Month: August 2017

After the first ballot results drop, it is unclear which two candidates will face off in a variety of races. For the races in which we endorsed (STB Favorites in bold):

Seattle Mayor

Jenny Durkan	27,579	31.60%
Cary Moon	13,583	15.56%
Nikkita Oliver	12,126	13.90%
Jessyn Farrell	10,308	11.81%
Bob Hasegawa	7,526	8.62%
Mike McGinn	6,247	7.16%

Durkan is in. It’s too early to rule out Oliver or Farrell to overtake Moon. For all other races, our preferred candidate is in excellent position for the general.

Seattle Council, Position 8

Continue reading “Mayoral Race Uncertain; Most Others Clear”

To relieve overcrowding at parking lots near trailheads in the Issaquah Alps, starting Saturday a new King County Metro bus route will ferry hikers to three trailheads between the city’s two park and rides.

Partnering with King County Parks Department, Metro’s new Trailhead Direct service will run Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays through October, with buses coming every half hour between 7 am and 6 pm.

The loop route will stop at the Issaquah Transit Center then travel down State Road 900 stopping at the Margaret’s Way Trailhead. Wrapping around the south side of Squak Mountain, the bus will then stop at the Poo Poo Point Trailhead then travel toward Issaquah’s downtown for the East Sunset Way Trailhead. Then the bus will then head to the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride and then back to the Issaquah Transit Center to begin the loop again.

The nineteen-seater buses will be free this weekend after that riders will be charged a non-peak fare. 

Trailhead Direct, a pilot project, is part of Metro’s Community Connections program and is funded until the end of 2018. The seasonal route will begin running again in the early spring of 2018. 

Cathy Snow, a program manager with Metro, hopes this new service will get hikers “to leave their cars further behind,” and relieve congestion and improve safety at the trailheads. She said this new route made sense allowing the agency to use vehicles that are idle during the weekend.

Based on input from a recent survey, Ryan Dotson, development program manager at King County Parks, said out of the three proposed solutions a trailhead shuttle met the needs of hikers.

Dotson said easing congestion at popular backcountry trail parking lots is a problem that “really needs to be solved and mostly on weekends and holidays.”

The five stops:

• Issaquah Transit Center – Newport Way NW and Renton Issaquah Rd SE
• Margaret’s Way Trailhead – Renton Issaquah Rd SE and 190th Ave SE
• Poo Poo Point Trailhead – Issaquah Hobart Rd SE and SE 106th Pl
• East Sunset Way Trailhead – E Sunset Way and 6th Ave SE
• Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride – Highland Drive NE and NE High St

Beginning Monday, August 7, construction at Colman Dock will close the Pier 50 dock for the King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit’s new Fast Ferries service. During an approximately 10-day period, Water Taxi service (on both routes) will be suspended, while Kitsap Fast Ferries will use a temporary dock at Pier 54 (Argosy Cruises next to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop). Fast Ferries sailing times will be on a temporary schedule, so check to see if your boat is leaving earlier or later than usual.

The closure comes as part of WSDOT’s Colman Dock Replacement Project, which will completely rebuild the state ferry terminal as well as the passenger-only terminal, which will open in fall 2018. The new passenger-only ferry terminal will feature a covered walkway and waiting area for passengers to queue in. A temporary passenger-only terminal on the north side of Colman Dock will be opened later this year to serve the Water Taxi and Fast Ferries.

While the Water Taxi is out of commission, there will be no bus replacement service. Instead, passengers are advised to use regular Metro bus routes to West Seattle and the Fauntleroy ferry terminal, including the RapidRide C Line, and routes 21, 37, 55, 56, 57, 116, 120, and 125. After service is restored, estimated to be on August 14, the West Seattle Water Taxi will run on a new sailing schedule to account for increased boarding times as well as waiting for state ferries to clear Colman Dock before proceeding to West Seattle.