Seattle Transit Blog

And the next mayor of Seattle will be 🥁 🥁 🥁 Jenny Durkan #seamayor #waleg #waelex A post shared by Crosscut Public Media (@crosscut_news) on Nov 7, 2017 at 8:39pm PST With the first batch of ballots counted, Jenny Durkan has a commanding 61-39% lead over Cary Moon in the race for Seattle Mayor. Teresa […]

It’s that time of the year, again. We here at STB will be posting results for races in which we endorsed (or have a general interest in) in this thread and on Twitter. Make sure to get your ballot in a box or postmarked by 8 p.m. Races to Watch (STB endorsed candidates listed with bold […]

Since the 1990s, Regional Growth Centers (RGCs) have played a central role in the growth strategy of the Puget Sound region. There are now 29, along with nine manufacturing/industrial centers (MICs) and other local or county- designated centers. Centers are a mechanism to focus growth and prioritize transportation investments. But the performance of centers is […]

Two weeks ago, I criticized Seattle Times Olympia reporter Joseph O’Sullivan for reporting irrelevant spin about Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund’s position on climate change, while entirely ignoring the actual impact of an Englund win on state climate policy. So it’s only fair to point out that he did a much better job in a followup […]

Tuesday is the deadline for sending in your ballot. A brief recap of our endorsements: Cary Moon for Mayor Teresa Mosqueda, Lorena González for City Council Endorsements beyond Seattle For more on voting: King County Elections Pierce County Elections Snohomish County Elections

These three LA Metro etiquette ads are… something.

. . . . . . . . . King County Metro Route 60 has received at least two large investments from 2014 Seattle Proposition 1 funds that extend span of 30-minute-or-better headway all the way to 7 am to 11 pm seven days a week and, as of this September, now provide 15-minute headway […]

Country music star Garth Brooks will be in Tacoma for three nights—Friday through Sunday—for concerts expected to draw over 100,000 fans. To accommodate the influx of fans, who have sold out all three days at the Tacoma Dome, Sound Transit will run special Sounder service on Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4. In addition to […]

Denver RTD cuts weekend frequency on two suburban lines to 30 minutes. Examples like this should, but probably won’t, preclude the argument that rail services are uniquely immune to cuts, in the face of low ridership and fiscal constraints. car2go replaces ($) its Smart Cars with Benz sedans. They’ll be harder to park on Capitol […]

King County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee quickly approved Metro’s fare simplification proposal that would eliminate zones and peak-rates — establishing a flat rate of $2.75. But the committee hesitated on a proposal to reduce card fees for adult and youth passengers from $5 to $3, delaying action until the next meeting. Metro already […]

Last evening, the Chair of the Seattle Council Budget Committee, CM Lisa Herbold, released her initial package of budget changes. This is a set of proposed amendments to the budget the Mayor proposed last month. The initial package reflects updated revenue assumptions and council member requests. For transit advocates, the most notable elements are (a) the […]

When Seoul removed an elevated expressway and restored the stream that was buried for decades. How is it faring over ten years later?

The MV Suquamish, photo by SounderBruce 23rd Ave corridor Vision Zero work to continue in 2018. SeaSub goes in to bat for the CCC. Next City summarizes the debate. Mercer Island and Sound Transit finalize settlement agreement ($). Paraphrasing slightly, the settlement “does not address access to I-90 for single occupant vehicles at the Island […]

Cary Moon for Mayor Other endorsements (32:20) Center City Connector threatened (38:50) http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_049.mp3

Last week, the Seattle City Council Budget Committee reviewed SDOT funding for 2018, and some members appeared ready to reconsider city funding for the Center City Connector. The Mayor’s budget proposal would finance $50 million of the projects $177 million capital cost via bond sales backed by Commercial Parking Tax revenues. Another $14 million is funded […]

WSDOT’s express toll lanes on I-405 opened in September 2015. Having recently passed the two-year mark, the Legislature may consider next year whether they should continue. At stake is not only the improved efficiencies of the managed lanes. As Peter Rogoff highlighted last week, an end to tolling would force a rethink of the Sound […]

Dublin’s Luas is a light rail tram system with two lines in service. Luas Cross City is an extension through the core of the city that will also connect the existing lines. It is anticipated to open for revenue service in December.

Metro will no longer operate shuttle service from several park-and-rides to Seahawks games at CenturyLink Field. The news came in an email from the Seahawks to season ticket holders: The Federal Transit Administration has ruled that Metro Transit is no longer permitted to operate its game day bus service from the Eastgate, South Kirkland and […]

Portland for Everyone has an in-depth piece on an “anti-McMansion compromise” rezoning currently before their city council. It’s thoughtful and well written, and it makes me sad that our political leaders ran headlong away from a much more timid duplex proposal, at the first sign of NIMBY homeowner backlash. Portland sets priorities for how to […]

These are Seattle Transit Blog’s endorsements for the November 7, 2017 elections outside Seattle. In Seattle, we endorsed Cary Moon for Mayor; and Teresa Mosqueda and Lorena González for City Council. As always, we choose candidates entirely based on their positions and record on transit and land use. . 45th Legislative District, Senate: Manka Dhingra […]

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 […]

Although the stated transit and land use policy differences in the Seattle mayor’s race are small, we believe that urban planner Cary Moon has the stronger commitment to transit priority, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and adding all types of housing stock to serve all who would like to live in Seattle. Much more than allied […]

The Seattle City Council is considering the city’s 2018 budget this week, and may consider an amendment to remove funding for the Center City Connector streetcar. A key procedural deadline is on Thursday. At a Select Budget Committee meeting Monday, several members voiced skepticism about the project. The CCC connects the South Lake Union and […]

[post updated with additional information about publicly accessible data feeds]. Out on the Pacific Coast, Grays Harbor Transit (serving the county around Aberdeen) is rolling out two major information technology projects: one for real-time information and one for mobile phone payment. In both cases, they’re contracting with companies that market to small transit agencies. Real-time information […]

Seattle tops nation in new apartments — and they’re expensive ($) and full of millennials. NY MTA refurbishes subway cars with fewer seats, more preschool wallpaper; at least one of those seems like an improvement. Crown Hill pedestrian overpass to stay, but people on wheels will still get a crosswalk. Alon Levy tells DC and […]

After 16 months of construction, the Yesler Way Bridge over 4th and 5th avenues has been reopened to traffic on Tuesday. Several bus routes that were affected by the long-term closure have resumed normal operations. Bus stops at Yesler Way & 3rd Avenue and Terrace Street & 5th Avenue have been re-opened. Although it won’t […]

Bellevue is planning a permanent men’s homeless shelter in the city. After a proposed location in the Eastgate area drew controversy, the City considered two alternative locations including one near the planned Sound Transit Link maintenance facility in the Bel-Red area. Sound Transit has opposed this because it is within an area to be marketed […]

The promise of an eastbound bus lane on Denny Way made waves last month, but the September deadline has come and passed, with not a hint of red paint on the street’s asphalt. So, what gives? Mike Lindblom at The Seattle Times reports ($) that the announcement was premature and came about due to a misunderstanding between […]

This week we sit down for an interview with Mayoral Candidate Cary Moon. http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_048.mp3

A couple of months ago, I blurbed a survey for King County Metro’s Community Connections project, which was seeking input from people who work in Seattle’s SODO district, a mostly-industrial and commercial area immediately south of downtown. I noticed that the SODO Connections project seemed very focused on alternative service — i.e. not fixed route […]

Yes, when it’s busy and the escalators are so long most don’t walk.