Everett’s New Transit Network: Frequency, or Coverage?
Will this bus travel further or more frequently? (photo by author)
Everett Transit's ongoing work on a 20-year Long Range Plan has reached its halfway milestone, marked by the presentation of service options for the public to discuss. The service options will be up for public feedback until the end of the month, either in person or via an online open house. A draft Long Range Plan will be released early next year and a final version is planned to be adopted by the end of March, guiding the agency's service standards well into the 2030s.
Frequent service option (Everett Transit)
The two service options are as basic as it gets: frequency vs. coverage. The frequency option is estimated to serve 16,000 individual trips (up from today's 6,500), covering about 15% of daily commutes. The average wait time would be reduced from today's 17 minutes to 10 during peak periods, and down from 23 to 12 off-peak and on weekends. There would be a 10% reduction in the number of people and jobs within walking distance of transit, particularly in the sprawling south and west reaches of the city, but roughly the same amount of trips would be direct (not requiring a transfer) compared to today. The representative map of frequent corridors shows new service opening up between Paine Field and Everett Mall (today served by a one-way, hourly loop that runs clockwise), as well as the waterfront and naval base (served by a peak-only milk run).
Coverage service option (Everett Transit)
The coverage option would serve 14,000 individual trips (14% of all commutes) and come with 13-minute wait times during peak periods and 20-minute waits off-peak, still an improvement over today's service levels. A full 70% of residents and jobs would be within walking distance of transit service, and 82% of trips would be direct. Travel times between major destinations, including waiting and walking to/from the stop, are estimated to be slightly higher than the frequency option and comparable to today's service, taking about 40-45 minutes between Everett Mall and Downtown Everett, compared to 45-50 today and 35-40 wit the frequency option.
There are a few drop-in sessions and community meetings until the end of the month where Everett residents can provide feedback. The online open house is, however, worth checking out for detailed feedback (in the form of multi-choice surveys) as well as interactive maps of both concepts.
For good measure, the current frequency of bus routes in Everett leaves a lot to be desired. Either option would be a massive improvement over today's service, which will be tested as Everett plans to grow around transit, both bus-based and rail-based, in the near future.
Current transit service in Everett, broken down by frequency (Everett Transit)