At Last, Metro Proposes Queen Anne Restructure
Route 4 laying over on Queen Anne
Four years after initially proposed, Metro is finally seeking public comment through June 24 on the Queen Anne trolley restructure it hopes to implement in March 2017. The passing wire at Seattle Pacific has been complete for some time, but Metro needed to budget the small increase in service hours and propose the change as part of the 2017-2018 budget process. Please comment and let Metro know how you use Queen Anne routes.
As a refresher, the 5 historic trolley routes on Queen Anne (1, 2, 3, 4, 13) have all had distinct neighborhood terminals for decades, and this restructure seeks to consolidate Routes 3, 4, and 13 into a single terminal at Seattle Pacific University, ending service to the "North Queen Anne" and "East Queen Anne" terminal loops.
The change would:
- Triple service between the Queen Anne Business District and Seattle Pacific University (SPU), from 2 buses per hour to 6.
- Give SPU students, staff, and faculty more housing choices by providing a direct connection to the large amount of multifamily housing on 5th Ave N/Taylor Ave N
- Provide a frequent transfer at SPU between Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, and UW
- Maintain identical frequency on each individual line
- Provide operators with 24-hour restroom access, something they currently lack.
- Atone for the 2012-era loss of Route 17 between Nickerson/SPU and Downtown, restoring frequent combined service to Downtown on Route 3, 4, and 13.
- End the strange service pattern on Queen Anne Avenue where Downtown service left from opposite sides of the street, with the west side of having Route 13 inbound and Route 4 outbound, and on the east side of the street Route 13 outbound and Route 4 inbound.
- Respond to noise and operational complaints from Queen Anne residents living near the current terminal loops
- Require approximately 1% of current riders on the affected routes to walk 2-6 blocks for service, or an estimated 120 riders per day. For instance, the Nob Hill terminus of Route 4 serves just 40 boardings per day.
Graphic by the Author
Comment by June 24 as follows:
Metro is accepting comments on these changes until June 24, 2016. For questions or to comment, contact Metro's Supervisor of Service Planning Katie Chalmers at katie.chalmers@kingcounty.gov or (206) 477-5869. Come talk with us in the community. We're on the agenda of the following groups:
- June 16, 11:15 - 1 pm, Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, Best Western Executive Inn, 200 Taylor Avenue North (Please note: there is a fee for this event, check the chamber's website for details.)
- July 6, 7:30 pm, Queen Anne Community Council, Queen Anne Manor, 100 Crockett St.