Midweek Roundup: Summer Transit
by Nathan Dickey from Seattle Transit Blog on (#6XE94)
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).
- Uber will soon start offering fixed-route commuter shuttles in major US cities (TechCrunch). The arc of transportation is long but bends towards mass transit.
- Los Angeles' plans for a car-free" 2028 Olympics now include yet-untested air taxis" (Mass Transit). Are bus lanes really that hard?
- An audio recap (1 hour, 49 mins) of the Future of Seattle Housing" panel hosted by The Urbanist and Seattle YIMBY (The Urbanist).
- New state law means permits for housing projects can't be denied by municipalities noncompliant with state housing law if some of the units are affordable (The Urbanist).
- Sprawl is not the solution to America's housing crisis (Strong Towns).
- Charles Prestrud says if Dow Constantine's ultimate test is whether he can change ST's course to avoid a train wreck" (KOMO News).
- Mayoral Candidate Katie Wilson offers Five Ways to Lower Rents in Seattle (The Urbanist).
- Jarrett Walker was the guest of a recent episode of Seattle-based energy policy podcast Volts", in which he answers the question how is transit doing in the US?" (Human Transit; Volts Podcast).
- Danny Westneat thinks Seattle's Blue City Blues" might be turning around (The Seattle Times, $).
- Jon Talton touts the economic benefits of light rail (The Seattle Times, $). Rail bias much?
- Seattle's newest $700M subway" between Fremont, Ballard, and Queen Anne is only for stormwater, over half of which is generated by car-oriented streets (City Observatory).
- While Europe and Asia built railways, America built highways and regret (New York Times, gift link). Meanwhile, Japan is aiming to add platform doors to nearly 1,400 train stations by 2030 to reach a goal of 4,000 stations with the safety barriers (The Japan Times).
This is an Open Thread. Contact us if you'd like to add your perspective on Puget Sound-area transit and land use issues to the front page of the Blog.