Michael Smith

Friday Roundtable: Incorrect Signs, Part 2

April 17, 2026April 17, 2026 by Michael Smith

In December, we took a look at a few incorrect signs in the Puget Sound transit network. Many of these signs have since been fixed, but the region’s quickly growing transit system has resulted in a few more incorrect signs. Mistakes in wayfinding signs are bound to happen with any complex system. The four agencies responsible for travel in Seattle (Sound Transit, King County Metro, SDOT, WSDOT) work closely together, but gaps in communication are inevitable. We are also not blaming the talented designers at these organizations. In calling out these mistakes, all we ask is for the responsible agency correct the issue as soon as possible. Seattle Transit Blog wants transit to be as easy and user-friendly as possible, and factual inaccuracies on official signage go against that goal. While everyday transit riders deserve correct information, the expected surge in visitors to Seattle this summer is all the more reason to ensure all maps and signs are accurate and up-to-date.

Sound Transit

Last month’s much anticipated Crosslake Connection opening introduced two new stations, Judkins Park and Mercer Island. At Judkins Park station, the Area Map and Bike Map are both missing a few key details. On the Area Map, the new bus stops next to the station entrances on Rainier Ave for the 7, 9, and 106 are not labeled. Instead, the now-closed bus stops south of I-90 are labeled. Likewise, the new bus stops on 23rd Ave for routes 8 and 48 are missing.

On the Bike Map, parts of a few new infrastructure projects are not labeled. SDOT completed the Beacon Hill Safety Project in 2025. Among other improvements, protected bike lanes were added to sections of 15th ave S and Beacon Ave S. The Bike Map has the Beacon Ave section labeled, but is missing the 15th Ave section. The Bike Map is also missing the bike lanes on Dearborn St and on MLK Way between McClellan St and Rainier Ave. Both maps have also excluded the new bike path under I-90 along Rainier, near the station entrance.

Metro Flex Service Boundary Updates

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Michael Smith

King County Metro’s fixed route bus network provides extensive coverage in King County. To complement fixed route service in some neighborhoods, Metro operates Metro Flex, an on-demand transit service. Metro began operating on-demand service 2019 and has used the Metro Flex branding since 2023. The neighborhoods currently served by Metro Flex include: Delridge/South Park, Issaquah/Sammamish, Juanita/Totem Lake, Kent, Northshore, Othello, Overlake, Renton Highlands, and Tukwila. Passengers can use Metro Flex within the same neighborhood, not to travel between Metro Flex neighborhoods.

On April 20, Metro will be updating the Metro Flex service boundaries for two neighborhoods: Northshore and Juanita/Totem Lake.

Friday Roundtable: Intercity Bus Routes

April 10, 2026April 9, 2026 by Michael Smith

The Urban Traffic & Economics Lab at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has created GFTS (General Transit Feed Specification) data and a map of routes from 72 intercity bus operators in North America. An interactive version of the map is available here. The United States is often criticized for its lack of a fast, frequent, and direct passenger rail network. This map of intercity bus routes shows a more extensive system, though one’s experience on these routes may vary. The Northeast, Midwest, and central Florida stand out with denser networks than the rest of the country.

The full methodology for this work is outlined in the study, but it is worth highlighting how the authors defined “intercity bus”. Their criteria included:

Connects distinct metropolitan areas (excludes suburban/urban commuter services).

Tickets can be purchased independently (excludes Amtrak Thruway services that connect between rail trips).

Uses over-the-road buses (excludes many rural and tribal services operated with vans or transit buses).

Operates regularly most of the year (excludes seasonal/charter services).

Alert: T Line Maintenance This Week

April 4, 2026April 2, 2026 by Michael Smith

The Link T Line in Tacoma will be closed and replaced by free shuttle buses between 6pm on Monday (April 6) until the start of service on Friday (April 10). The T Line will be closed for rail maintenance. The free shuttle will stop at the following locations.

Tacoma Dome:
-to Tacoma Dome: E 25th St & E D St
-to St Joseph: E 25th St & E D St

S 25th St:
-to Tacoma Dome: S 25th St & A St
-to St Joseph: S 25th St & A St

Friday Roundtable: New Metro Stop Schedules

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026 by Michael Smith

Metro has announced a new stop schedule design that will roll out over the next few weeks. This is the first redesign of Metro’s bus stop signage in over a decade.

The primary difference is the how the departure times are listed. In the previous version, times would be listed in rows, with three values per row. Now, the times are listed in columns, read top to bottom. Additionally, PM departure times are now in bold, matching the online schedules.

Crosslake Connection: 50 Years in the Making

March 23, 2026March 23, 2026 by Michael Smith

Sound Transit’s 2 Line light rail service will carry it’s first passengers across Lake Washington in just a few days. Puget Sound residents have long envisioned a passenger rail connection between Seattle and the Eastside. In 1968 and 1970, voters failed to approve Forward Thrust rapid transit propositions. Less than a decade later, work began on what would eventually be the Crosslake Connection opening on Saturday.

Essential Groundwork: 1976-1993

In December 1976, a Memorandum Agreement was signed that outlined the construction of an “improved I-90 facility between I-405 and I-5”. The agreement, signed by Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, King County, Metro Transit, and the Washington State Highway Commission, outlined a new I-90 roadway that should include reversible lanes dedicated for buses, carpools, and Mercer Island residents. The document also stated the new “facility shall be designed and constructed so that conversion of all or part of the transit roadway to fixed guideway is possible”. This language was optimistic at the time, but vital a few decades later.

Spring 2026 Service Change

March 21, 2026March 21, 2026 by Michael Smith

In just 7 days, the Link 2 Line will carry its first passengers across Lake Washington. The long awaited and heavily anticipated opening will cause a cascade of changes across the region’s bus network. Many of these changes will be implemented this Fall, but some will start on March 28. Below is an outline of all Spring 2026 route changes for King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, and Intercity Transit.

King County Metro

Starting March 28, Metro is implementing Phase 4 of the East Link Connections route restructure. The remaining route changes will be implemented in the Fall. The full slate of East Link Connection route revisions was outlined in a previous post. The agency’s South Link Connections route restructure will also be implemented in the Fall. In addition to the changes listed below, several other routes have minor schedule adjustments or bay changes at transit center.

Metro will begin all door boarding on all routes on March 28. Most of the Metro fleet has ORCA readers at each door, so riders are expected to tap in when they board (with an ORCA card or credit card). Passengers paying with cash should still use the front door.

Friday Roundtable: University Link Turns 10

March 20, 2026March 19, 2026 by Michael Smith

Ten years ago yesterday, March 19, the University Link Extension opened to the public. The extension utilized a new 3.15 mile twin bore tunnel from the north end of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) to the University of Washington, via Capitol Hill. U Link was arguably the first subway-like section on the 1 Line (then Central Link). Trips between the University of Washington (UW) station and Westlake station only took 8 minutes, compared to 20-30 minutes on a bus. The extension caused a significant Metro bus restructure that truncated numerous routes at UW.

Judkins Park Station Access Guide

March 16, 2026March 15, 2026 by Michael Smith

Judkins Park Link station will open with the full East Link Extension on March 28. While Judkins Park station will be an incredible resource for Seattle residents in the Central District and Southeast Seattle, the station’s location in the middle of I-90 is less than ideal.

The two entrances to Judkins Park station are quite different. The east entrance faces 23rd Ave, a 2-lane arterial, and Sam Smith park on the I-90 lid. The west entrance faces the 6-lane Rainier Ave under the Link tracks and several I-90 overpasses. Recent improvements in the area have mitigated some of the challenges faced by people traveling to the station by transit, bike, and on foot.

Transit Connections

Judkins Park station’s east-west orientation has potential for great connections with several north-south bus routes. Fortunately for transferring passengers, King County Metro, Sound Transit, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have worked together to provide front door transit service to both entrances.

Seattle Transit Ridership Dashboard

March 7, 2026March 6, 2026 by Michael Smith

Over two series of articles in 2011 and 2024-2026, Seattle Transit Blog has shared detailed breakdowns of the ridership patterns for dozens of routes across King County Metro, Sound Transit, and Community Transit. Puget Sound is fortunate to have an extensive transit network but Seattle Transit Blog cannot cover every route. Instead, we have built a dashboard to share the ridership data for every route.

Initially, the Seattle Transit Ridership dashboard only includes data for King County Metro routes and Sound Transit Express routes operated by King County Metro. All routes have data from 2024. Data from 2025 will be added after the March 28 service change. Over the next few months, we will add data for routes from other Puget Sound transit agencies.

The dashboard is available below and at seattletransitridership.com. Use the dropdown menus to pick the agency, route, and time period for the data you would like to view. By default, the static plots will be displayed. We are also working on interactive plots, which you can see by checking the checkbox. The interactive plots are formatted better on larger displays.