Midweek Roundup: A Better Billion
Two teenagers were shot and killed at bus stop on Rainier Ave near South Shore PreK-8 on Friday (KUOW). Both were students at Rainier Beach High School. Students and community members including Mayor Wilson and new SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner gathered at the now-closed bus stop on Monday afternoon (The Seattle Times, $).
On February 7 (Saturday), 1 Line service will be suspended between Federal Way and Angle Lake. During the closure, crews will conduct inspections and make adjustments to the traction power system to improve system reliability.Buses will replace 1 Line trains between Angle Lake and Federal Way, operating every 10-15 minutes.In addition, passengers can use the A Line between Federal Way and Tukwila International Blvd station.
Transportation- Seattle's I-5 lane closures wreak havoc on worker commutes (The Seattle Times, $). Some are turning to other forms of transit, such as bicycles and the Link light rail, or flexing their work schedules." City Planner Kadie Bell Sata says revive I-5 is the missed off-ramp from car dependence (The Urbanist)
- NYC Mayor Mamdani campaigned on making MTA buses fast and free, but the latter may cost upwards of $1B annually to replace free fares. The Transit Costs Project proposes A Better Billion, an ambitious plan to expand the subway instead. As the New York Times puts it: Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead? (gift link). Alon Levy dove into the cost modelling details on their blog (Pedestrian Observations).
- What is Complete Streets design, and why should we all be using it? (Fast Company)
- A Love Letter to the Articulated Bus (Thoughts About Cities)
- Congestion Pricing's Unexpected Winners: Suburban Drivers (Bloomberg CityLab)
- OPCD Further Trims Corridor Upzones in Newly Unveiled Seattle Zoning Maps (The Urbanist). PubliCola thinks Mayor Wilson can still fix the plan.
- Seattle Leads Nation in Affordable Apartment Production (The Urbanist), yet it's still not close to enough.
- Why transit, density, and walkability matter for social connection (Transportation For America)
- Achieving Transportation Abundance' Is All About Density (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Becoming a '15-Minute City' Could Be Within Reach for Tacoma (The Urbanist)
Reminder: This is an Open Thread, but comments should focus on topics clearly related to transit and land use issues and be mindful of ourComment Policy.