All posts by Adam Bejan Parast

• A painfully eloquent microcosm of transit reporting: TV reporter focus on government spending that (wink wink, nudge nudge) might not be worth it, public misunderstanding of the value of bus speed and reliability projects, and then the dry and rushed validation of why the project has merit.
• Cognitive dissonance takes over at the Seattle Times editorial board. The editorial board is concerned that a PSE transmission lines on the Eastside Rail Corridor might preclude rail in the future.
• The Muni League would like to set the record straight on Prop 1. If I were them I’d just ask the Seattle Times to issue a correction.
• Mayor Murray goes full-steam ahead on a 2nd Ave protected bike lane, no committees or consensus building here… kind of… in my opinion he’s actually catching up to the consensus.
• The University of Washington and Sound Transit finalize a $43 million deal to mitigate vibrations and electromagnetic interference from Link.
• Disagreement about Sounder station access shows an interesting dynamic with commuter service through historic town centers.
• A Sound Transit driver could face charges for a fatal crash in Totem Lake last year.
• Why transit means so much for the business community. My guess is the Mayor will have a lot of takers on the $3 million set aside for the regional partnership funding in his Metro Plan E.
• The West Antarctic ice sheet is in irreparable decline and could contribute to sea-level rise of up to 12 feet.
• SR-99 tunnel workers have worked 3.25 million hours without a serious injury.
• Mayor Murray wants a “war room” to deal with traffic.
• Houston is looking at overhauling its bus network. The plan would increase the number of people and jobs within 1/2 mile of frequent service by 111% and 55% respectively without any additional revenue.

This is an open thread.

• Last month the world hit the milestone of 400 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere with no sign of slowing down.
• Real estate investment in U-District taking off for the first time in decades, largely because of Link.
• Sound Transit’s tunnel boring machine named Brenda dedication ceremony for launched her third trip.
• STP asks for $190 million dollars, WSDOT Secretary Peterson says tax payers are clearly not on the hook. Tunneling will certainly not finish on time and maybe never?
• Governor Inslee signs executive order to create a Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force, we’ll see if anything actually gets done.
• Free bicycle commuting class from Cascade
• Danny Westneat argues Prop 1’s negative focus didn’t inspire voters, included dead weight (roads), and should have stayed away from car tabs. Goldy argues Prop 1’s failure shows the hostage (Metro non-councilmanic MVET option) is dead, next ask has to be more.
• Roughly half of Metro’s cuts do not meet Metro’s service planning criteria and performance measures.
• “Nearly three decades since its inception, and with the advent of district elections for Seattle City Council, it is reasonable to ask: Do we need a city sponsored neighborhood district council system anymore?”

This is an open thread.

• Sound Transit surplus property near Othello Station will be developed with affordable housing, 2/3rds of it consisting of 2- and 3-bedroom units.
• Fourteen developers vying for Sound Transit’s Capitol Hill Station surplus property. Developer to be selected over the next month.
• King Street Station restoration recognized. It really does look beautiful.
• The Mercer West two-way transition is about to begin! This doesn’t happen every day.
• “And the fatality numbers are striking: in Jacksonville, pedestrians are killed at a rate 15 times higher, and cyclists 19 times higher, than in Seattle.”
• Repairs to Bertha will take at least a year to complete. Can we please confirm that Seattle isn’t responsible for cost overruns and ensure that Seattle Tunnel Partners has the financial means to finish?
• The full council approves the West Seattle Whole Food alley vacation, ending a messy, confused and misplaced fight.
• Hedreen hedges bet on its alley vacation contingent, 1,600 room hotel. Backup plan is smaller, with no affordable housing, no public art, and in my opinion an inferior street-level design and circulation plan.
• Group Health to sponsor 15 of the 50 Bike Share stations, mostly in Capitol Hill and SLU.
• Puyallup looking at how to improve access to Sounder.
• Access and transportation are the biggest hurdles for the Seattle Arena.
• 49ers fans seeing red over the interior color scheme of SF’s new BART trains.

This is an open thread.

Tomorrow’s election is going to be close and every vote is going to count. As a daily reader of STB, I’m not worried about you voting Yes on Prop 1. But now is the time to get your friends, family and co-workers to vote as well as all of the other people that value Metro as much as you. Here are three things we can all do to get out the vote:

1. Take a few minutes out of your day to talk, call, text, or email your close friends, family and co-workers to vote Yes on Prop 1. Tell them why you’re voting yes, often people just need a little encouragement, especially for special elections. Here is why we’re voting yes.
2. Take to your social media to get out the vote. Change your Facebook profile, invite your friends to vote yes and tweet why you voted #YesOnProp1 to #SaveMetro (we’ll be RTing).
3. Help the campaign make calls. Move King County Now is hosting phone banks all day, with Pizza provided.

Today:

• 10 AM – 5 PM at 901 Fifth Ave, Suite 2200 710 2nd Ave (RSVP: matt@movekingcountynow.org for any 2 hour slot during the day!)
• 5:00 PM – 8 PM at 1100 E Union #1e (Help us call voters to remind them to mail in their ballots and Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Save Metro!)
• 5:30 PM – 8 PM at 1402 3rd Ave (RSVP: matt@movekingcountynow.org)

Tuesday:

• 10 AM – 5 PM at 901 Fifth Ave, Suite 2200 710 2nd Ave (RSVP: matt@movekingcountynow.org for any 2 hour slot during the day!)

Tuesday night the Move King County Now campaign will be hosting an election night party at Kells Irish Restaurants & Pub  (1916 Post Alley starting at 7 PM).

• Bell Street Park opens. Success likely depends on business and residents actually using the park.
• An agile SDOT installs a two-way cycle track on NE 40th in the U-District as part of the Burke Gilman Trail construction detour.
• Car2Go mixing up how people travel in Seattle. More data needed to fully understand the implications.
• Capitol Hill Champion schedules a meeting with developer.
• Why mixed use buildings, specifically in Capitol Hill, look how they do.
• Senate Majority Coalition Leader Rodney Tom drops out of his re-election bid. Huge news for state democrats.
• Agitation over a U-Distrct Station plaza continues. Martin pretty convincingly argues why this idea lacks merit.
• After two years of planning, Seattle City Council unanimously approves the updated Bicycle Master Plan. A huge win for the 8-80 bicycling crowed, i.e. most of us.
• Metro bus driver threatened with gun, two youth arrested.
• Metro’s “In Motion” program, which targets small, every-day changes in travel behavior is profiled by Atlantic Cities.
• A user experience designer reviews potential replacements for SDOT on-street parking meters.
• Community Transit adding service, revising and renumber existing service.
• How to use the American Community Survey correctly.
• 800 people per square mile is the tipping point between republican and democratic areas. Denser living inherently requires pooled resources and oversight, i.e. government or bodies like HOAs.
• Report finds that people in dense areas are more economically mobile, healthier and live longer. Sounds like the triple bottom line of sustainability to me.
• Seattle needs more sitting places… and it’s getting a few more.

This is an open thread.

This morning Puget Sound Bike Share (PSBS) sent out a substantial and very exciting update confirming rumors that a new, financially solvent bike share vendor has been selected and that the private funding necessary for a full initial launch has been secured. Details on funding will come in May, and an online survey for station locations has been posted online. Earlier this week PSBS published a job posting for a general manager, hinting that a concrete implementation and financing plan had come together. News release below:

Puget Sound Bike Share Confirms Supply Chain Partners for Bike Share System Equipment

April 3, 2014 – In preparation for its 2014 launch, Puget Sound Bike Share announced today that it will be moving forward with world-class partners Alta Bicycle Share and 8D Technologies to provide bike share station hardware, software and operational solutions.

Alta Bicycle Share and 8D Technologies’ software for Seattle will build upon solutions tested and successfully deployed by bike share networks in Washington D.C. / Arlington, Boston, Minneapolis, Melbourne (AUS), London (UK), Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal (CAN).  Seattle’s will be the first program to launch with the new Alta/8D hardware solution.  Consistent with Puget Sound Bike Share’s plans to launch Phase I of the program in South Lake Union, Downtown, Capitol Hill and the U-District, the agreement includes delivery of 50 stations.

An order for 500 bikes will be placed with a well-known global manufacturer later this month. Continue reading “PSBS Has Vendor and Funding”

• Seattle apartment analysis from my favorite nerds at Dupre+Scott. A must watch video stream for those who appreciate dry humor on technical topics.
• An excellent and perfectly wonky story about the economics of bikeshare systems.
• Puget Sound Bike share is looking for a General Manager (h/t CEP)
• The dire transit situation in Pierce County.
• Bellevue Chamber of Commerce opposes Prop 1, illustrating exactly why Prop 1 needs to pass.
• County Councilmember Larry Phillips on why you should vote yes on Prop 1.
• Sound Transit collecting public comments on U Link pictograms. I understand the purpose but won’t this get unwieldy as ST2 gets built out?
• Annapurna Café announces the five winners of a U Link tour. Congrats to the winners!
• How should High Capacity Transit get to Everett?
• Comparison between East Link and TriMet’s Orange Line.
• Two smart phone trip planning apps (Ototo, Transit App) both of which include walking time!
• New citywide development trends, neighborhood Class A commercial office space and curated, “market hall” retail space (Capitol Hill, SLU).
• Community open houses on Seattle’s comprehensive plan updated scheduled. The first is April 7th at Loyal Heights Community Center
• Agenda for this Saturday’s Seattle Neighborhood Summit released. I’d rank this as the most important public meeting this month.
• Bertha repairs “tentatively” schedule to finish by September over one year since it started.
• PSRC looking for participants to help update its 2006 household travel survey.

This is an open thread.
 

• Sound Transit to buy 5 double-decker buses for routes operated by Community Transit.
• Washington State Ferries looking for a new leader, many challenges to come.
• Seattle Tunnel Partners will make changes to meet WSDOT contracting requirements for minority and women owned business.
• Advisory committee recommends new Tacoma Amtrak station at east end of Freighthouse Square.
• NYC building massive Hudson Yards “overtrack” development, Seattle’s DPD recently looked at overtrack development opportunities (p.44) south of King Street Station.
• Seattle’s comprehensive plan update, Seattle 2035, is getting rolling. Three directions proposed, but some feel they lack vision. To me they feel very PSRC. Background info here.
• SDOT issues a clarification about changes to Alaskan Way Viaduct traffic count locations which had originally prompted a sightline post.
• Lean urbanism: a fancy name for tactical, cheap interventions that make better people places… like parklets.
• City announces 10 new parklet locations for 2014 based on success of the first parklet outside Montana (my favorite bar btw).
• Get a sneak peak of the First Hill Streetcar maintenance facility on April 3rd thanks to Young Professionals in Transportation. (Members only, become a member here)

This is an open thread.

• King County Metro is looking for undergraduate and graduate interns. Go here and search for “intern”.
• Wonder why the 3rd and Pike bus stop is closing for construction? This is why.
• Danny Westneat: A longtime tenant discovers her landlord was shielding her from the modern economy. ($)
• In 24 out of the 25 largest metro areas the median income household can no longer afford the average new car.
• 15 different methods to protect bicycle facilities including their pros/cons and cost.
• New ‘bikeology‘ curriculum for 6-12 graders fills common gap in bicycle education for junior high and high school age teens.
• Charles Montgomery describes his concept of the ‘Happy City’ in Vancouver, BC.
• ‘Food desert‘ study for Delridge neighborhood empowers those who are affected to develop implementable solutions.
• New housing units far outstrips demolished housing units 8 to 1 citywide (2.6 to 1 in Single Family zones, 5 to 1 in Lowrise zones, 15 to 1 Downtown and 18 to 1 in Neighborhood Commercial zones).
• 2,000 units in four towers proposed on former Seattle Times site in SLU. Parking ratio of 0.85 is low, but not that low given the large number of Amazonians that will likely work a stones throw away.
• Parking study for West Seattle development with all-day frequent bus service but no on-site parking confirms there there is plenty of on-street parking available.
• Council unanimously passes ridesharing compromise legislation.
• 80% of NYC’s taxi rides could have been shared.
• Senate Transportation Committee co-chairs no longer see eye to eye.
• Philly speed senors trigger red light. I’m curious to see if it works.
• Win a free Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB)!
• Video of one shared Muni/Google bus stop in SF. My first impression, I didn’t realize so many people used the Google buses.

This is an open thread.

For those of us who live or work on the Eastside, it can be hard to get to after work events in Seattle. Luckily, Fuse Washington will be hosting two Move King County Now fundraiser in Bellevue and Redmond on March 24th and April 7th. The April 22nd special election is fast approaching and your financial contribution and/or boots on the ground are key to passing Proposition 1. Maintaining existing bus service is critical and if Proposition 1 fails the Eastside will see significant and painful cuts in transit service. I encourage STB readers to go and bring a friend or coworker along. On a personal note, I’d like to add that the Bellevue Brewing Company’s beer and food makes up for its harder to reach location. Cheers!

Beers for buses – Bellevue (226 and 249)

Monday, March 24, from 5pm–7pm

Bellevue Brewing Company

1820 130th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

Beers for buses – Redmond (B-Line, 545, and all other Redmond TC routes)

Monday, April 7th, from 5pm-7pm

Redmond’s Bar & Grill.

7979 Leary Way NE, Redmond WA, 98052