Month: August 2019

There is no transit performance metric quite like ridership. However, when any metric becomes the single point of evaluation, it can lead to bizarre conclusions.

Last month’s High Speed Rail study counted riders, and some readers couldn’t resist comparing the numbers to middling local transit routes. But it’s one thing to take riders between adjacent neighborhoods and another to deliver them 180 miles away.

A project’s cost, at a first approximation, is proportional to its length. Single-minded attention to cost per rider means never building a long-distance project at all, which is nonsensical. That’s not to say that passenger-miles is a perfect metric, either. It favors long-haul routes that are irrelevant to the spontaneous trips that enable urban living. But a comprehensive evaluation must consider both when the difference in spatial scales is this large.

Moreover, Seattle-area transit and HSR aren’t fiscally in tension with each other. A state subsidy to Puget Sound transit that actually moves the needle is inconceivable. Meanwhile, HSR could connect cities all around the state with the wealth centered in Seattle, at a time when it is increasingly hard to drive there. This aligns with Olympia’s traditional responsibility for intercity rail and bus, and offers a good value proposition to voters across the state.

Singapore’s housing policy and town planning goes hand in hand with its mass rapid transit planning.

This is an open thread.

• Does Seattle housing policy help solve inequality?
• Getting rid of surplus ST property; ST rewarding cities that upzone a lot, unlike Seattle.
• More fare enforcement ($) on streetcars?
• The story of ReachNow’s abrupt shutdown.
• Study says e-scooters aren’t that great for the environment, mainly because of driving around for repositioning and cleanup. There are policy recommendations!
• Link + Via wins a grist race to Seward Park.
• New developments in South Snohomish County.
• Uber starting to sell transit tickets ($).
• If they can’t fix self-driving cars, they want to fix the humans they interact with instead. Bad idea!
• It can be done: Europe edging toward car-free cities ($).

MASS Coalition:

The MASS Transportation Package is a proposal from the MASS Coalition to make walking, rolling, biking, and using transit in Seattle safer and more accessible. It’s not a comprehensive vision for transportation in Seattle, but it is a set of projects and policies we believe the City can advance rapidly in 2019. The package includes long overdue policy reforms and investments in sidewalks, bus lanes, and bike paths that our growing city needs.

The first piece of legislation is focused on bike safety and complete streets. Upcoming pieces will include bus priority. This Friday at 2pm there will be a special session of the Council’s Sustainability & Transportation Committee to discuss it.

Learn how to take action and RSVP on Facebook.

Metro is looking for your feedback on RapidRide I, a major investment in South King mobility that will provide frequent service between Renton, Kent and Auburn. See our previous coverage here.

At over 15 miles in length, the I line will beat out the E for the title of longest RapidRide line. It’ll also probably be the one that passes by the most farmland. For now, anyway. The Kent Valley has seen rapid suburbanization in recent years, and the arrival of frequent, all-day transit service is welcome.

Meanwhile, Metro is taking advantage of this increased increased frequency to restructure some routes in South King. One of the most significant changes would create a mini-grid around Kent Station with some through-routed buses to provide greater connectivity.

Both surveys (RapidRide, S. King Restructures) close on August 25. I’m not a frequent South King transit rider so tell us what else is interesting.