News roundup – Seattle Transit Blog

Midweek Roundup – Open Thread 60

July 31, 2024July 30, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

Electric streetcars mix with traffic at 4th and Jackson on April 18, 1929.
Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives (#3378).

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (Aug. 30, 11am); RapidRide G & restructures (Sept. 14)

Transit Updates:

On Sunday, Ross noticed Sound Transit has updated the format of its System Performance Tracker. East Link is not yet included in the regular reporting.

New MetroFlex on-demand transit service officially launches in South Park and Delridge. STB coverage here.

Improving access to Link light rail and community destinations in North Seattle.

Places you can go: Lynnwood Link Edition

New routes serving Lynnwood High School, Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry, Lynnwood City Center, UW Bothell coming this fall

Rider input wanted for new Anacortes/San Juan Islands sailing schedules

News Roundup – Open Thread 59

July 24, 2024July 23, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

A rendering of the West Seattle Link bridge over the Duwamish Waterway, as potentially viewed from the West Seattle Bridge. Screenshot from the July 18 meeting of the Seattle Design Commission. STB article to come.

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (Aug. 30, 11am); RapidRide G & restructures (Sept. 14)

Transit Updates:

Eastgate stop added back to Trailhead Direct starting Saturday, July 20

Sound Transit Doubling Sounder North Service This Fall with Four Runs/Day

First weeks of new sailings, King County Water Taxi sees jump in ridership

New Community Transit routes for Seattle commuters

Sound Transit will simulate an emergency scenario at Mountlake Terrace Station involving a (simulated) derailed train on Saturday.

Sound Transit explains upcoming changes to Link: $3 flat fares, official renaming of University Street Station, and station stop codes replacing pictograms

Midweek Roundup – Open Thread 58

July 17, 2024July 17, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

*MV Kitsap prepares to load passengers at the Southworth Ferry Terminal. Photo by Zack Heistand.*

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (Aug. 30); RapidRide G and bus restructures (Sept. 14)

Transit Updates:

Community Transit Plans ‘Swift Gold Line’ Bus to Arlington

Community Transit is hosting in-person outreach discussing the September 14 service change.

Update on Stride BRT station names

King Street Station Sounder amenities open house

2024 Transportation Levy includes connecting the Missing Link via Leary and Market, conflicting with potential bus lanes

News Roundup: The Standard Hand-Wringing

August 18, 2010August 18, 2010 by Martin H. Duke

Central Link O&M Facility (posted by Gordon Werner)

More wrangling over who pays for the Aloha streetcar extension.
SR 520 way short of money, extra lanes could end mid-span. The bridge will be closed all weekend for maintenance.
The standard hand-wringing over the 125th St. road diet.
Cascade Bicycle Club ranks bicycling in suburban cities.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, rail edition. Doesn’t seem fair.
First Link tracks were laid five years ago yesterday.
Shooting on or near a Rainier Beach bus.
U-Link rail car shells start arriving.
A new twitter hashtag just for the 358.
Walk score begets transit score.
Driving, obesity correlated.
Innovative stanchion design.
Jarrett Walker’s slides now online.

This is an open thread.

News Roundup: Rail Funds

July 15, 2010July 15, 2010 by Martin H. Duke

Restored King Street Station Ceiling (Oran)

The King Street Ceiling is back.
Sounder extension bids come in $26m under budget.
High Speed Rail ARRA funds will get here… eventually.
Richard Conlin finally engaging in serious discussion on the tunnel, and makes some good points. But the tunnel may have a 40% chance of blowing its budget. Getting away from the overrun skirmish, Dan Bertolet cogently summarizes the pro-surface/transit argument. Meanwhile, an anti-overrun referendum may be on the horizon.
A writeup on the U-Link construction plan (H/T: Bernie).
Sound Transit wins award for its procurement practices.
Another week, another road diet. This time, in Maple Leaf. Local leaders trying out Walk/Bike/Ride for a week; a woonerf coming to Seattle University; bike lanes on Jefferson St. complete.
Seattle Bike Blog launches.
Dog bites man, and John Fox wrong again.
ORCA autoload still buggy.
Trolleybuses older than you might think.
BRT “advocate” Michael Ennis, of the anti-transit WPC, thinks bus drivers are paid too much; whole story starts with year 2000 to avoid any mention of 1999’s I-695. Nor does KING5 mention WPC’s history as a right-wing, anti-transit thinktank.
New York City considers tearing down a waterfront freeway, without replacement, not because it’s structurally unsound but because it’s the right thing to do.
The cellphone-while-driving crackdown begins.
Perhaps a higher gas tax is not politically doomed after all, as we’re currently experiencing, by some measures, the lowest gas taxes since at least 1929.
Is this green street green enough?
DC 19-year-old impersonates bus driver.

This is an open thread.

News Roundup: A Slow Week

July 7, 2010July 7, 2010 by Martin H. Duke

Community Transit hopes the Feds will restore their Sunday and Holiday service for 2011 and 2012 for the low low price of $21m.
A nice rendering of the Bellevue tunnel’s south portal, and more neighbor complaints.
Oil production is subsidized. Another dollop of cash for the auto-dependent.
I don’t think the term ‘NIMBY’ is being used correctly but Dan is right that this is a good project to oppose.
Road diet proposed for Admiral Way.
Businesses would like to move the 3’s layover spot.
Burke-Gilman litigation continues.
Conlin on the tunnel (1, 2). Via.

This is an open thread.

News Roundup: Tukwila Benefits

April 21, 2010April 21, 2010 by John Jensen

"249 and The Flowering Tree," by KDavidClark.

Light rail service was briefly delayed this morning because of mechanical problems.
Human Transit agrees with us that transit over SR-520 is probably best done through buses. Frank at Orphan Road seems to agree.
Metro’s task force had its first meeting last night.
Spokane Street work to affect bus service.
In appreciation of Washington’s rural transit, with original maps.
The Seattle Times reports that Tukwila is benefiting from its light rail station. Who would have thought?!
City engineers measuring traffic on Broadway for First Hill Streetcar model refinement.
Capitol Hill Complete Streetcar campaign is hosting a kickoff party May 4th.
And the Hill’s light rail work going to happen all day and all night.
City council forms bike caucus.
Seattle Times editorial board eviscerates McGinn’s leadership.
Seattle takes the lead on LED streetlights. More on those at the NY Times.

This is an open thread.

News Roundup: Double-Speak

April 14, 2010April 14, 2010 by Martin H. Duke

McGinn confronts the continuing double-speak on deep-bore tunnel overruns, threatens to ask City Council to re-evaluate its support if law isn’t changed. Eric de Place shreds the Governor’s response.
TCC assesses the state of the legislature. The House is getting better, but the Senate is a disaster. As for this session, “virtually every bill transit advocates supported (…) died.”
Amtrak Cascades ridership increases 16.7% over six months, highest in the nation.
Potential changes to Amtrak’s long-haul routes.
Making Bitter Lake more walkable; also, bringing sidewalks to Greenwood.
Wheelchair lifts on ST coaches (574, 590-594) recalled, not every bus will serve wheelchairs.
Montlake activist (and STB commenter) Jonathan Dubman says a wider 520 is OK if it means light rail. The Council is moving toward the Mayor’s position, too.
Port of Seattle to extend its parking discount for Link riders to sporting events.
Times op-ed supports a light rail tunnel through downtown Bellevue.
14-year-old who assaulted a bus driver will get a year in juvenile detention.
Seattle streetcars died 69 years ago yesterday.
Imaginary subway maps. (H/T: Gordon Werner)

This is an open thread.

News Roundup: Mainly PubliCola

April 7, 2010April 8, 2010 by Martin H. Duke

PSRC 2040 transportation plan not the most transit-friendly alternative, instead a bit more of everything; McGinn dissents, almost everyone else goes with the flow. Publicola argues that it’s the return of Roads & Transit.
More ORCA glitches, apparently.
Richard Conlin makes fun of people who think new highway capacity is an outdated approach on April Fools.
City Council’s 520 report has many constructive critiques of A+ option.
Giant development planned in Tukwila, nowhere near transit.
Redmond Mayor to improve bicycle wayfinding.
More on the WTA tax increase measure.
Erica C. Barnett on going carfree.
Tacoma Tomorrow on PT Route 3, Intercity Transit budget problems, and are PT’s routes too short?
A bigger bus stop on Aurora.
Sound Transit installs lube machines to quiet light rail.
Fare enforcement can cost more than fare evasion.
No link yet, but airport offers $2/hr parking during Mariner games (H/T: Gordon Werner)
Seattle named #4 city for bicycling.
Prototype driver shield demoed on a Metro bus.
As he usually does, Matt Yglesias lays out the contours of the streetcar argument in a clearly thought out and concise way.

This is an open thread.

You Should Go To Rail~Volution

April 4, 2010April 2, 2010 by Ben Schiendelman

I spend a lot of time learning about – and talking about – what rail transit does to connect and improve communities. It spurs new development, it improves public health and increases the number of people on the street, it helps combat climate change, it helps communities form – there’s a long list. Sometimes these things seem clear to many of us, but often we have trouble articulating them in a way that helps others make these connections.

There are many tools available to us to help – from blogs to books to classes – but few are as powerful as direct, in-person explanation from a human being. As such, I can’t recommend Rail~Volution enough – not only is it a set of presentations and seminars about exactly what most of us want to see and how to get there, it’s also a chance to mingle with people who are making things happen. It’s even split into three sections for people with different amounts of existing knowledge and different interests.

In October, Rail~Volution is in Portland, as John mentioned in the news roundup. I’ll almost definitely be going, and I suspect Adam will as well. If you want to geek out about rail transit for a whole weekend, this is the place to be. Registration opens soon – we’ll remind you when it does.