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Updated 2024-11-22 22:45
The Day is Coming for Car Tab Legislation
[Update 2:30pm: I originally misread the tweet below “another day” as “tomorrow”. We’re not sure when this is coming to vote, but it doesn’t appear to be today. Sorry for the error.] For obscure scheduling reasons, House Democrats delayed action on HB2201, which would take over $2 billion out of Sound Transit’s funding. It’s a good […]
News Roundup: Wrong Getaway Vehicle
2008-2018: Seattle’s transformative decade ($). Radical subway extension and development idea quietly tucked into Cuomo’s State of the State. Of course, the subway system has to actually work before you can sanely consider extending it. A closer look at Seattle’s rising transit ridership. SDOT justifiably toots its own horn. West Seattle light rail: Why you […]
New Appointments to the Sound Transit Board
On Monday Executive Constantine made five nominations to the Sound Transit Board. Each County Executive nominates their county’s delegation, subject to confirmation by the County Council. King County has 10 members, Snohomish 3, and Pierce 4, in proportion to their populations inside the Sound Transit District. The last member is the Washington Secretary of Transportation, […]
High Speed Rail Study Predicts Low Ridership
WSDOT’s recent study of high speed ground transportation in the Cascadia Corridor raised hopes that much faster rail connections to Vancouver and Portland may be in our future. The Governor has requested a more comprehensive study in 2018. Depending on the technology and alignment chosen, a high-speed rail service could cover operational costs by 2035. […]
The Lege is Back
The State Legislature returns today for a 2-month session, with formal sessions in both houses beginning at noon. The House Transportation Committee begins work at 3:30 p.m. with a presentation by the governor’s office on the state of state transportation, and a presentation of the governor’s proposed supplemental transportation budget for 2019. The Senate Transportation […]
Sunday Open Thread: Seattle Growth Timelapse
A panoramic view of the growth that has taken place in Seattle over the last three years using photos from the Space Needle’s PanoCam.
ST Launches Advisory Groups for Ballard and West Seattle Link Extensions
Sound Transit laid out a new process to streamline project development for the Ballard and West Seattle Link Extensions, emphasizing the need for key decisions to be made this year to expedite the delivery of light rail. Major considerations include two water crossings, the configuration of the new downtown transit tunnel and the locations of […]
Collision Rate Rises in Seattle as Traffic Volumes Remain Steady
As Seattle works toward Vision Zero, data from SDOT’s annual traffic report found that collisions with fatal or serious injury jumped 16.5% in 2016, even as traffic volumes remained nearly unchanged. In early 2015, the city launched its Vision Zero initiative with the goal of ending all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030, with […]
News Roundup: The Case for the Subway
The subway built New York; now it must be repaired at any price ($). Jonathan Mahler’s survey of the history and present of the New York subway is a tour de force. If you read only one thing this week, make it this. Transit riders in Wenatchee ($) can now use their smartphone to buy a […]
Podcast #53: Elite Projection
Amtrak derailment (1:46) Positive train control (4:56) Free Metro on New Years’ Eve (16:47) Jarrett Walker vs. Elon Musk (21:10) The Dangers of Elite Projection The most expensive mile of subway on Earth (24:58) Transit Riders Union, taxes, and advocacy (33:35) Streetcar turns 10 (42:22) Lynnwood Link garages (51:40) http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_053.mp3
Where Next for King County’s $20 Billion Roads Program?
Elected leaders from across King County will gather on February 2 to consider legislative strategy and revenue options for the Regional Transportation System Initiative. A Technical Committee of City and County staff have identified $20 billion of regional roads improvements (in 2018 constant dollars) to be funded by 2040. With that analysis in hand, the next […]
To Bring Lynnwood Link Back Within Budget, Defer the Parking Garages
When we last left Lynnwood link, the light rail extension was $500M over budget. Now, per Mike Lindblom in the Seattle Times, that number has dropped to $300M: By nipping here and tucking there, a Sound Transit manager says his team located $200 million in potential savings to ease a budget crisis in the Northgate-to-Lynnwood […]
What to Watch for in 2018
2018 is a planning year, not a big one for openings in the Puget Sound region. Openings On July 1st, Metro’s new $2.75 adult flat fare comes into effect. Also, the Regional Reduced Fare Permit — the senior / disabilities version of the ORCA card — will become free some time this year. Amtrak, BNSF, […]
Sunday Open Thread: Let’s Move Nashville
This May, Nashvillians will vote on a transportation plan that includes among many things a three-station downtown transit tunnel shared by rapid buses and light rail trains. Unlike Seattle’s tunnel, it will have all off-board payment.
Top 10 STB Posts of 2017
2017 was not a great year, both worldwide and in our little corner of the universe. Here is our customary summary of the 10 most-read and most-commented posts of the past year: Most-Read 1. Mercer Island to Sue Sound Transit, WSDOT (2/13 by Zach Shaner) Mercer Island’s tantrum over HOV lane access was a fine […]
Tacoma Dome Link Moves Slowly Into Preliminary Engineering
Last week, the Sound Transit Board signed off on a $125.7 million budget for preliminary engineering on the Tacoma Dome Link Extension and a $10.3 million consultant contract for the same project. When the extension opens in 2030, trains will run all the way to the Tacoma Dome multimodal complex on 10 miles of mostly […]
No Clear Consensus on Routes 3/4
Metro recently released a summary of community feedback on its proposal to move a short segment of routes 3 and 4 from James St to Yesler Wy. As we’ve come to expect with proposals to change the oldest parts of Metro’s network, the feedback was deeply muddled. Metro’s Magic 8-Ball said: “Reply Hazy, Try Again.” Online […]
News Roundup: Insane Preservation Decisions
Seattle test will lead to regulations for dockless bike-share. What the Washington train derailment means for Cascadia high-speed rail. Speed control faces challenges ($), slowly gets rolling on Sounder trains. What Vancouver, B.C., can teach us about housing. When historic preservation clashes with housing affordability. Sightline’s Dan Bertolet catalogs several recent insane decisions from Seattle’s various […]
PSA: Driving Respectfully
More and more of us are riding transit every day. But the numbers say we also drive cars ($). 81 percent of Seattle households (including my own) still own at least one car. Many of those who don’t own cars use car sharing from time to time. Cars aren’t a sustainable solution for the majority […]
Prepping for a White Christmas
With a fresh blanket of snow Christmas morning, even in the lowlands, it is a good time for a refresher on getting all the information you need to find your bus in a snowstorm. First, since it is Christmas, most transit agencies are either running on a Sunday schedule, or off for the holiday, so […]
Sunday Open Thread: On-Time Metro
A look at the people and technology behind Tokyo Metro’s renowned punctuality, safety, and exceptional customer service.
Ride Metro FREE on New Year’s Eve
This week has needed some good news on transit, and King County Metro is providing it: From 4 am on New Year’s Eve to 4 am New Year’s Day, riding King County Metro will be free! Metro will be running on its Sunday schedule, but extra trips will be added on routes 1, 3, 4, […]
Sound Transit Working to Install PTC Ahead of 2018 Deadline
Despite having all the necessary equipment for positive train control (PTC) operation installed between Everett and Tacoma, the safety system is not fully operational on all Sounder trips, Sound Transit said Wednesday. In a letter to boardmembers, CEO Peter Rogoff said that currently, due to technical issues associated with new deployments, only about 56% of […]
News Roundup: Everything But 501
Unsurprisingly, regional and national transportation news has been dominated since Monday by the tragic Amtrak 501 derailment. Because many of our readers are following the news of that accident via traditional or social media, and every outlet is working with the same (small) set of facts, I elected not to try and summarize all the […]
SR520 Bicycle and Pedestrian Path Opens Today
Over a year and a half after the new State Road 520 bridge opened to car traffic, pedestrians and cyclists will finally be able to cross Lake Washington using the floating bridge. The new 2.7-mile 520 bridge shared-use path, linking Seattle and the Eastside, is set to open at 3pm on December 20. Not […]
The Impact on Current Cascades Service
Although the human impacts are miniscule compared to those of the accident itself, there will be only minor changes to Amtrak Cascades service until further notice. According to Janet Matkin of WSDOT, the state has already taken possession of enough rolling stock to run all scheduled Cascades trips. Obviously, these trips will take the old route […]
A Brief History of the Point Defiance Bypass
With the national attention that yesterday’s tragic derailment is getting, we felt it would be best to provide a bit of context about the accident’s site: the Point Defiance Bypass. While it is a “new” railroad, built primarily for passenger use, the corridor is over a century old and some pieces date back decades. The […]
Casualties in Point Defiance Bypass Derailment
Amtrak Cascades #501 south from Seattle derailed this morning, while crossing over I-5 in the vicinity of Mounts Road, west of Dupont. There are at least three casualties, many injuries, and some carriages are a total loss. Our thoughts are with survivors, and the families of everyone on board. No root cause has been established, […]
How the Income Tax became an Issue for the Transit Riders Union
Yellow shirts filled Seattle City Council chambers, holding posters with hundreds of hand-signed petition along the walls. Members of the Transit Riders Union were out in force to voice their opinions to councilmembers, but the topic this time wasn’t potential bus cuts or a push for a low-income transit pass. Instead, the grassroots organization was […]
Sunday Open Thread: Helicopter Commutes
This is an open thread.
It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Light Rail
Change is quickly coming to Bellevue as Sound Transit ramps up construction on the East Link Extension. Most recently crews on Monday night began work on the first elevated section of the 14-mile light rail extension, placing two girders that span 112th Avenue Northwest near the future Bellevue Downtown Station. These 117-foot precast girders are […]
Seattle’s Streetcar Turns 10
10 years ago this month, to great fanfare, Seattle’s modern streetcar line opened, a 1.3-mile route between Westlake and South Lake Union. Though it seems insignificant now, cast your mind back to 2007. The Seattle Monorail Project died just two years earlier, after costing the city $125M. A month before the streetcar opening, the Roads […]
Seattle Approves ST3 Partnering Agreement
On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved a partnering agreement to accelerate Sound Transit 3 project delivery. The slideshow, the partnering_agreement itself, and Councilmember Lisa Herbold’s thorough writeup are all online. Most of the agreement is just a commitment to working together and being cooperative, but there are some interesting nuggets. Each agency (ST […]
When can Public Infrastructure be Repurposed?
When the Alaskan Way Viaduct undergoes demolition next year, WSDOT plans to use the Battery Street Tunnel as a disposal site for the Viaduct’s debris, but a group of residents is pushing for a second life for the 65-year old tunnel. The group Recharge the Battery says anything is better than the current plan to […]
News Roundup: Toronto Wins
A profile of Seattle’s Chief Traffic Engineer Dongho Chang ($), notably including his sadly-uncommon perspective on civil engineering: “Creating things that enable civilization — where people are gathered — to occur.” On that note, here’s what SDOT is doing to make crossing the Mercer Stroad better for people on foot ($). How City Planning Can […]
Podcast #52: The Biggest Shoupista
Seattle City Council Member Rob Johnson joins the podcast to talk ST3, HALA, Key Arena and more. ST3 – Crossing the ship canal (1:30) ST3 – West Seattle (5:57) ST3 – Permitting (8:50) 130th Street (14:47) Car tabs (18:46) HALA (23:52) Parking (27:40) Beyond HALA (31:21) Move Seattle Levy (33:29) Key Arena (38:58) http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_052.mp3
Does Foreign Capital Trump Supply and Demand?
Charles Mudede is latest in a line of columnists (see here, here, here, and here) drawing comparisons between the rapidly appreciating housing markets in Seattle and Vancouver, BC: The forces at work in Vancouver BC’s housing market seem unrelated to those at work in, say, Toronto’s—a city that, like Seattle, has a real economy and […]
Sunday Open Thread: Bus Stop Balancing
Installation Error Cause of Link’s August Electrical Malfunction
On August 8, a severe electrical malfunction at the Tukwila traction power substation caused extensive damage to the unit, according to Paul Denison, director of light rail operations at Sound Transit. Following the outage, drivers were given orders to slow acceleration. Briefing board members Thursday during the Operations and Administration Committee meeting, Denison said an […]
Sound Transit Expanding Parking Permit Program
Sound Transit will extend its paid permit program at park-and-ride facilities to include solo drivers. The assurance of a guaranteed spot could cost commuters as much as $90 a month if Sound Transit charges the average market rate for these spaces. Currently, carpools with two or more riders are eligible to purchase a $5 parking […]
Imagining a Post-Carbon Transportation System
A new exhibit presents a vision of a fossil-fuel-free mobility system in a city not designed around cars. As automobiles began taking over cities in the early 1900s, an exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s fair titled “Futurama” gave visitors a glimpse of a city twenty years in the future where cars ruled the […]
Largest Ridership Changes on Metro Routes in 2016
King County Metro’s 2017 Annual System Evaluation is now publicly available. One coarse performance measure in the appendices (pages 45-60) is weekday ridership on each route, comparing fall 2016 ridership to fall 2015 ridership. STB covered the March 2016 and September 2016 service changes that occurred during this period, as well as the March 2017 […]
Microsoft’s Expansion in the Suburbs
Microsoft announced last week a major investment in their Redmond campus, expanding their footprint to accommodate up to 8,000 more workers, but also renovating and reinventing their campus. 12 older buildings will give way to 18 taller ones with a net addition of 2.5 million square feet. Urbanists, and other observers, were quick to notice […]
News Roundup: ITDP Gold
New York gives pedestrians a head start ($) at key intersections. New York City’s Comptroller describes a bus system in crisis ($). Classic NYC finger-pointing ensues. Civic and business leaders describe a subway system and transit agency in crisis ($). Read Ben Kabak’s take (and visit London) if you want to get really depressed. It […]
Sunday Open Thread: Tokyo Roller Coaster Subway Rap
Senate Dems, Back in Charge, Announce New Committee Assignments
As a result of Manka Dhingra’s election, giving Democrats a solid majority in the State Senate (with Sen. Tim Sheldon caucusing with the Republicans), the Senate Democratic Caucus has had to choose new Senate leadership and committee leadership, and redo committee assignments. The new assignments were announced on November 14: Of particular interest to all […]
2018 Brings a Slight Increase to SDOT’s Budget
With a backlog of over 550 lane-miles in need of major maintenance, estimated to cost $970m, and a rapidly growing city, the Seattle Department of Transportation says its 2018 budget attempts to balance the mobility needs of the city while maintaining existing streets and sidewalks. Next year’s city budget, approved November 20, increases SDOT’s budget by […]
Beacon Hill Cell Service Slides to Mid-2018
When the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel finally got cellular phone service last March, the tentative expectation was that the Beacon Hill Tunnel would follow later this year. University Link has long had it, so Beacon Hill is the last segment that drops calls and freezes page loads. ST spokesperson Kimberly Reason told me earlier this […]
Podcast #51: Load Factors
Streamlining ST Express Fare Collection (2:00) Load factors on Link (7:24) Parking Hypocrisy (15:55) The Regional Housing Gap (24:55) Mailbag (29:30) PS: by listener request, the podcast is now available on Google Play as well as iTunes. http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_051.mp3
ST Q3 2017 Ridership Report
Sound Transit’s ridership continues to rise, fueled mostly by light rail expansion, according third quarter ridership numbers released by the agency last week. Ridership across the system was up 6.5% over the same quarter in 2016. In an accompanying press release, Sound Transit lauded current year-to-date ridership in 2017, up 26% on Link and 12% […]
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