Bundridge, out at Tukwila station, has several items to report: “due to the brush fire in Des Moines, buses are being rerouted to Hwy 99/Pacific […]

[Continue reading...]

News Roundup

at By

The media blitz is settling down. Gillian Anderson on Slog reports that the anti-bike policy of the RFZ is being relaxed. There’s so much hedging it’s hard to be sure, but I think the TNT is telling Dome District neighborhood opponents to suck it up and allow Sound Transit to build the Lakewood Sounder extension. […]

[Continue reading...]

More Pay Parking

at By

[UPDATE 10:25pm: A reader reports there’s a pay lot in front of the Safeway, one block west of Othello Station on Othello St.  The rate is $30/month, which is a good one.] Two more Link parking opportunities we’ve identified: Immediately west of Mt. Baker Station, there’s a $4/day Diamond lot. The Rainier Vista Boys & […]

[Continue reading...]

It’s Going To Happen

at By

Late last night, a man jumped in front of Link in SoDo. He climbed over the Jersey barrier south of Holgate. He went under the train, and did not live. It’s disappointing when someone decides that’s their only way out. I feel sorry for the operator, too. I hope Metro offers a good mental health […]

[Continue reading...]

ORCA passes now accepted on SLUT

at By

The Seattle Streetcar official website welcomed the arrival of Link light rail and the ORCA smartcard. It announced that ORCA card readers will be installed on streetcar station platforms next year. While ORCA e-purse users have to wait until next year to pay with their card, ORCA passholders can show their card as proof of […]

[Continue reading...]

Metro’s Operator of the Year

at By

Through a somewhat complicated peer election process, Ineke DeBoer of Green Lake has been selected for Metro’s Operator of the Year for 2008.  If you see her driving on the 31 or 68, be sure to congratulate her. This should also serve as a reminder to send in comments about drivers that do an especially […]

[Continue reading...]

Light Rail Commute Observations

at By

Video by Flickr user Reverend Kommisar I live two blocks from the Beacon Hill station and I use it as part of my commute each day, and the first week of Link has been an eye-opening experience.  Of course, I’ve seen the usual things: confused TVM users, intermittent outages*, etc., but it really hasn’t been […]

[Continue reading...]

Swapping Ferries for Buses

at By

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

I think Kurt Triplett’s on the right track here with his plan to take money from the proposed King County ferry district and apply it to Metro’s funding gap. It’s not enough, but it’s a start.

I was bullish on the King County ferry district back in 2007, and skeptical back in February of this year, due to the same budget constraints that seem to be driving Triplett’s thinking.

[Continue reading...]

Mt. Baker Walking Tour

at By

by AMBER CAMPBELL, editor, Rainier Valley Post [Ed. Note: This is the first of four guest posts by Amber, who is cross-posting this.  We know you’re looking for excuses to ride Link, so here’s something for you to do.] Mount Baker is a charming Olmstead neighborhood created by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company in 1907 […]

[Continue reading...]

Working Out The Kinks: Intraday Service Changes

at By

Several people have commented here that they’ve been on peak-direction trains that have kicked them off at either Rainier Beach or Beacon Hill. I suspect I’m not the only person who’s followed up directly with Sound Transit. What’s going on is when we go from 7.5 minute morning peak service to 10 minute midday service […]

[Continue reading...]