Month: December 2018

Correction: The post originally stated transit would be free after 7 pm on New Year’s Eve. Actually, only Metro buses and the Seattle Streetcars will be free during that period.

BTW, Link Light Rail will be operating later hours after midnight New Year’s Eve. The last southbound train departs UW Station at 1:56 am. The last northbound train departs Angle Lake Station at 1:20 am.

Starting January 14, downtown traffic will suck, far worse than it ever has before. Too many buses, all packed to the gills, will be (in many cases due to political cowardice) stuck in that traffic. Many of you will ignore the beseechments to bike or work at home for three weeks, and will share in that misery.

I was delighted to see Erica Barnett re-raise the idea of bringing back the Ride Free Zone. King County Service Development Manager Bill Bryant quickly dismissed the idea based on false premises, including that it would lead to restoration of the mess that was Pay-after-you-shove-to-the-front-to-exit. Ironically, Barnett was a vocal critic of the original Ride Free Zone. There is likely not enough time between now and January 14 for Metro to conduct a clear-headed analysis of RFZ 2.0, featuring fare enforcement on the outside fringe of the zone instead of making everyone’s ride home an uncomfortable pre-2012-style slog. But it is worth studying for future deployment, or testing before and/or during Carpocalypse.

In the meantime, we will get to experience the now annual tradition of free Metro bus and streetcar rides after 7 pm on New Year’s Eve.

Continue reading “Carpocalypse Grab Bag: Free Ride Hours?”

The failure of I-1631 has allowed Governor Jay Inslee to continue an annual tradition: he announced another climate action plan to great fanfare.

The plan leaves plenty to be desired. The package’s proposed $129 million in “clean transportation” funding doesn’t invest in any land-based, local transit.

Continue reading “Why doesn’t Inslee’s “clean transportation” plan include transit?”

Update: The post originally stated that Rep. Joan McBride was re-elected. Actually, she retired. The author apologizes for the error.

On December 13, the House Democratic Caucus elected its new leaders and new committee chairs. Rep. Jake Fey (D – Tacoma) was elected the new Chair of the House Transportation Committee, replacing the retiring Judy Clibborn (D – Mercer Island).

Rep. Fey gave a brief statement upon his election to the Transportation Committee Chairmanship. In part…

Businesses can hire people a lot faster than we can build highways, train stations and ferry terminals. Keeping up with that population growth is a massive challenge that requires not just more highways, but investments in trains, buses and other ways to get cars off the road. And in the end, long-term solutions on transportation will require creativity and cooperation. I look forward to listening to all stakeholders and lawmakers from both parties so we can move Washington forward and utilize all of our transportation alternatives, including mass transit.

Fey has been serving as Vice Chair of the current House Transportation Committee. He had a lot more to say about his views on his campaign website and his caucus page. While voting for the transportation package that authorized ST3, he has been an unabashed supporter of freeway expansions in Pierce County, and voted to reduce the ST3 car tabs each time the issue has come up.

House Transportation Committee Membership

Now that both the House Democratic and Republican Caucuses have made their committee assignments public, we know the full membership of the 2019 House Transportation Committee.

Continue reading “Fey to Lead House Transportation Committee”

The Swift Green Line will launch on March 24, 2019, bringing bus rapid transit service to Mill Creek and the new Paine Field passenger terminal. Community Transit’s second bus rapid transit line will have 34 stations and run from Seaway Transit Center on Airport Road, 128th/132nd Street, and the Bothell-Everett Highway (SR 527) to Canyon Park.

The Green Line will intersect several of the county’s major routes at various points: the Blue Line at Airport Road and Highway 99 in south Everett; the Ash Way “trunk” routes at Mariner Park and Ride; and Silver Firs-bound routes in Mill Creek. While connections to a Seattle-bound bus are only possible through limited commuter routes, the Canyon Park terminus will be served by Sound Transit Routes 532/535 to Bellevue, which will eventually be upgraded into a bus rapid transit line.

Continue reading “Swift Green Line Is 90 Days From Launch”

Carpocalypse comes Monday, January 14, as the Alaskan Way Viaduct will shut down forever at 10 pm on the evening of Friday, January 11. That will leave up to 90,000 daily car trips trying to find other ways to get into and out of downtown for at least the following three weeks until SR 99 is connected to the new tollway tunnel under downtown.

King County and SDoT have invested heavily into enabling more trips on the King County Water Taxi and more transportation to the water taxi, as West Seattle will be the area most impacted by the shutdown.

Rideshare companies are offering improved deals to get more people to the train stations, as well as select transit centers. However, per Sound Transit spokesperson Kimberly Reason, there will be no extra trains or capacity. The Link fleet is maxed out. The BNSF tracks are also maxed out on usage, so there is no space to add any extra Sounder runs. For those who would like a cheat sheet on when to expect 2-car Link trains, sorry that can’t be done. The only tip I can offer is wait close to the end of the second car, and be prepared to board the rear car, whether it be the second or third. Or if you are travelling between 9 am and 3 pm or on weekends, expect all the trains to be 3 cars.

Continue reading “Surviving Carpocalypse: Stay Home, Bike, Ride Sounder, or Ride Link Off-Peak”