All posts by Martin H. Duke

Before (lightly) criticizing Microsoft’s specific choices, it is important to say that their investment in local affordable housing is generous, one that their investors would probably not prefer, and that we are fortunate that that a global company is directing a disproportionate amount of its surplus to its home county.

With a total $750m commitment to the cause, the latest $65m allocation includes

$40 million into a fund operated by Urban Housing Ventures, a privately funded company focused on creating affordable apartments. UHV will use the funds to reduce the rent for 40% of units in three apartment buildings to middle-income levels.

UHV says the novel model allows investors such as itself to purchase apartment buildings and then lower the rents on some of the units without losing financial viability. The reduced rent allows buildings to operate at lower vacancy and turnover rates, offsetting some of the costs of converting the units, according to UHV.

Monica Nickelsburg, Geekwire

Partitions on Buses from Kitsap Transit on Vimeo.

• Pedersen, Herbold, Lewis float $20 vehicle license fee to fund bridge work.
• Online open house for Puyallup parking and access.
• Mountlake Terrace freeway station reopening.
• The building above Capitol Hill Station is now leasing.
• An introduction to “Wheels” e-scooters.
• Taking stock of Seattle’s closed streets.
• Why Portland’s transit measure failed. But they’re hoping for a federal rescue ($).

This is an open thread.

Rail Ties from James Stuart on Vimeo.

I was going to spend my evening watching the meeting which I previewed on Thursday, but ECB went and wrote an excellent summary. So go over there and read her report.

• Let’s give a big activist welcome to Complete Streets Bellevue.
• North Seattle park and ride closing for a year for pedestrian bridge construction.
• Council restores some of Durkan’s transportation cuts.
• More 522 trips starting Monday.
• Lake Forest Park town center finally getting going.
• Feds send money to Kitsap Transit.
• CT 800-series buses will terminate at Northgate.
• The Yakima Fruit Market will not lose its parking to BRT lanes.
• The elephant sculpture is dead.
• Route tweaks in Portland.
• US agencies shifting emphasis from commuter rail to buses.
• Hyperloop has a much-publicized successful test, but Albert Burneko has the best take.

This is an open thread.

As Metro applies its new, equity-focused framework, some North King representatives have questions

Beginning last year, Metro developed a “mobility framework” that expressed the values that would guide service allocation. Alongside technocratic measures like ridership potential, the new framework considers notions of economic and racial equity to correct longtime disparities in investment. An “equity cabinet” of representatives of various disadvantaged groups would shepherd the production of derived documents like the service guidelines.

Those derived documents don’t exist yet, but the framework clearly points to substantially more investment in places like South King County. And here the framework collides with the ongoing North Link bus restructures. Specifically, the 47,000 hours that used to operate Route 41 between Northgate and Downtown, now entirely obviated by North Link.

At its October 22 meeting, the Sound Transit Board heard proposals to reduce concession fares for Sounder and reduce the law enforcement footprint in fare enforcement.

In community discussions about fare enforcement, ST has heard four main things:

• fares are confusing;
• the law enforcement character of enforcement causes “discomfort;”
• fares are a hardship for some; and
• riders appreciate a security presence.

In response to this feedback, and broad board settlement to meet the moment in decriminalization, ST is launching a “fare engagement ambassador” pilot program. These ambassadors will be agency employees rather than private security contractors. They will have new, less threatening uniforms, more emphasis on education and warnings, and less on infractions. Ambassadors will only call law enforcement for “other aggravating factors.”

Bus Simulator : New City Coach Bus Game from Ritika Singh on Vimeo.

• EIS for South King Link Maintenance facility will slip into 2021, Covid blamed.
• CT won’t change much this year ($), but future growth may be much less aggressive.
• ST donates land in Rainier Valley for affordable housing.
• Early data on the Lime scooters, and their effect on the bikes.
• ECB reports data on fare enforcement and fare evasion.
• Some unhappy with ST’s art plan for Federal Way.
• Activists push back on Durkan transportation cuts.
• The art of S. Bellevue Station.
• Yonah Freemark rounds up transit votes around the country.
• The monorail dream ($) is alive in Maryland.

This is an open thread.

Seattle’s Proposition 1, which partially preserves existing transit taxes, has 82% of counted votes. There aren’t enough uncounted registered voters to mathematically change the result.

As expected, Gov. Inslee is winning easily. Joseph O’Sullivan says ($) that if current results hold, Democrats may gain a Senate Seat at the expense of Sound Transit nemesis Steve O’Ban, extending their new majority.

Everything is still in play at the Federal level, except the House is clearly still Democratic.

Unless you’re really into the arcana of American politics, you may not have realized that today is Election Day.

We didn’t do formal endorsements this year, but I explained why Seattle voters should approve Prop. 1. Furthermore, Seattle Subway did their homework and released endorsements informed by very similar principles to what I would have used as a member of the Editorial Board.

Beyond Prop 1, virtually the entire state government is up for grabs. Olympia has vast power over land use and transit outcomes in Seattle and everywhere else in Washington. I hear there are some federal races too.

It is not a good idea to use the US Postal Service this late in the process. Instead, find your nearest drop box and insert your ballot no later than 8pm tonight.

Or, if you need more assistance, managed not to register to vote, or are just old-fashioned, don a mask and register and/or vote in person.

Finally, if like most eligible people you’ve already voted, please track your ballot today so that you have time to rectify any problem that arose.

Light Rail from Ian Reynolds on Vimeo.

• ST’s art plan for Federal Way.
• Everyone’s seduced by a plan to rebuild the West Seattle Bridge way faster.
• ST donating land ($) for affordable housing.
• This is why ($) bus drivers have to strap in wheelchairs.
• When things aren’t so easy, Seattle stops worrying about climate change.
• Mercer Island lawsuit going ahead.
• Comment on the 2021 CT budget.
• ST has a new Chief Safety Officer.
• Cars are back on Lake Washington Blvd. — for now.
• CARES act means basically no changes for Clallam Transit.

This is an open thread.

It occurs to me that if you were to try to implement something like this in Seattle, you might start by demolishing the West Seattle Bridge.

• Navigating the thicket of fare discounts.
• West Seattle bridge alternatives analysis is done.
• You can dine in the street for at least another year. Nice one, SDOT.
• WS low bridge fines are coming.
• An interview with Metro GM Terry White.
• Kevin Desmond leaving TransLink, returning to the United States.
• Lynnwood garage construction starts.
• Heidi Groover on KUOW.
• Car damages Alki bus stop.
• Vote on big Portland transit package will be close.
• Mulling a Portland-Vancouver ferry.
• Cascadia corridor process still chugging along, but it will be years before there’s any kind of plan.
• Boring Company tunnels are underdelivering.

This is an open thread.

No details as of yet, but who needs the details:

WA Supreme Court strikes down Tim Eyman’s I-976 to cut car tabs. Story soon at https://t.co/DnQLxkhcnI.

— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) October 15, 2020

The immediate practical importance is that various transit and transportation agencies will not have to refund the money they have been collecting since I-976 passed, easing pressure on budgets statewide.

All justices but Barbara Madsen, who found only one reason to reject it instead of two, signed the ruling. Story here ($).

Seattle loves its bus service. As pandemic measures temporarily reduce demand, new challenges like the West Seattle Bridge closure arise. It would be irresponsible to reject a measure that doesn’t even fully replace the tax that it succeeds.

In 2014, Seattle approved a $60 vehicle license fee and 0.1% sales tax to fund increases in bus service that greatly increased the number of Seattle residents within walking distance of bus routes that run every 10 minutes all day. That tax expires on December 31st, and Metro has already cut some service in anticipation of losing that revenue.

Booming tax revenues, and a lack of bus capacity at Metro, led Seattle to find other worthy transit-related goals. Notably, Mayor Durkan introduced the “ORCA Opportunity” program, providing free passes to Seattle Public School students and therefore nearly eliminating youth fares in the City of Seattle.