This article is for comments on topics other than the Redmond Link extension. There will be no Sunday Movie this week; instead we’ll have a follow-up article on Sunday after we get back from Redmond.
This is an open thread.
A sneak peek at Redmond Link
Yesterday, Sound Transit invited members of the media to preview the two-station Redmond Link extension, which is on track for a grand opening this Saturday, May 10th. Coming online will be Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond stations, which will be the first of the ST3 stations to open.
On hand at the preview ride was Dow Constantine, Sound Transit’s new CEO, Redmond mayor Angela Birney, and King County councilmember Claudia Balducci. Birney, in particular, touted Redmond’s embracing of Link, pointing to the slate of new transit-oriented development projects that have sprouted up around the station in Downtown Redmond.
Continue reading “A sneak peek at Redmond Link”Midweek Roundup: “Deadmond” to Redmond
3 days until the Downtown Redmond Link Extension opens this Saturday, May 10! Sound Transit has more opening day details.
Local Transit News:
- Sound Transit staff will present a review of comments heard regarding the Tacoma Dome Link Extension draft EIS on Thursday’s System Expansion Committee meeting (Sound Transit project update).
- With a station near Marymoor Park opening in three days, Sound Transit is reconsidering its “no pets” policy on trains and buses (The Urbanist)
- Were you affected by the recent severe Link service reduction through Downtown Seattle? ST wants to hear from you (Sound Transit survey)
- “From Deadmond to Redmond”; how the upcoming Redmond Link Extension opening is the next step in Redmond’s urban evolution (The Seattle Times, $)
- Will the new Redmond stations fill the seats? (The Seattle Times, $)
Other Transportation:
- When it comes to transportation progress in the USA, what was old is new again (New York Times “Headway” newsletter)
- Architecture firm Perkins Eastman used new data science to confirm old news: people really like walking where there’s stuff to protect them from busy streets (Fast Company)
Swift Ridership with Lynnwood Link
Community Transit operates three bus rapid transit routes under the Swift branding: Blue, Green, and Orange. These routes provide fast and frequent transit between key destinations in Snohomish County. On August 30, 2024, Sound Transit opened the Lynnwood Link Extension (LLE). The 8.5 mile light rail extension connects south Snohomish County with Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport, and more destinations in King County.
The Link 1 Line connects with the Orange Line and Blue Line. The Orange Line stops at Link’s current northern terminus, Lynnwood City Center station. The Swift Blue Line was extended in September 2024 from Aurora Village Transit Center to terminate at Link’s Shoreline North/185th station.
This article will take a look at the per-stop ridership for each Swift route before and after the LLE opened, specifically in August and November 2024. In October, The Urbanist reported a 14% ridership increase in across the three Swift lines. The data from November shows a more modest overall ridership increase of 6% compared to August (adjusted for the number of days each month). A lower ridership increase is not too surprising as transit ridership usually deceases in the colder months. Given the small sample size for this data and usual seasonal ridership changes, take this analysis with a grain of salt.
Continue reading “Swift Ridership with Lynnwood Link”Sunday Movies: Disability Activism
“They took sledgehammers to sidewalks.” How curb cuts originated. (PBS American Experience)
Big box stores. Why they exist, and how they’re becoming more urban friendly. (City Beautiful) The Target at 6:49 appears to be the one in downtown Seattle.
This is an open thread.