A Final Note From Mr. North by Northwest

June 22, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

It’s been about a year that I’ve been writing up North by Northwest and time to hand in the keys.

Truth be known, we are at a logical point of conclusion and I’ve let it be known in some of my writing I’m a bit Grumpy. Island Transit may have financially rebounded from the brink; but Island Transit’s cultural flaw of disregarding public input to do things to ridership not withridership continues unabated. It is clear now the Future of Flight’s transit needs will be resolved long-term, best worked behind the scenes with my continued leadership. I also understand Skagit Transit is looking into a portable bathroom for the Chuckanut Park & Ride. Between those three causes, I turned to Seattle Transit Blog for help and what could have been a lonely year was not.

However, the last thing we need as transit advocates is instability and incivility in our ranks as we near the 2016 election cycle. I was about to throttle back if not step away in a few weeks anyway. That said, the transit photography will continue, I will comment occasionally and I will keep fighting for the Future of Flight out of loyalty to my friends who work there.

I do wish the transit community could please stop sniping at each other and work to improve transit service for all, full stop. The last thing we need is to create opportunities to divide and conquer so nobody gets transit service. We need Sound Transit 3 and Community Transit to pass to get the proper transit connectivity for the Puget Sound.

I also should thank Washington State Transit Association’s Geri Beardsley, Island Transit’s Robyn Goldring, Sound Transit’s Geoff Patrick & Kimberly Reason and Community Transit’s Jan McBride & Martin Munguia for your invaluable help with helping me educate the public. Keep communicating!

I need to conclude with this thought: To the gladiators in the arena I’ve came in contact with like Martin H. Duke, Frank Chiachiere, Ben Schiendelman, Emmett Heath, Sabrina Popa, Sandy Ward, Carolyn C. Chase, Rep. Dave Hayes and yes Bob Pishue – I salute you. It’s one thing to sit back and write whatever with a silly handle – it’s another matter of integrity entirely to be leading the public conversation on transit, face forward. Keep leading from the front.

North by Northwest 66: Go Try Out Community Transit’s Trip Calculator…

June 17, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

Figure you might want to consider calculating the cost of your commute sometime. Might be a good idea to use the Community Transit trip calculator to do so.

Also, listen I hate rude people okay, but unless you want to buy up a tiny but sporty Toyota Yaris like a relative did for a while, maybe you should save money and Dump the Punp.

View post on imgur.com

My Toyota Yaris photo from my amateur photography days – pardon the low quality

Or you can get a Ford Focus…

https://flic.kr/p/oXDNBV
Flickr photo by Ford Europe used under noncommercial license

Or you can really think long and hard about your transportation choices versus the money you’d be saving. About 30 miles per gallon going from Mukilteo to Seattle in a small car like the above is the tipping point back in favor of the car over the bus…

Up to you. I so prefer the view from King County Metro 124… and riding what I see below when I’m in Seattle:

My photo

It’s your money. Give the cost calculator a go.

North by Northwest View 18: What Should I Ask North by Northwest Transit Agencies about…

June 15, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My photo: A Light Rail Driver and A Passenger Wave

This should have happened long ago, but with Thursday evening’s Sound Transit 3 meeting knowing Community Transit & Everett Transit & more will be there, thought I’d let you plant some questions into my mind.

I already got several that went from ideas to words, thanks to Mike Orr, so let me start with his help:

What is the projected ridership for a Lynnwood – Paine Field – Everett CC corridor and where do those people live?
How would workers get from Paine Field Station to their scattered jobs in the Paine Field industrial complex – whether at museums or flight schools or industrial?
How will a Link route service Mukilteo and other points west towards the coast?
What barriers are there to hourly if not half-hourly transit service from Seaway Transit Station to Hwy 525 & 84th St SW if Community Transit gets its transit levy lift?
What if Paine Field does get its passenger terminal – what then in regards for transit?!?
What if Sound Transit 3 only has $12 Billion of taxation authority, what then?
How does the Mayor of Everett’s Office respond to the current issues around lack of transit ridership to Paine Field?

Plant a few more questions in the comments if you would please. As I cannot edit this post, I think I’ll post my final question list in the comments as well. So make sure to follow along here…

NORTH BY NORTHWEST 65: FUTURE OF FLIGHT DEFEATED IN GETTING IMMEDIATE TRANSIT SERVICE

June 14, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My Aerial Photo: The Future of Flight W/ A Dreamlifter Nose Sticking Through…

Well folks, it is my displeasure and sadness to report that any short-term fix to the Future of Flight getting transit service is a nonstarter. Last week, I learned Community Transit has vetoed changing Community Transit Route 113 to support the Future of Flight due to scheduling concerns and inconveniencing local Community Transit users for international Future of Flight visitors. This defeat of getting public transit services to the Future of Flight however in the short term is ultimately because the better argument won inside Community Transit; and I accept full and total responsibility for the failure to succeed this time around.

I acknowledge the difficulty of asking a transit agency to change a transit schedule broadly advertised and should be reliable to the taxpayers to magically change a community’s main route to service a major tourist-powered economic engine. A proposal that the Mayor of said community was apprehensive about in a North by Northwest Big Interview.

Some will ask, “Why not Everett Transit?” Believe me, I have. I went to the Everett Transit August 2015 Service Change Proposal public meeting at Thursday, April 16, 2015 where senior Everett Transit leaders and I discussed potential options for the Future of Flight. One option thoughtfully proposed was an express shuttle linked to Everett Station. One option frankly is insulting – and that’s the Everett Transit Planner’s demand of direct Future of Flight funding for Everett Transit service as if magically the nonprofit Future of Flight can write a check. I also learned at this meeting from the Everett Transit Planner that hourly Everett Transit service to Boeing’s Paine Field factory and even with three Boeing employees helping get Boeing employees to choose transit first was not going so well so there’s understandable Everett Transit reluctance to further service Paine Field. One would hope the Everett Mayor will listen rationally to Everett Transit staff before further championing light rail to Paine Field without firing Everett Transit professionals championing data-based contrarian viewpoints.

Speaking of comments, let me be clear, read carefully trolls: To lob from the dark corners of the room the hecklers’ veto and snipe at a major nonprofit doing good works is a classless disgrace and speaks volumes about how some transit advocates misperceive their role. Make no mistake, I am confident other nonprofits who need transit service are going to keep their hands down and point to your sniping as a reason why not to ask for help. Running a mostly positive campaign clearly has less weight than that of anonymous coward internet trolls sniping because some people are unhappy with their transit service levels now means less transit for all. Some heckler’s veto to celebrate.

That said this is all in the past. There is one good option left not just for the Future of Flight but also for giving Mukilteo a fair slice of transit service.

If we can get the City of Mukilteo City Council to please pass a resolution as a part of this Community Transit levy lift to request a bus route from 84^th Street & Mukilteo Speedway to Seaway via Future of Flight so as to link Seaway Transit Center to the Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal in 2020 & the City of Mukilteo… but this route request requires Mukilteo community support, a bold investment of the City Government of Mukilteo’s political capital, and Community Transit to get its levy lift at the ballot box.

Arguably best to get the Seaway to Mukilteo connection is via commenting on the 2016 Transit Development Plan (TDP) for Community Transit. In a recent public records request, Community Transit’s Public Records Officer wrote, “The full text of each comment received was provided to board members, initially to the board committee reviewing the plan, and then to the full board. Comments were discussed in the context of the plan. The final adopted plan includes the full text of each comment.” When asked to share route planning for the Seaway Transit Center, Community Transit also replied, “There is no specific route planning for the transit center at this time. It’s too early in the process.” Therefore a letter from the Mukilteo Mayor coupled to a Mukilteo City Council Resolution would certainly influence Community Transit’s “route planning”.

I will conclude with the genuine concern I have a Community Transit levy lift is going to require transit advocate enthusiasm to win. I know many share my fear a Sound Transit 3/ST3 package that rewards Seattle/North King insufficiently will not be pushed over the top. So I legitimately fear a Community Transit levy lift transit package that insufficiently excites Mukilteo and Everett will ultimately fail.

Over to hopefully thoughtful comments at 777 words…

Programming Notes: Tomorrow I will post a North by Northwest View 18: What Should I Ask North by Northwest Transit Agencies about…

Also since I am no longer able to edit what’s posted to Seattle Transit Blog and writing this post is rather emotional for me, I drafted in Microsoft Word. I encourage other Page Two writers to do the same.

North by Northwest 64: Update on Paine Field…

June 4, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My aerial photo: Here in Nikon D5300 Miniature Mode is Historic Flight Foundation at 10 AM On Paine Field Aviation Day at 10 AM^

Figure since many of you in the Seattle Transit Blog comments have some concerns about future Paine Field transit service and in particular light rail… let me give you some updates:

Beacon Publishing is doing a survey on transportation with emphasis on the proposed Paine Field passenger terminal. Some would say supporting a commercial terminal at Paine Field means supporting light rail to Paine Field…
Today, and I’m sure this will be covered more thoroughly on Page One, Sound Transit has a new website for ST3. One part is a survey on what projects for ST3. If you have an agenda you want to accomplish or help accomplish*… vote and ditto at the upcoming meetings where other local transit agencies will also participate such as the 18 June meeting at Everett Station which I will attend.
The Everett Herald kindly posted an update on conversations the Future of Flight and Community Transit are having about weekend transit service to Future of Flight as an initial hydration to the transit desert. As I said to the Everett Herald, “The Future of Flight deserves a fair slice of service and this is a significant step in that direction.” I don’t think light rail is that “fair slice of service” any longer but feel the Future of Flight, the #1 tourism destination for Snohomish County with 777.8 daily visitors – many of which international who rely on mass transit back home – needs a “fair slice of service”. Another option I am now proposing is for that “fair slice of service” being an express bus route from Seaway Transit Center at the east end of the Boeing Paine Field campus to Future of Flight and then Community Transit Route 113…

There you go.

—FOOTNOTES—

^Yes, I write long photo titles :-). I also wanted an aerial photo that showed more than the Future of Flight. Below Historic Flight Foundation/HFF will be a major park & ride in a few years.
*Help accomplish like light rail to Ballard, I just expect support for more, better bus service to all Paine Field tenants in return from you commentors.

North by Northwest View 19: Time for Camano Island to Pivot to Community Transit?

June 2, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My recent photo of an Island Transit 411C Camano Bus

Full disclosure: The below letter to the editor by me ran in the Stanwood-Camano News today.

Figured some of you in the transit advocate community would want to discuss this. Island County Commissioner Rick Hannold also told the Stanwood-Camano News in part:

The board is not sure how long the routes will be cut. Hannold said they are investigating the initiation of a fare system that would help to alleviate the burden of the 411 routes’ additional expense.
“I’ve been pushing for a fare system since the get-go,” Hannold said. “Riders need to have a stake in this; it doesn’t come for free.”
A fare system, he said, would be helpful in many ways.
For one, the House and the Senate have approved funding for the Everett connector, Hannold said, though it is awaiting the governor’s signature. To benefit, though, Island Transit is required to include fare boxes in each of their buses.
Additionally, if fare boxes are installed, Island Transit can apply for Medicaid reimbursement for paratransit expenses –a special service for disabled individuals not accommodated by the regular bus service.
Paratransit costs Island Transit approximately $1.5 million per year.
In April alone, Hannold said, the cost for paratransit services was $70,000, while Island Transit spent $180,000 on all other services combined.
“It’s costing us so much, and we’re required by law to provide it,” he said. If they could alleviate some of the cost associated with that service, Hannold thinks money could be redirected toward other things, which may include reintroducing the 411 routes down the road – a service that has cost them around $500,000 over the past six months.
“We just don’t have it,” Hannold said.

Figure this will help fuel the debate that should have happened, like oh, last November. I even had inside information on 2 July of 2014 this was a distinct possibility. Yet no action until too late… the blame falls on both Skagit Transit & Island Transit for not being proactive with contingency planning for this day.

North by Northwest 63: Barring Rep. Dave Hayes Amendment Passing, the Tri-County Connector Will Die 31 July

May 24, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My photo of an Island Transit Route 411W Tri-County Connector

On 22 May 2015, the Island Transit Board made the gut-wrenching decision that due to Island Transit’s fiscal troubles, the lack of state support and the refusal of Skagit Transit to serve to Deception Pass to unless Representative Dave Hayes’ amendment passes stand down the Tri-County Connector on 31 July. That means no Island Transit service not just to March’s Point, but also no Island Transit service to Skagit Station in Mount Vernon. Island Transit will however serve North Whidbey in a limited way up to Deception Pass and provide services for Camano Island residents to link to Stanwood & Community Transit services flowing from Stanwood to points south. Overall, although Island Transit Boardmembers were audibly if not visibly distraught at making this decision – and there’s video below, without the Hayes Amendment to provide some state funding connected to charging a fare, the money is just not in Island Transit coffers to provide linkage services between Whidbey Island & Camano Island.

To spare our Seattle Transit Blog e-mails as I too am on e-mail subscription, I’ve put in a Read More jump below. Also figure some of you may not be interested…

Continue reading “North by Northwest 63: Barring Rep. Dave Hayes Amendment Passing, the Tri-County Connector Will Die 31 July”

North by Northwest View 17: A Rider’s Suboptimum Experience on Sounder North…

May 13, 2015May 12, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

My photo: A Sounder North Train Pulls Into Mukilteo Station… In Kodachrome

Introduction

I’ve decided to divided this write-up into three sections: The trip home, the Sound Transit response, suggested rider experience improvements and concluding thoughts. With that, here goes.

The Trip Home

Recently, I was in Mukilteo combining a fact-finding mission with business travel and got to as part of that fact-finding mission interview Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson. As part of that fact-finding mission, I took Sounder North to Mukilteo Station from Everett Station and then erred doing the same going back. However, I did get this nice photo of almost 70 cars in the Mukilteo Station parking lot:

Problem is, I was a bit early to the first 4:47 PM train but had to wait until (according to my camera) 5:18 PM for my train to Everett – a full 31 minutes late. I also had to relieve me behind the bush as there was no public restroom – an act degrading to my dignity and possibly to Mukilteo residents’ dignity as well. Between me with a simple LG 500G Tracfone and a lady crossing the train tracks with a smartphone we were unable to check the Sound Transit website because our phones would be unable to handle the Sound Transit website – too much data or something.

[For those on e-mail subscription like I, I’ve decided to insert a jump point here so if you want to read the rest of the story – just click the header. Or if you’re at the full size page read on.]

Continue reading “North by Northwest View 17: A Rider’s Suboptimum Experience on Sounder North…”

North by Northwest 62: Take the 20th Off If You Can… and Come to Anacortes

May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

WSDOT Flickr Feed: Vigor Sea Trials M/V Samish

No seriously. If you can get the 20th off, you should. I’m only going to advertise this event once but wanted to give maximum notice so transit geeks can file to get the day off. Granted I wish WSDOT had the M/V Samish open house and Washington Policy Center/WPC had their upcoming pundit fest on Saturday the 23rd*, but oh well.

On May 20th, it’s going to be a great day to be a transit geek in Anacortes. One thing I should note from the get-go is that Skagit Transit Route 410 – which has connections in 413 to Burlington & 40X to Mount Vernon – will take you right up to the open house and is a short walk away from the WPC event. Below are many details of the M/V Samish open house to check out the new ferry and get to see the wheelhouse and hopefully more normally off limits to passengers for logical reasons.

M/V Samish Christening and Open House
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Anacortes Ferry Terminal

2100 Ferry Terminal Road Anacortes, WA 98221

Open House hours are from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Stop by any time throughout the day to explore your new ferry and take part in the festivities

Complimentary refreshments served

Activities for kids

Christening celebration at 1:30 p.m.

Remarks from dignitaries

Tribal ceremony with the Samish Indian Nation

Vessel christening by First Lady Trudi Inslee

This event is free of charge, open to the public and is ADA accessible.

Getting to the event

The event will be held aboard the M/V Samish at the Anacortes ferry terminal. Visitors coming from the mainland may drive and park in the upper lot of the Anacortes terminal. Visitors coming from the islands are encouraged to walk-on rather than bringing a vehicle. Passengers arriving via ferry will be issued tickets for free walk-on return passage, valid for same day travel.

Parking

Parking in the Anacortes terminal upper parking lot is free for this event. As you approach the ferry terminal, stay to the left to avoid the line for the tollbooths and follow the signs for event parking. Shuttle service will run continuously between the upper parking lot and the terminal building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Need more info?

If you have a question about the Samish Christening and Open House or would like more information, please contact Event Coordinator Rachel Waitt at rachel.waitt-AT-wsdot-DOT-wa-DOT-gov or (206) 515-3944.

Because I’m a nice person, I decided to convert Rachel’s e-mail to anti-spam. But based on photos of the MV Tokitae open house including inside the wheelhouse, it’s well worth the trip to Anacortes.

Also later that day between 5 PM & 7 PM, Washington Policy Center/WPC is having a free reception with all their pundits at the San Juan Airlines terminal at the Anacortes Airport – a 15 minute hike from Hwy 20 & Anacopper Rd. All obviously includes WPC’s Transportation Center Director Bob Pishue so if you want to ask Bob a few questions in person about transit because you – like me – will be a mile or so away checking out a new ferry, you may. Just please be polite with Bob.

Finally, Anacortes is relatively transit-friendly. For a mere $2 dollars for an all day pass, you can use as much Skagit Transit/SKAT as you need to within Skagit County for the same day you buy the pass. On the hour during this open house is a quick ride between the Anacortes Ferry Terminal and the downtown area where there’s fast food and seafood restaurants plus some great parks. Just something to keep in mind. Please fire off comments if you want some tips where to photograph or eat in Anacortes or how to get to/from Anacortes. I’m certainly going to avail me of some of the trails.

Maybe we’ll all have an impromptu meet up at the WPC event at 1630 before I bow out at 1730 to head home… or we could meet-up on the MV Samish before the event ends at 4 & I depart to the airport. Thoughts?

Photo credits: WSDOT Flickr Feed

—FOOTNOTE—

*The 16th would be problematic to say the least for avgeeks due to Heritage Flight Museum & Paine Field Aviation Day – both of which seemingly require either long walks or hiring a taxicab from the nearest bus stop. But I digress..

North by Northwest Big Interview 01: Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson

May 9, 2015May 13, 2015 by Joe "AvgeekJoe" Konzlar

http://i.imgur.com/bFe1szsl.jpg

Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson

A while ago on a Sunday Open Thread, I aired a trial balloon of doing a podcast on transit issues. Most of you in the STB comment threads wanted text instead so I’m going to oblige. I’m hoping based on the responses here to make time to do this monthly or twice a month with a major newsmaker who we would not hear from otherwise that has an impact on transit services north of Lynnwood. So here we go with the North by Northwest Big Interview!

For my first subject, I decided to choose a friendly face and also a voice who in some of the big debates affecting the North by Northwest region who has not been heard from. From the Future of Flight Transit Desert to the proposed Paine Field Terminal – the media has (mostly) neglected Mayor Jennifer Gregerson’ s voice. Today is about turning that around and I sincerely appreciate her interest and participating.

In this interview we discussed Sounder North, a substantial subject of yesterday’s main post’s comment thread. We also discussed potential transportation options to the potential Paine Field Terminal that Propeller Airports wants to build, Community Transit, Swift 2 and finally the Future of Flight transit desert. I’ve helpfully included appropriate pictures and hyperlinks.

For those on e-mail subscription like I, I’ve decided to insert a jump point here so if you want to read the whole interview – just click the header. For the over 1,200 word interview itself, read on.

Continue reading “North by Northwest Big Interview 01: Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson”