The Community Transit board discusses their 2011 budget and modified six-year plan Thursday in Everett. The budget envisions a cut of 26,846 hours (4.39%) with a resulting annual ridership decline of 160,000, or 1.6%. This doesn’t include a planned 7,617 hour increase in ST service. The cuts reflect a 4.35% drop in total revenue. That service hour cuts are mapped to the revenue shortfall so closely is a triumph, of sorts, of overhead cost control.
The budget document is astonishingly detailed. Among the more interesting factoids and cuts:
- 17 layoffs, 3 eliminated vacant positions, and two fewer Sheriff’s deputies on staff
- Swift ridership is at about 3,300 per weekday, well above projections, and is the most productive route in the system at 21.5 boardings per service hour. CT is pursuing grants to study a second Swift line.
- Paratransit spending will increase as the State cuts the Medicaid travel subsidy.
- The local and commuter “Bus Plus” schedule books will be consolidated into a single volume, saving $100,000.
We already discussed some of the service changes coming for next year.
The 2008-13 plan is being revised due to revenue changes since it was written, but it is not a complete rewrite.
A new Swift line, eh? I wonder where it’ll run (on days other than Sunday).
I’d donate my liver to make it run from where 99 meets 526, then over to 527 and down south to downtown Bothell. Unfortunately I doubt enough ridership would exist down this route. I’d still donate several bodily organs to make it happen.
A 105-replacement would be nice, but it’d only make sense if they got the DE40LFA coaches instead since there is quite a bit lower ridership.
Supposedly the 527 corridor is going to be getting some denser developments at some point – the area near Thrasher’s corner got up zoned to allow tall buildings, etc. But, until if/when this higher density development actually shows up, I don’t expect many transit improvements. I am excited to see Bothell and the County starting to think proactively about concentrating high-density development intelligently, though.
There’s quite a bit of dense development in Edmonds. That would be a good place to add a line.
What areas are you thinking of beyond 99?
Personally, I’d be happy with actual bus service on 104/Edmonds Way.
Me too. Perhaps something from SR-522 all the way to Edmonds, or at least a single-transfer way of doing that with reasonable headways.
A Swift line from Aurora Village Transit Center to Lynnwood TC via Edmonds Station (along HY 106 and 196th) would be amazing. The existing 131 and 115 suck.
I’m also shocked Google Maps doesn’t have any Community Transit stuff on their maps.
Downtown Edmonds to Aurora to Mountlake Terrace TC along 104 and Ballinger would be a great East-West route.
I think you could run a Swift “B” line from just Edmonds Station to Lynnwood TC via 196th. The transfer at 99 to Swift “A” would be pretty painless to go to Aurora or north. The only downside would be the routing along a slow street between Edmonds and 80th or so. After that it’s a major road.
The other option would be Edmonds to Aurora along 104 and then interline along 99 until 196th and turn towards Lynnwood TC. Any East-West Swift line to Lynnwood TC is going to integrate nicely with Link and open up much of the west county via fast transfer at 99.
Because CT doesn’t have GTFS. Brian Ferris had to hack some data to get it on OneBusAway.
Yaay Swift. But it needs full NB/SB stops at both 200th and 196th, due to the distance of the college from the main east-west road, and the fact that these are the main stops in Lynnwood. It’s almost a 30-minute walk from the college to the southbound Swift stop.
When Link opens, there will need to be a frequent bus from 99 to Lynnwood TC. It could go on 196th to Edmonds, passing four blocks north of the college, or on 200th-68th-196th.
But an Edmonds – Aurora Village – Mountlake Terrace – Bothell route also sounds useful. I expect there are more people like me who avoid going to Edmonds due to the lack of frequent buses, and that Edmonds’ commerce suffers as a result.
Two stops within 4 blocks of each other? I’d hope not. It is almost a mile from the college to 196th and 99, but I don’t think that adding another stop a few blocks away is the solution to that problem.
I think a stop at 208th might be a bit more reasonable, which is only a 10 minute walk from the college.
I’m normally pro wide stop spacing, but in this case it’s the two most significant stops between Aurora Village and at least 164th, so they are kind of like downtown stops where narrower spacing is acceptable.
It would have been even better if the college were built with an entrance right at 99 and 196th; then both Swift and a simple Edmonds-Lynnwood route could have served it without effort, and entrance would have been right next to a transfer station. But it wasn’t, and yet still it’s the largest traffic generator in Lynnwood/Edmonds besides Alderwood Mall, so it deserves some consideration.
A 30 minute walk from the college? It’s .7 miles from the bus entrance to the college to the NB Swift stop, it’s .4 miles to the SB Swift stop. That’s just a tad more than 1/4 of a mile difference. It’s irritating but it shouldn’t take you half an hour to walk it. I’ve walked from EdCC to Lynnwood P&R in half an hour (Google says 34 minutes walking).
I would immagine the 2nd Swift line replace one of 3 current routes: 201/202 (Smokey Point-Everett-Lynnwood), 114/115/116 (Edmonds Ferry-Lynnwood-Mill Creek). I think the 201/202 would be easiest since emost of the lanes are wider and can handle increased traffic. The roads in Lynnwood and Edmonds are always congested.
What are the ridership numbers for Everett to Monroe? That could be a 3rd possibility.
I recall reading that the 201/202 route has the 3nd highest ridership in the system next to 101/Swift. I use it frequently!
No matter how much I would love to see a Hw2 Swift implimentation, I dont think it is in the cards, current service is approximatly 30 minutes throughout the day going to Hourly in the evenings between Everett and Monroe, I dont think the corridor itself justifies it.
My guess for Future Swift lines would be
Arlingon – Smoky point – Marysville – Everett Station
Boing – Pain Field – crossing 99 at 128th – Mill Creek – Cannyon Park – Bothell
Looking at http://www.commtrans.org/Projects/Documents/CorridorMapGrey.pdf I see Swift type service only on the Green lines, the gold lines either leave and re-enter CT service area, or are on rural routes (even if they do have urban areas at both ends) one thing to note on this map, it does enclude ESR
Lor Scara
The 114/115/116 was rarely full when I used to live along it. It was most busy between 76th & the mall, but even then, it was never crowded. The stretch down to downtown Edmonds was often mostly empty. It makes sense in theory to connect some major transportation hubs (the ferry/train station, Lynnwood Transit Center) with a Swift line, but there’s probably a busier route that would benefit more from a Swift line.
I’m extremely annoyed about the wake-the-dead beeping sounds their “kneeling” type buses make. This would make anyplace near a stop unlivable. In Snohomish County the stops might be far from people but in Downtown Seattle…
I’m almost absurdly enthusiastic about bus service…done in a way that doesn’t detract from people’s ability to live in their homes, and doesn’t detract from the concept that we can live in dense formats.
PS, I don’t live near Community Transit. Just walk by a lot of their stops.
I previously lived across the street (in a pre-WWI house) from a Metro stop. Beeping wasn’t that bad, even with the poor insulation and thin windows.
Metro does a better job of keeping the sound down vs. Community Transit, though Metro gets out of control sometimes too. Also, if you’re on the right side of the street it’s much worse.
I live across from Lynnwood TC. I hear this about 37 million times a day (give or take a few). It really isn’t that bad, but it is noticeable.
What are ways that residents in CT’s area can advocate for better funding for these important services? I love the bus!!!
An “alternatives analysis” is being done towards a second Swift line, there’s no money to pay for operating it. My guess is that the leading candidates would be, in no particular order, (1) Smokey Point to Everett, replacing the 200 series, with riders having to transfer to Sound Transit or Swift to continue south; (2) Edmonds ferry to Lynnwood Transit Center to Mill Creek; (3) UW Bothell to Mariner Park & Ride and maybe to Airport Road (to connect with the other Swift). Having an east/west line would probably give #2 an edge, while #1 has the strongest ridership. Remember, BRT lines are typically 15 miles or less, and the above are all in the 11-14 range. I found Mike Orr’s comment interesting, as I count the following routes that go in Edmonds…Swift, 101, 110, 114, 116, 118, 119, 130, 131. It seems that Edmonds is saturated in the scheme of things, but they obviously must be missing his locale.