Metro seeks feedback for RapidRide R, to replace Route 7

Metro has a new online open house up for Ranier Avenue RapidRide, now known as RapidRide R. The standard RapidRide treatment of off-board payment, new bus shelters and stop consolidation are being proposed. Additionally, the new route would extend the trolley wire to terminate the line at Rainier Beach Link Station, an improvement we suggested in 2014.

You can also view feedback from the last open house, which we wrote about here.

Note that this is an open house for Rainier RapidRide, which opens in 2024. In the interim, SDOT is paving the way (literally) with a Vision Zero and a bus corridor improvement project, which will wrap up in 2022.

Several stops would be consolidated, meaning an average of 3.3 stops per mile instead of just over 4 today, if my napkin math is right. That's still well below the 1-2 stops per mile of the fastest BRT systems, but appropriate given the ridership characteristics of the 7 today.

Metro is also showing some updated shelter design concepts and wants to hear feedback on those as well:

The online open house runs through March 10. In person meetings will be happening across the Rainier Valley over the next couple of weeks:

Thursday, February 27, 6-8 p.m.
Hillman City Collaboratory
5623 Rainier Avenue S.,
Seattle, WA 98118

Tuesday, March 3, 6-8 p.m.
Dunlap Elementary School
4525 S. Cloverdale Street,
Seattle, WA 98118

Thursday, March 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Hirabayashi Place
442 S. Main Street,
Seattle, WA 98104