How housing became unaffordable. (City Beautiful)
And a followup to last week’s series:
Seattle to Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight (AdamDoesNotExist)
This is an open thread.
128 commentsFriday Roundtable: 24/7 Bus Lanes on Aurora Avenue
Over the past two weeks, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has updated signs along Aurora Ave N to convert the existing peak-hour bus lanes to 24/7 bus lanes. This change was introduced to help mitigate expected delays from increased travel on SR-99 as the result of WSDOT’s Revive I-5 project. While some of the I-5 work has been delayed until 2026, SDOT did not delay the bus lane update. These bus lanes are used by King County Metro’s RapidRide E Line, the busiest bus route in Washington State.
Seasonal Gig Harbor Waterfront Connector Begins June 7th
From June 7th to August 28th, 2025, Pierce Transit will operate its seasonal route 101 in Gig Harbor as the Gig Harbor Waterfront Connector. The service will run from the commercial center in Uptown Gig Harbor, crossing State Route 16, and winding its way up to Downtown Gig Harbor and the waterfront. Fares cost the same as regular Pierce Transit bus service, which is $2 for adults ages 19-64, $1 for ORCA Lift and discounted fares for qualifying riders, and free for children and teens under age 19. Service will run every 30 minutes, running from around 10am to after 9pm (or around 11am to around 7pm on Sundays). That is, on days that it operates, which is only Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On those days, however, it is a fun option to get around a very scenic city, in the busiest time of the year when parking is harder to find. Locals will find the half-hourly route a relief from the usual hourly service on route 100, the last remaining regular all-day bus route in Gig Harbor. Visitors from outside Gig Harbor can catch route 100 from TCC Transit Center to Kimball Drive P&R and transfer to the 101, or if arriving on a Thursday afternoon, one can take advantage of one of the three hourly trips of ST Express route 595 from Seattle and downtown Tacoma to the P&R. There is also parking available at Kimball Drive P&R.
Operating in previous years as the “Gig Harbor Trolley” using a bus wrapped in the livery of an old-fashioned trolley, route 101 has been a part of summer in Gig Harbor since 2013 (with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19, and 2022 due to the nationwide shortage of transit operators). While not as big of an event as in past years (where service would run all week with discounted fares sponsored by local businesses), Pierce Transit is keeping the tradition alive while the agency works to recover from the broader effects of the pandemic.
15 commentsMidweek Roundup: Buzzword Salad
Another East Link connection disruption: From 10pm on Saturday, June 7, through end of service on Sunday, June 8, 1 Line service between Capitol Hill and SODO will be replaced by shuttle buses operating every 10-15 minutes. Trains north and south of downtown Seattle will run every 15 minutes.
Tonight: The Urbanist and other orgs in the MASS Coalition are hosting a Seattle District 2 candidate forum focused on transportation and land use issues. 6-8:30pm at the Centilia Cultural Center (Beacon Hill). RSVP here.
Local Transit News:
- Metro’s gradual return to fare enforcement now includes issuing “a warning, fine or an alternative resolution” on a three-strikes system (The Seattle Times, $). Details on Metro’s website.
- Pierce Transit’s summer service returns to the Gig Harbor Waterfront with Route 101 running half-hourly on Thursdays and weekends from June 7 to August 28. To get to it from Tacoma Community College, take Route 100 to the Kimball Drive P&R and transfer to the 101.
- Dow Constantine served a buzzword salad in his announcement of an agency-wide “enterprise initiative” to “really rethink the way we plan and we provide board members with the tools to drive the agency forward” (The Urbanist). Perhaps this is how CEO Constantine expects to achieve a “thoughtful update” (instead of a “reset”) of Sound Transit’s strategic direction.
- Maritza Rivera (D4) wants to add more public process in front of permit approvals for ST projects in Seattle (The Urbanist). The proposal will be voted on today.
- WSDOT’s Revive I-5 work kicks off this summer – here’s how you can keep moving in Seattle (SDOT Blog)
San Francisco to Seattle by Local Transit
In this Sunday Movie installment, Adam (aka AdamDoesNotExist) travels from San Francisco to Seattle using only local transit. No Greyhound, Amtrak, plane, or car. A three-day journey in three parts.
Part 1: From San Francisco via the Pacific coast corridor to the California-Oregon border.
Continue reading “San Francisco to Seattle by Local Transit” | 118 commentsFriday Roundtable: Graham Street Route Idea
Welcome to the first installment of Friday Roundtable. Each week, this column will discuss a route proposal, provide an infrastructure project update, dive into a piece of Seattle’s transit history, or just share a cool map. If you have an idea for a topic to discuss, please reach out or let us know in a comment below.
Sound Transit’s Graham Street infill station on the Link 1 Line is currently scheduled to open in 2031. When the station opens, King County Metro will start operating a new route along Graham St to provide better east-west connections with Link. This leaves one big question: Where should the Graham St route go?
Midweek Roundup: Mindless Habit
Local Transit News:
- Pierce Transit will be fare-free on June 1 to kick off Ride Transit Month (Pierce Transit News). PT is also seeking comments on its Transit Development Plan.
- As King County Metro ramps up fare enforcement, warnings, fines, and “alternative resolutions” will begin on May 31 (King County Metro)
- Aurora Avenue Bus Lanes to Turn 24/7 to Aid RapidRide E Riders (The Urbanist)
- Sound Transit Starts I-90 Testing, Full 2-Line Opening Slips to 2026 (The Urbanist). Also covered by the Seattle Times ($).
- San Francisco’s decision to turn two miles of its beachfront Great Highway into a public promenade remains controversial (The New York Times, gift link)
- Sound Transit’s Stride BRT program took another step forward with selection of a builder for its new bus base in Bothell (the Urbanist).
- New ST marketing campaign implies SOV commuters are zombies following a ‘Mindless Habit’ (the Platform).
Sunday Movies: Green Man
Memorial Day transit information is below the movies.
The evolution of Green Man/Red Man (walk/don’t walk display) in Britain. Includes a square-dance song at 9:51. Comparison to US at 15:58. (Chris Spargo)
Continue reading “Sunday Movies: Green Man” | 139 commentsMidweek Roundup: Summer Transit
Local Transit News:
- Sound Transit wants to know what would make it easier for you to walk, bike, or roll to the future Everett Link Station (Sound Transit).
- The At-Grade Crossing improvement program continues, with new roadway markings coming to four intersections on MLK to deter drivers from stopping near the tracks (Sound Transit).
- Pierce Transit will adjust its Runner demand-response taxi zones June 8 to focus on areas and times it’s most used and minimize overlap between zones.
- Summer transit is back with Trailhead Direct, the Waterfront Shuttle, bicycle weekends, the Hurricane Ridge shuttle, and more (The Urbanist).
- A Community Transit bus caught fire on Friday, an event so rare it made the pages of the Seattle Times ($). No injuries reported.
- The Washington State Legislature has officially approved WSDOT’s proposed Cascades service improvement plan (The Urbanist).
- Whidbey-based shipbuilder NBBB suggests splitting the order for new hybrid battery-diesel ferries with the Florida-based, lower-priced competitor (The Seattle Times, $).
- Washington appears to be the first state in the USA to legalize speed limits less than 20 mph, paving the way for “shared streets” (The Urbanist).
Sunday Movie: Word Origins
The etymology of railroad and transportation terms. (Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zefarris)
This is an open thread.
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