December 2018 – Page 4 – Seattle Transit Blog

News Roundup: Mostly cows

December 6, 2018December 5, 2018 by Martin H. Duke

Single-family zoning is indefensible.
Massive city report ($) goes into extraordinary detail about why.
Council Candidate Shaun Scott reacts properly.
SDOT delivered 4% (!) of its 2018 bike lane plan.
Taking LimePods on a test drive.
Mayor thinks scooters are too dangerous, auto carnage is just dandy.
Private transit center near Expedia.
Driver Nathan Vass tries being nice.
Let’s ban cars from the streetcar tracks.
Kitsap buying more boats.
Durkan hires consultant to represent Seattle to ST; the connection seems a bit cozy, but I’d most like to know the city’s agenda.
This Link security encounter sure sounds like profiling.
Cynicism about capital projects is easy to understand ($): when the economy is bad, they can’t deliver because revenues are down. When it’s good, it’s because costs have spiraled.
Prospects for congestion pricing.
A new use for bikeshare.
“Talent wants transit.”
How we use the land area of the United States. Spoiler alert: it’s mostly cows.

This is an open thread.

Mayor’s office nearing SDOT director hire, appoints ST3 point person

December 5, 2018June 7, 2019 by Peter Johnson

Mayor Jenny Durkan retained Anne Fennessy, of public affairs firm Cocker Fennessy, to represent the City of Seattle in planning for the final alignment of ST3’s West Seattle and Ballard Link segments. Durkan’s office also told STB that the search for a new, permanent SDOT director is “underway,” started “earlier this fall,” and that the hire should be announced soon.

Durkan spokesperson Chelsea Kellogg says that the search is similarly to the recruitment of new City Light CEO Debra Smith, who was hired in April:

“National search conducted, employee review panel interviews candidates, senior leadership from other departments interview candidates. The Search Committee then reviews candidates resumes and interviews the candidates which has already taken place. The next step is interviews with the Mayor, which are happening this month.” Continue reading “Mayor’s office nearing SDOT director hire, appoints ST3 point person”

Mayor Jenny Durkan still hasn’t appointed an SDOT director, and doesn’t seem to be looking for one

December 4, 2018December 3, 2018 by Peter Johnson

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is going through a tough couple of years, and it doesn’t have a permanent leader.

Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office has not made any indication that they are searching for a permanent SDOT director, though the administration has been in office for a year. Durkan’s staff did not respond to repeated questions from STB, starting on November 27, asking whether an SDOT director recruitment process was under way.

The agency has had trouble completing the large capital projects it has asked to deliver. The First Hill streetcar opened several years late after delays from the vehicle manufacturer. The downtown Center City Connector streetcar has been delayed indefinitely, albeit due to interference from Durkan.

More worryingly, SDOT has not delivered on the ambitious bike and bus projects promised in the Move Seattle levy, as Frank wrote yesterday. Move Seattle promised seven RapidRide bus lines on major corridors. Now, SDOT can only deliver four, and those projects are each delayed by at least a year. Madison BRT, which was supposed to be up and running next year, will instead launch in 2022. Continue reading “Mayor Jenny Durkan still hasn’t appointed an SDOT director, and doesn’t seem to be looking for one”

Updated Timelines for Bus Improvements in new SDOT Move Seattle Workplan

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by Frank Chiachiere

SDOT last week released its updated workplan (PDF) for the Move Seattle levy, the 9-year, $930m program that includes everything from streets and sidewalks to buses and bikes.

While the original levy included 7 “RapidRide+” corridors, it became apparent in April that SDOT didn’t have the money to do all 7 and would be scaling back. Mayor Durkan ordered a review and a new workplan. We got a hint of the new scope in September, when Metro announced that only 4 new RapidRide lines would launch by the time the levy expires in 2024.

Now we have a better sense of how SDOT is prioritizing its portion of the work. All of the projects are getting bumped 1-3 years. Budgets listed below are totals for each project and include a mixture of levy funds and other federal, state, and local sources (some as-yet-unidentified). As you can see, the level of investment varies greatly from line to line. Continue reading “Updated Timelines for Bus Improvements in new SDOT Move Seattle Workplan”

Sunday Open Thread: El Paso Streetcar

December 2, 2018November 13, 2018 by Oran Viriyincy

El Paso once had streetcars running across the border to Juarez.

RapidRide H plans take shape

December 1, 2018December 3, 2018 by Peter Johnson

RapidRide H, the new line that will replace Metro Route 120 in downtown, Delridge, White Center, and Burien, will feature 0.3 mile stop frequency and new bus lanes, according to the latest designs. SDOT and Metro plan to finish design in ~~spring~~ summer 2019, and open bidding for the project by the end of the year, with the goal of opening in 2021.

Metro’s Jerry Roberson and SDOT’s CJ Holt presented the 10 percent plans for the H line to the City of Seattle’s Transit Advisory Board on Wednesday. They also commented on preliminary RapidRide plans for the Rainier Valley/Route 7 corridor.

The H line will serve a heavily transit-dependent, highly diverse area, and will make an essential connection to the Link system at the Delridge stop. Burien, White Center, and the south end of West Seattle won’t see Link service until a future Sound Transit package, if ever. Continue reading “RapidRide H plans take shape”