Is anyone else encouraged by the Federal Secretary of Transportation’s Blog? Yeah, it’s named “fast lane” but most of the posts are about liveable, walkable communities, high-speed rail, and a smart partnership between the HUD and DOT. The Feds may finally get it: transportation planning and land use are really two sides of the same coin. And nothing will get that message to Metropolitan Planning Organizations quicker than federal grant money. Let’s see Mr. LaHood deliver!
All posts by John Jensen
began contributing to the blog in 2008 in the run-up to the 2008 Prop. 1 transit package, and worked with Ben on the Mass Transit Now campaign. He grew up in the sprawl of Orange County, California before moving to the Puget Sound in 2003. A software engineer, John has lived in Redmond, Bellevue, and Capitol Hill. After serving as a board member and the blog's first general manager, he stepped down in late 2011.
Sound Transit Reports $2.1 Billion Gap for ST2
New sales tax forecasting from Sound Transit has indicated that their $17.8 billion transit expansion project passed by voters last fall now faces a $2.1 billion funding gap because of the deepening recession. Sound Transit is funded by a 0.4% sales tax (increaseing to 0.9% on April 1st) and an MVET on car purchases. Consumer spending and car purchases fell significantly as America entered into its worst recession in recent memory.
Sound Transit says that it has been conservative in its budgeting and may be able to make up some money with a variety of tools “including cost and scope control, taking advantage of the lower borrowing costs, and a more positive bid environment for our construction projects.” Earlier this year a contract was awarded for light rail to the U District that fell 34% below ST’s estimates. The poor economy has also dampened the effects of inflation that had been built into ST cost estimates.
Sound Transit is not currently planning on any changes to the construction plans but awknowledged that if revenues continue to fall and the recession deepens they may have to “also look at budget reductions, schedule adjustments, and increased bonding.” Pete Rogness, an ST staff member briefing the Sound Transit Board Finance Committee, said that delaying construction or implementation of some of the projects was “very much a last resort.”
It’s a shame to see something we all worked so hard to pass immediately be affected by the recession, but it’s also not surprising. Every level of government that depends on taxing revenues is seeing major drops in their collections. The ST2 plan creates about 69,000 jobs across all sectors — which is reason enough to keep things on track. Thus, an increased federal role in transportation spending would be even more useful in an environment like this.
Metro’s Bleak Budget Aided by Stimulus
The Seattle Times reports that Metro’s substantial stimulus grab will help with their budget shortfall:
Over the next two years, Metro will receive $25 million for maintenance and $46 million to replace aging diesel buses with hybrids.
“It helps us from reducing service this year and prevents us from reducing jobs here at Metro,” general manager Kevin Desmond said Wednesday, at a briefing to elected officials in the county’s regional transit committee.
A steep plunge in consumer spending — sales taxes subsidize 71 percent of Metro’s operating budget — is creating a $326 million gap between Metro’s income and its plans for huge service expansions for 2008-11.
To stay afloat, Metro boosted fares by a quarter per trip last month and will raise them another quarter next year. The agency canceled some maintenance and capital projects last fall, but none that riders on the street would notice.
Those moves and the stimulus trimmed this year’s shortfall to a manageable $17 million, likely to be covered by cash reserves. The overall budget is around $600 million this year.
However, the real crisis for Metro is the revenue shortfall for next year. That budget was recently projected to have a $100 million dollar revenue gap, which would translate to a service reduction of 20%. We asked Metro what affect the stimulus would have on next year’s revenue gap, but we didn’t hear back from them in time for publication of this story.
Update: Metro got back to us. A spokesperson for the transit agency said, “In general, the stimulus money will help free up some revenue that can be applied to operating expenses in 2009 and 2010. But this revenue will not make up for the deep loss of sales tax revenues. As far as future transit service reductions, Metro will be developing options in the coming months for dealing with the budget shortfall. It’s too early to say how service would ultimately be effected.”
Tomorrow is Bus Driver Appreciation Day
Remember that tomorrow, Wednesday March 18th, is Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Whether you express your appreciation through a nice card, some cookies, or even a sincere “Thank you!” just make sure that your driver feels a little bit better tomorrow.
Editorial: Metro’s Funding Gap is a Doomsday Scenario
I would say that Martin described yesterday is not a full and comfortable solution to the funding gap that could force Metro to cut 20% of its bus service. Given the constraints of the situation, Martin’s ideas are strong and well-rounded — but those constraints must be changed by Olympia.
In addition to steep fare hikes (up to $1.25 over the last few years) and a stronger reliance inconvenient transfers, much of Metro’s less popular service would to be severely curtailed. And though these routes aren’t popular, people do depend on them. Additional savings would have to be found by cutting night and weekend service across the region. This would necessarily include even busier routes that operate in Seattle. And finally, we’d see cuts even in good, solid routes that perform well. We would all be affected, even with the smart mitigation that Martin proposes.
So yesterday’s post isn’t this blog outlining a rosy scenario for making the appropriate cuts. We are saying that with a 20% reduction of service, you run out of “appropriate” cuts very quickly and begin to harm the core service that Metro provides. We are saying that cuts would be dramatic and a disaster for the progress that this region has made over the last decade.
And the combination of the above options is not a solution to Metro’s funding gap, it’s a doomsday scenario that will turn many back toward automobile dependence and leave many unable to get to work. That isn’t just bad for congestion. It’s bad for our economy, ruinous for our environment, and a setback for our walkable, livable urban landscape.
This doomsday scenario is something Metro may be forced to do. But it shouldn’t have to.
Legislators in Olympia need to give Metro taxing authority to solve this problem, and local politicians need to use the appropriate tools to put the pressure on. From Rep. Eddy to County Councilmen Constantine and Phillips to Mayor Nickels: You have a responsibility to ensure that Metro doesn’t have to make these drastic cuts. Our region, our county, and our cities depend on you.
So news like this is not encouraging:
King County lobbyist Chuck Williams said one proposal for financing more buses, a 1 percent motor-vehicle excise tax, has gotten the cold shoulder so far from legislative leaders, who told him the idea “is dead on arrival.”
Another measure that would have expanded annual vehicle-license fees also failed to get enough support, as did a bill that would have allowed use of property taxes to help support buses. Another bill, SB5433, is still alive and would allow the county to use up to 0.3 percent sales tax for bus service. It passed the Senate and will be heard by the House Finance Committee Friday. “That’s our last shot,” Williams said.
Link on Schedule, but Cutting it Close
At last Wednesday’s board meeting, Sound Transit staff member Ahmad Fazel — the director of Link light rail — delivered the news that the schedule for Link’s July 3rd opening has ran out of float, or padding in the case of delays. That means any delays in construction or testing from here on out could affect the opening date of Seattle’s first light rail line. The schedule began with 180 days of float and the final days of it were impacted by last December’s snow storms that practically halted the city.
But Link is 96% complete and Fazel said he is “confident” that light rail will open on time. And any delays would be measured in days, not months. In addition, this first line is expected to be completed under-budget from the plan introduced in 2003.
The Beacon Hill station was identified as the “critical path” for the project, or the area most likely to introduce delay. So far, construction has been delayed by construction accidents and technical challenges with tunneling and installing the four high-speed elevators that deliver riders from street level to the platform in the rail tunnel 165 feet below. Those elevators are now installed and contractors working on the station have been given financial incentives to accelerate their work or work in parallel while other construction in the station is happening.
Airport Link, scheduled to open on December 31 of this year, still has over a week of float in its schedule.
(The Seattle Times also has a report on this subject.)
Next Wednesday is Bus Driver Appreciation Day
If you’re a bus commuter, chances are you can recognize the bus drivers who get you to work and back. Well, now it’s time to really recognize them! Bus Chick is encouraging folks to participate in Bus Driver Appreciation Day, held on Wednesday March 18.
Next Wednesday, tell every driver whose bus you ride, “Happy Bus Driver Appreciation Day!” Make sure to keep smiling, even if they all look at you like you’re crazy. If you have a favorite driver, consider bringing him/her a card or other token–nothing that would be hard to keep on a bus all day, just something small to show your love. I talked to a few veteran drivers who suggested that jewelry was sufficiently small. They were kidding, of course. Sort of.
So, my fellow riders: Go forth, and appreciate. And oh yeah: Pass it on!
Why March 18? Every transit nerd should know that the first bus service in the world started on March 18, 1662 in Paris.
I’m a big fan of one driver in particular. He drives the #8 to Seattle Center that hits Broadway & John at 9:40 am and whenever I’m on his bus I enjoy a smoother-than-average ride that’s really fast, while some other drivers can sometimes be very gingerly along this particular route. I’ll have to give this driver some appreciation next Wednesday; maybe a giant cookie will do?
Seattle Streetcar on Streetfilms
The Streetfilms crew must have been to Seattle recently! After just posting a video of Bus Chick they’ve put up a new one about Seattle’s South Lake Union Streetcar.
February Passes Good Through Early March
I went into Bartell Drugs Sunday night to buy some bus tickets (a book of $1.75 tickets at $21) and found an announcement indicating that the March PugetPasses were having some manufacturing issues. The local transit agencies will be accepting February PugetPasses into March. You find more information on Metro’s website.
And yes, most of our media relations with Metro are done in the form of announcements posted at Bartell Drugs.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Seattle had a large part in making bike racks on the front of buses standard nationwide? Well now you do.
(Thanks to ECB from the Slog.)
Murray is Right: Toll Both
This is a few days old, but in the State House a bill is has been proposed that would charge tolls on only SR-520 to help fund the new bridge. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island), who introduced the bill, is wrong on this policy. Ed Murray (D-Seattle) is right: We need to toll both the SR-520 and I-90 bridges.
We do not want to force traffic across just the I-90 span, which is a possibility with tolls across only SR-520, and we will not be able to raise enough money without tolling both spans. No one likes spending money, but building cross-lake spans is very expensive. And tolling isn’t just a fee: it’s a tool to reduce congestion at peak hours.
LaHood Proposes Taxing VMT, Admin. Backs Away
Obama’s Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood opened up the possibility of taxing drivers by vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the future rather than taxing drivers at the gas pump. Taxing by VMT is a pretty progressive idea, though it would require a large investment in GPS trackers and other technology. A progressive suggestion like that from LaHood — and a recognition of the failure of the gas tax to sustain our highway investments — is encouraging, no? Well, within hours a spokesman for the Department of Transportation — LaHood’s employee — and the White House distanced themselves from LaHood’s remarks: “It is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration,” said Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary.
Of course that same link has other statements worth considering. “Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution[.]” “The gap between money raised by the gas tax and the cost of maintaining the nation’s highway system and expanding it to accommodate population growth is forecast to continue to widen.” “A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT [tax].”
A VMT tax would be a sort of radical change — one that could require millions of cars to be retrofitted — with privacy implications, but how can we fund our surface transporation infrastructure without a radical change?
I think most environmentalists would prefer a VMT tax, but some have made the point that a VMT tax would charge the same regardless of how much gasoline a car burns. That is true, and perhaps a VMT tax should be in addition to the gas tax (perhaps a lower gas tax). But a gas tax isn’t just a free to use gas, it’s a fee to use our public roads. Having electric or hybrid cars pay for their share of the transportation grid makes sense. Charging additional VMT taxes on heavy trucks that damage the roads more — well, that makes sense too. But charging a gas tax on one hand, and mandating that cars use less gas on the other — that’s good for the earth but a very bad way to fund roads and transit.
The Obama administration would do well to listen to its Secretary of Transportation and not rule out possible solutions years too early.
Watch Out: Reduced Service for Presidents Day
Just a quick reminder that Metro will be operating with reduced service on Monday in honor of Presidents Day.
- Routes operating on a normal schedule: 2, 5, 5EX, 8, 11, 15, 15EX, 16, 17, 18, 18 EX, 21, 21 EX, 22, 23, 25, 27, 30, 35, 38, 51, 54, 54EX, 55, 56, 56EX, 57, 66, 71, 71EX, 72, 72EX, 73, 73EX, 74EX, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 99, 105, 106, 113, 118, 119, 121, 122, 125, 128, 131, 132, 154, 155, 173, 180, 200, 204, 209, 213, 221, 222/233, 225, 229, 234, 236, 238, 240, 245, 248, 253, 280, 301, 306, 345, 347, 348, 522, 540, 545, 550, 554, 555, 556, 560, 564, 565, 577, 688, 901, 903, 908, 909, 914, 916, 917, 918, 919, 926, 927, 941, 952.
- Routes operating on a reduced schedule, where trips marked with “H” in the timetables are not operating: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17EX,19, 24, 26, 26EX, 28, 28EX, 31, 33, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 42EX, 43, 44, 48, 48EX, 49, 60, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 75, 101, 107, 110, 111, 116, 120, 123, 134, 139, 140, 143, 148, 149, 150, 153, 158, 159, 164, 166, 168, 169, 174, 177, 179, 181, 182, 183, 187, 190, 194, 202, 203, 211, 212, 214, 215, 216, 218, 230, 232, 242, 244, 249/921, 251, 252, 255, 257, 269, 271, 303, 312, 311, 330, 331, 342, 346, 358, 915, 929. Additionally, some trips on routes 31, 65, 67, 68, 75, 167, 197, 205, 272, 277 and 372 will not operate due to the University of Washington not being in session.
- Routes not operating: 2EX, 7EX, 9, 32, 34, 45, 46, 53, 76, 77, 79, 114, 126, 133, 152, 157, 161, 162, 167, 170, 175, 191, 192, 196, 197, 201, 205, 206, 207, 208, 210, 217, 219, 237, 243, 247, 250, 256, 260, 261, 265, 266, 268, 272, 277, 291, 304, 308, 316, 355, 372, 373, 600, 661, 885, 886, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 912, 925, 935, 981, 982, 984, 986, 987, 988, 989, 994, 995.
Sounder will be operating on a holiday schedule but the rest of Sound Transit’s service is unaffected.
Metro and ST Have Record Ridership Years
Over the last few weeks both Metro and ST have released early ridership numbers that, of course, break all records:
- “Estimates show 118 million trips were taken on Metro buses in 2008 – a seven percent increase over 2007,” Metro Press Release.
- “Last year we carried 16.1 million passengers in our Sound Transit trains and buses, which is up 17 percent, or more than 2 million riders from a year earlier,” Sound Transit’s CEO Report.
My route (#8) has definitely been less crowded since this past Summer’s crunch loads that came with high gas prices (or maybe just good weather). It’s worth noting that service is not growing with the ridership, unfortunately, and Metro may be forced to cut service without additional revenue.
Problems Accessing MyBus.org?
If you use MyBus.org to track Metro buses you may have noticed some downtown or slowdowns recently. While waiting for MyBus to regain its footing, you can check out One Bus Away. OBA uses the same back-end technology, but supports tracking at every bus stop that Metro serves and is a bit easier to use than MyBus. It also supports iPhone, SMS, and even calling into a computer that talks to you.
Reminder: Metro Fares Increase on Feb 1st
Just a quick reminder that Metro bus fares are set to increase by a quarter starting next Sunday, February 1st. Peak one-zone trips will now run an even $2.00, while two-zone trips will cost $2.50. Off-peak fare will be $1.75. You can find more information in a flyer that Metro has put together (pdf). This fare increase will be followed by another 25-cent increase in January of next year, in an effort to shore up recent budgetary problems.
Metro’s last fare increase came in March of last year. Prior to that, Metro had not had an increase in fares since 2001.
I also want to mention that even though Metro had a rough December, and had some particularly bad communication issues, I think we’re already beginning to see some improvements. The flyers warning customers about the reduced service on MLK Jr. Day were clear and easy-to-follow, had a cheery reminder to “spread the word,” and even mentioned future holidays to give customers time to prepare. Kudos Metro.
A Week of Strong Opinions
We at Seattle Transit Blog know that our readers like to play the role of transit planner and many others like to think of themselves as a model urban planner. This week we’ve presented many opinion pieces covering a range of transit and urban issues:
- On Monday, Eric blogged a Snow Post-Mortem about the transit system’s failure during last month’s Snowpocolypse.
- Later on Monday, Andrew compared the Viaduct to SF’s Embarcadero Freeway.
- On Tuesday, I blogged about our bus system’s unplanned reduced service last week, and why poor communication embarrassed our region’s biggest bus agency.
- On Wednesday, I argued that the new ORCA fare card/pass is the right thing for our region.
- And later that day, I made the case that the (sometimes confusing) Ride Free Area is necessary, but that ORCA might one day make it obsolete.
- And yesterday, Ben Woosley blogged that Seattle doesn’t need parking maximums and that transit would be hurt by them.
And we have pretty big news from Sound Transit coming up around 5 this evening. Stay tuned…
ORCA Pt 2, or: Should we Keep the Ride Free Area?
Once again, ECB has called for Ride Free Area to be eliminated. As we’ve argued before, the Ride Free Area makes buses flow through the congested downtown area quicker. ECB is a smart and strong supporter of transit and it’s great to see her reference some of the comments made on this blog, but we do disagree when it comes to the Ride Free Area.
Yes, the Ride Free Area can be confusing. Some routes you pay when you enter, others you pay when you leave. Sometimes riders paying with cash have to get a transfer on one side of downtown, and show it to the driver when leaving the bus on the other side of downtown. Seattle transit-types will boast that it’s not hard to figure out — but it certainly isn’t easy for new-comers. When I used to bus around Redmond, the handful of times I encountered a pay-as-you-leave bus I was completely lost.
But, it lets riders board and depart through all sets of doors while in downtown, the most congested part of the bus network. It does not cause revenue to be lost for Metro (the city and downtown business owners pick up the tab). And it makes the entire system operate more efficiently.
Read past the jump to see why we should keep the Ride Free Area around for now, and how we can get rid of it in the future.
Continue reading “ORCA Pt 2, or: Should we Keep the Ride Free Area?”
Is the ORCA Card Good for Transit? Yes.
There’s a lot of talk about ORCA being confusing or not very well defined. Well, of course. The card isn’t available yet. There isn’t much information on Metro’s site about it. Once we get ORCA in our hands and we’re using it on buses, light rail, and Sounder, it’ll make sense.
A new rider to our area won’t realize that there was some other system that we used to use — they’ll just realize that ORCA is the media we use to pay for transit, and get a card in their hands.
Head past the jump for what we know about ORCA, what we don’t, and to see why ORCA is a good thing for our transit network.
Seattle City Council Puts Metro GM in Hot Seat
ECB on Slog has a great account of Metro’s General Manager, Kevin Desmond, explaining the bus system’s performance during the recent Snowpocolypse to the Seattle City Council. It is good to see Metro be blunt about its faults, and we’re happy to see that some of the radio technological challenges that contributed to the chaos will be fixed in 2010. ECB’s account is a must read.
We posted a post-mortem of the Snowpocolypse yesterday and along with my post earlier this morning about Metro’s reduced service last week, our bus system is taking a lot of heat recently. Well deserved, perhaps.
But it’s a good time as any to say that a lot of us use Metro every day and — in normal weather — ride a pretty good bus system. With GPS tracking, improved radio tech, and automatic stop announcements coming over the next few years, it’s clear that Metro is invested in improving our transit network over time. I’m a happy #8 commuter myself.