Seattle Transit Blog

A glimpse into what we might have had if Forward Thrust had passed. This is an open thread.

The New York Times recently ran an excellent feature on Portland’s efforts to curb emissions while still building highways: But despite Portland’s efforts, the number of cars and trucks on its roads has kept rising as the city and its suburbs have grown — along with tailpipe pollution that is warming the planet. While Portland … Continue reading "Portland’s driving dilemma"

Like many workers, I all but abandoned transit usage through 2020 and most of 2021, only returning mid-last year as my office reopened. Yet even as a lot of facets of society have returned to normal, transit ridership has struggled to rebound. There is still lingering uncertainty as COVID persists and most company return-to-office plans … Continue reading "What will be the new normal for post-COVID ridership?"

Finishing on the server moves from last week. Apologies for any downtime! Update: maintenance complete.

Mike Lindblom at the Seattle Times has the scoop: Project staff mentioned a potential start date of February 2024 in a presentation Tuesday to King County Metro Transit rail-division employees. Metro personnel operate and maintain the trains. “That information is a bit premature,” Ron Lewis, director of design, engineering and construction management, said in an … Continue reading "East Link opening likely delayed until 2024"

The B1M, a channel for construction videos, features our system expansion. This is an open thread.

The ROI on bus lanes is remarkable: Another benefit of the lanes is a more consistent trip time for riders. Travel-time variability decreased by up to 26% northbound and 55% southbound, according to the data. And the lanes appear to have encouraged more people to take the bus, with ridership increasing 13% in the first … Continue reading "San Francisco’s Van Ness BRT"

No guarantees that ST staff will read your incisive 1500-word comment on STB, unfortunately, so you might want to share it with them directly. Re-read Seattle Subway’s post and the comments below if you want to refresh your memory.

We’re migrating to a new server and comments may not post on Wednesday 4/27 and possibly into Thursday 4/28.

Erica has an excellent overview of Metro’s latest report on the possibility: In a recent report on the future of Metro’s fare system, the agency outlined its plans for smoothing the transition to eliminating cash fares, which—according to Metro—will make boarding faster, ease conflicts between riders and drivers, and eliminate the need to periodically repair Metro’s 1,509 … Continue reading "Eliminating cash fares"

MyORCA.com: Beginning in May 2022, the new myORCA mobile app and website will make paying for transit rides in the Puget Sound region faster and easier. Later in 2022, we’re adding more retail locations where you can buy and reload ORCA cards and launching a new card design. MyORCA replaces the aging orcacard.com and orcacard.biz … Continue reading "New ORCA app and website coming next month"

After a somewhat confused day of messaging, all local transit agencies jointly lifted their mask requirements after a federal judge knocked down the CDC’s rule. David Kroman in the Times: Immediately after the Monday ruling, Seattle-area agencies largely kept their current policies in place, albeit without strong enforcement mechanisms. By late Monday and early Tuesday, … Continue reading "Local agencies lift mask requirements"

As the public comment window for Sound Transit’s West Seattle Ballard Link Extension draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) comes to a close, it’s time to make your voice heard about what will be built as part of ST3. As always, powerful stakeholders who do not prioritize transit quality are very well represented in this process … Continue reading "Seattle Subway’s summary recommendations for the ST3 DEIS"

As Sound Transit has moved the West Seattle-Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE) through the EIS process, several challenges have emerged, with early concerns focused on the Ballard and West Seattle termini. These are nowhere near solved, but a compromise alignment seems within reach. The middle of the line is another question: serious disruption in Chinatown / … Continue reading "Put First Hill back on the table?"

When looking at the two options presented by Sound Transit for South Lake Union (SLU) in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), we’re struck by how poorly the station will serve South Lake Union. The Harrison option is deep at about 120’ and all the way on the western edge of SLU. The Mercer option … Continue reading "SLU Station Can Be Better, Cheaper, and Easier to Build on Westlake"

STB has been on the 23rd Ave electrification beat since 2011, and the last update was via CHS in 2016, when trolleybus service was projected to begin in 2018. The street repaving and pole installation described in 2016 is long ago complete, and 2018 was a while ago, but Route 48 is, alas, still plied … Continue reading "Route 48 Electrification Expected in 2026"

Sound transit has a blog post up that pairs well with our recent discussions of transfers and deep stations: As people have begun to study the recently published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), some have wondered about the depths of the stations and what the rider experience would be like to access the platforms and transfer … Continue reading "Diagramming station depths"

Convenient transfers can transform a good transit network into a great one. When you don’t think twice about switching lines, the network is really doing its job. Unfortunately the designs proposed for ST3’s two new massive transfer stations, Westlake and International District (ID) Stations fall well short of that mark. These designs feel like they … Continue reading "ST3 Transfers Must be Excellent"

A series of public meetings focused on limited segments of the WSBLE DEIS is underway. Those who are unable to attend can comment by email, voicemail or snail mail using this page. You can even schedule a 20-minute virtual meeting with the project team to ask questions about the DEIS in the meantime. As a … Continue reading "Link options in Interbay"

Lizz Giordano, South Seattle Emerald: The CID is preparing for a messy buildout for the West Seattle-Ballard Light Rail Extension that will run a second set of tracks through the neighborhood. After weighing options studied in a newly released planning document, many in the CID say the choice is clear: lay tracks under 4th Avenue to avoid taking … Continue reading "No good options in CID"

Madeline Feig, Commute Seattle blog: However, the pandemic significantly altered travel behavior, and this year’s data broke from these historic trends. Comparing 2019 to 2021, the share of remote work among all Downtown commuter modes increased by 36 percentage points, to 43.3% of all surveyed trips. The percentage of transit trips, once at an eight-year … Continue reading "Commute Seattle’s 2021 mode survey"

Note that the video is from 2020, when there was a shortage of N95s and other masks. There are several producers of everyday-use NIOSH-approved N95s in the US that sell directly online and can deliver within days, such as Aidway, which I use, and have found reasonably comfortable. The CDC has a long list of … Continue reading "Weekend open thread: The physics of N95 masks"

King County Metro rolled out its spring service change last Saturday, with new green-striped schedule pamphlets. Several routes’ schedules were adjusted to better serve school bell times, including routes 48, 50, 106, 107, 128, and 269. Routes 106 and 107 will have a slightly different schedule on Wednesdays than the rest of the week. Routes … Continue reading "Transit agencies roll out spring service changes"

This is an open thread.

Like most observers, we were shocked when we saw how deep Sound Transit’s station plans were for the new downtown tunnel. Beyond engineering complexity, deep stations can present a problem for riders: getting to and from the surface isn’t always easy and fast. This concern is particularly amplified by the location and intention of these … Continue reading "Are ST3’s Deep Stations a Problem?"

As we review the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) results as presented by Sound Transit, the decision to cut out all the central Ballard station options stands out as a huge mistake. There is only one Ballard station in ST3 and we have only one chance to get this right. We need a Ballard station where … Continue reading "ST3’s Ballard Station Has to Serve Ballard"

How the state transpo budget affects area projects New ORCA TVMs on their way Sound Transit’s service change and Metro’s SBB reflects on the bike helmet law repeal Disagreement as to whether ST vehicles are lawless, dangerous or not Brooke Belman will be the interim ST CEO after May 31 Kent’s microtransit experiment is called … Continue reading "News roundup: service change"

Avalon residents ask if a station there is really needed (!) Missing middle housing bill is dead, but ADU reform is not Some advice for YIMBYs on how to win more battles Bad behavior on buses and trains ($) is out of control, Metro seeking answers ($) New Sound Transit guidelines will avoid pedestrian crossings … Continue reading "News roundup: safety"

Senate Bill 5528 is moving! It passed the Washington State Senate with Bi-Partisan Support and is now scheduled for public hearing in the House Transportation Committee on Thursday, at 1:30pm. We need your help to make this bill become law. To show your support for more and better transit: Go to the House Committee Sign … Continue reading "Action Alert: SSB 5528 In House Transportation Committee"

It’s busy season for transit news around the Sound. Amidst the numerous announcements of late (zoning reform, East Link, state funding, oh my) the most concrete development has been the release of Sound Transit’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle/Ballard Extension (WSBLE). With the comment period now open and several virtual public … Continue reading "WSBLE Deep Dive: Interbay and Ballard"

As expected, phase 3 of the East Link Connections restructure proposal is out. It was developed using feedback from phase 2, when the first proposed network was released. In the first network, a clear trend was a dramatic increase in coverage throughout the eastside, with bus service on many corridors that never had any service … Continue reading "East Link Connections process moves into phase 3"

by ROSS BLEAKNEY The Seattle Department of Transportation has begun work on making Metro’s route 40 faster and more reliable. With these changes, Metro can substantially improve the transit network in the north end if it alters two very popular routes. Improvements for the 40 The 40 is often delayed around the Fremont Bridge. It … Continue reading "Improving Metro 40 and D"

Dear Monsieur Jean-Marc Cote. His vision of 2000 didn’t materialize. But was that his lack of imagination or ours? How well can we envision public transit in 100 years? With good news for the future of Washington State public transit in the expected passage of the proposed $16 billion transportation package, it seems a good … Continue reading "Love Fantasy Football? Try Fantasy Transit"

Marko Liias: OLYMPIA – On Tuesday, Senate and House Transportation Committee Chairs Sen. Marko Liias, D – Everett, and Rep. Jake Fey, D – Tacoma, unveiled Senate Bills 5974 and 5975 and House Bills 2118 and 2119 — Move Ahead Washington — a 16-year transportation proposal for Washington state. The $16 billion package provides historic funding for preserving our infrastructure, combating climate change by reducing emissions, expanding safe, … Continue reading "WA Dems propose a $16B transpo package"

Metro usually gathers a citizen sounding board when it’s planning a major service change. It’s a way to gather impressions after detailed technical discussion instead of drive-by comments. They’re currently collecting applicants for the service change associated with Lynnwood Link. If you’re willing to approach it with an open mind, think about the community as … Continue reading "Join the Lynnwood Link Mobility Board"

This is an open thread.

Stephen Fesler also unhappy with how ST3 is turning out Transit update from West Seattle Rogoff says reduced fare enforcement partly responsible for collapsing revenues ($), ECB is skeptical And now the Supreme Court can make things even worse Plan for Kirkland’s Dan Ryan Tower ($) is coming together Venu Nimani is the new Dongho … Continue reading "News roundup: enforcement"

In the week between Christmas and New Year, King County Metro activated its emergency snow network (ESN) for only the second time. However, it felt different this time around. In 2019, the situation was widely understood to be an emergency (even prompting Governor Inslee to declare a state of emergency, limiting the hours vehicles could … Continue reading "Metro needs a more flexible snow network"

Last week Sound Transit released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle/Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE), the long-awaited Link line from Alaska Junction to 15th and Market, via Sodo, Downtown, South Lake Union, Uptown, and 15th. The comment period began today. View the online open house and comment here. Really Deep Stations Both … Continue reading "Comment on the WSBLE"

by ROSS BLEAKNEY The bus routes that are north of Seattle will change after Lynnwood Link. Several routes cross the county line, or should. These are operated by King County (Metro Transit) or Snohomish County (Community Transit). What follows is a proposal for changes to these routes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive … Continue reading "Intercounty Routes for Lynnwood Link"

As Sound Transit has done several times before, it is shutting down the 1 Line between SODO Station and Capitol Hill Station this weekend, for maintenance work. A free bus bridge will run from SODO Station To Capitol Hill Station, serving temporary stops at the stations in between. However, this time, the bus bridge will … Continue reading "1 Line bus bridge downtown this weekend"

Via expands to the Renton Highlands Pedersen will remain Seattle Transportation chair The website for the new ORCA is live Metro canceling some trips through Jan. 21 due to driver shortages Teamsters strike still delaying Link projects A list of all the transportation-ish bills in Olympia WSF neglect is starting to show This is an … Continue reading "News roundup: shortages"

Seattle’s new Mayor does not seem to be a fertile source of pro-housing legislation, having campaigned on skepticism about changing single family zones. But instead of struggling for dimes, we can pick up dollar bills at the state level. The bills are SB 5670 and HB 1782, and as explained by local treasure Dan Bertolet, would legalize: … Continue reading "Big housing bills in the legislature"

The 2022 legislative session is starting off with a bang this week. Before the first week is done Senate Bill 5528 will have a hearing in the transportation committee. The bill picks up where last year’s HB 1304 left off but expands the function to a regional level under the governance of Sound Transit. A city, subarea, … Continue reading "SB 5528 Gives Transit Power Back to Voters"

Sam Zimbabwe out at SDOT; what does it mean? Kent Keel staying as ST Board Chair West Seattle/Ballard EIS will arrive January 28th Escalator switching at CHS North Sounder is landsliding again An update on Safe Routes to School Worst year on Washington’s roads ($) since 2006 Pandemic trends in ridership, by neighborhood type Boston … Continue reading "News roundup: escalator switching"

Sound Transit recently released a revised Link schedule that will take effect January 8th “to better reflect actual trip times.” The main difference is that a Northgate-Angle Lake trip turns out to be 4 minutes slower, from 53 minutes to 57. There are four spots where it loses one of those minutes: Roosevelt-Northgate, UW-U District, … Continue reading "Link a little slower than expected"