Seattle Transit Blog

At its September Board Meeting, Sound Transit approved the largest single budget item in its history, $733M to procure the remaining 122 light rail vehicles (LRVs) needed for the full ST2 buildout to Lynnwood, Overlake, and Des Moines. When delivered, these LRVs will triple Sound Transit’s fleet from the current 62 LRVs to a total of […]

Metro’s ORCA LIFT program is one of the first low-income transit fare products in North America, and it is fully worth your support. Earlier this year Sound Transit began accepting LIFT on Link Light rail but not on Sounder or its ST Express buses. Pierce Transit and Community Transit don’t participate in LIFT while operating the majority […]

Earlier this week, Councilmember Kshama Sawant announced a sweeping set of proposals with the stated purpose of helping small business while flanked by local small business leaders. Two of those proposals relate directly to land use and transit. People simultaneously encouraged by Sawant’s categorical support for transit, and apprehensive about her attitude to market-rate development,* will […]

A few months back, I wrote, with much exasperation, about an irritating quirk of King County Metro policy I dubbed the “Shoreline Rule”–the requirement that, without exception, all Metro riders who want to contest a transit infraction drive or, more likely, take the bus all the way to King County District Court in Shoreline. I […]

First Hill Streetcar begins “post-performance testing.” CT will use Mountlake Terrace bus ramps to bypass congestion. Mayor Murray proposes cheaper sidewalks to afford more. Tacoma Link gets $15m from USDOT. But Feds pass over Northgate Bridge and Pronto expansion. Freighthouse Square Final Design ready for comment, will open in 2017. ST picks Bellevue for the new Operations […]

In my post on ORCA2 a few weeks ago, I used target dates from documents included in Sound Transit’s contractor request, which according to ST staff, were incorrect. Current ST plans have ORCA2 starting to go live in 2020, not 2019. New equipment will begin appearing in late 2019, not 2018. The old system will […]

An election that will determine the future of Seattle governance and transportation priorities for a long time to come is just one week from its conclusion. Ballots must be post-marked by Tuesday, November 3, and must include first-class postage worth at least 49 cents. There are also drop boxes, where you can drop off your […]

As an addendum to Bruce’s post about the proposed Pine Street bus lane, I thought it would be worth making the point that despite the opening of University Link and the associated restructure of bus service, that net service levels on Pine Street will be still busier than ever during peak periods. This chart looks […]

The Seattle Department of Transportation is proposing to install six blocks of 24/7 bus lane, downtown, on Pine St, between 9th Ave and 3rd Ave. The proposed installation will mirror a similar installation on Pike St, between 2nd and 7th, completed last summer: It will be a painting and signage exercise in the right-hand curb […]

Now that the major bus restructure has passed and questions about transit access to UW Station have been answered, it’s time to focus on another part of the access equation: bikes. While other Link stations (such as Rainier Beach) intersect some of our regional trails, it’s fair to say that the Burke-Gilman is in a […]

If you still aren’t registered to vote, it’s not too late, but you’ll need to hustle–today is the last day to register to vote in the November 3 election. It’s a great time to get involved by voting in your local elections. In Seattle, this is the first outing for district elections, which means all nine council […]

Zach’s report on Mercer Island’s East Link comments was disappointing reading. It’s clear that not everyone will get everything they want. However, I think there’s a path, assuming goodwill from the major players, that meets a goal that I think regional leaders, interested activists, and concerned Mercer Islanders can all agree on. That goal is that […]

If you have ever attended a neighborhood or city zoning meeting you probably noticed four main arguments of those opposed to new residents: Arguments from poverty, usually spoken in terms of gentrification and displacement. Arguments from wealth, usually coded in comments about renters not “putting down roots” or about the preservation of a neighborhood’s culture. Arguments for […]

David covered the goodies in Sound Transit’s 2016 Draft Service Implementation Plan on Tuesday. Most of the big changes, including opening the new light rail stations, the additional daily Sounder runs, the new ST Express route 541, and long-term construction re-routes on routes 555, 556, and 560 still have to be approved by the ST […]

Perhaps responding to criticism that no one understood the details of the Move Seattle levy, late yesterday SDOT released a detailed spreadsheet that explained their year-by-year spending plan. According to Director Scott Kubly, The plan’s allocations are consistent with the levy legislation and its specific funding categories. If the levy is approved, oversight for spending and […]

SDOT finally discouraging construction sidewalk closures. WSDOT resuming work on landslide reduction along Cascades route. Nationwide vehicle miles traveled (VMT) going up again. Seattle Bike Blog crushes the Seattle Times no-vote ($) on Move Seattle. Eastbound I-90 to one lane this weekend; no special provision for transit. At the end of this interesting essay about Denmark is […]

UPDATE: Metro’s Jeff Switzer provided some corrected information about the routing of Routes 65 and 67. See below the jump for details. Yesterday, the King County Council approved an ordinance directing Metro to restructure service in much of North Seattle and on Capitol Hill in conjunction with the opening of University Link. The restructure […]

Good piece in Crosscut on Joni Earl’s remarkable tenure running Sound Transit: Shortly after Earl came to Sound Transit as chief operating officer in 2000, questions about the agency’s ability to manage the Seattle area’s first light rail line grew into a crisis. State lawmakers complained about the transit agency, federal transportation officials launched a […]

Faithful readers already know Sound Transit is headed for a banner 2016. University Link alone would be enough to ensure that; it will connect the three most important transit destinations in Washington state with frequent, fast, high-capacity transit for the first time, replacing bus routes that are one of Seattle’s most notorious time sinks. Also no […]

Martin and I discuss the STB endorsement process, and where the editorial board netted out with various candidates. For reference: Seattle endorsements Measures Suburban races Lisa Herbold on SF zoning Martin’s rebuttal How Seattle’s housing mix stacks up https://media.blubrry.com/seattletransitblog/s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/podcasts/STB_podcast_4.mp3

The first of five Seattle 2035 open houses is tonight, and fireworks are expected, as new maps are being rolled out showing the expansion of urban village boundaries. The hearings are about changes to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, but the zoning changes are likely going to be the most volatile topic. The open houses are as […]

via Transit Maps Blog

One of the more interesting tensions in the urbanist left is over development taxes. Everyone is looking for a funding source to build subsidized housing, and skimming from developer profits is an attractive possibility. On the other hand, too much taxation will deter development, and exacerbate the housing shortage from the other end of the […]

Since its launch back in 2000, Sounder Commuter Rail has had a split personality, with its South Line widely heralded as a smashing success and its North Line as, at best, a series of disappointments. Except for Tacoma and Lakewood, both lines are considerably faster than their bus counterparts in peak-of-peak, and they scale incredibly […]

35th Ave road diet lowered bus peak-direction travel times, hurt contra-peak. King County Housing Authority buys 300 apartments next to TIBS. Shefali Ranganathan gives 10 good reasons to vote for Move Seattle. Seattle’s District 3 debate covered a lot of relevant issues. ST 566 catches fire ($). Breaking down data from Pronto’s first year. WSDOT […]

Here are Seattle Transit Blog’s endorsements for selected suburban races in the general election. As always, our endorsements are meant to focus entirely on their transit and land use positions. Longtime readers know our core positions well: in favor of transit investment, concentration of resources into high-quality corridors, upzones, and pedestrian and bicycle access improvements. We are […]

This afternoon the King County Council Transportation, Economy, and Environment (TrEE) Committee sent the ULink restructure to the full council without recommendation. The restructure ordinance will now be discussed by the full council, with a probable vote, on Monday, October 19. Chair Dembowski and Councilmember Phillips introduced an amendment that responds to the bulk of […]

NE 145th Street is a mess. Providing cross-town auto access to I-5 and SR 522 along Seattle’s northern border, it features very narrow sidewalks, an above-average number of car collisions, and few pedestrian amenities. To add insult to injury (literally), there are utility poles right smack in the middle of the sidewalk, which itself is […]

Here in the Puget Sound region we are blessed with hundreds of miles of regional bike trails, from the paved non-motorized highway of the Burke-Gilman Trail to the smooth dirt of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. But nearly without exception, our trails are a series of disparate pieces. They peter out in random places, their right-of-way […]

Last week at the Mountaineers, public testimony was decidedly split, with angry and opposing testimony at the beginning of the meeting slowly giving way to riders more supportive of the proposed ULink restructure. But it has become clear in public comment that Route 43 riders feel particularly aggrieved, as with each iteration of restructure alternatives […]

In today’s installment, we present our endorsements in Seattle City Council and County Council races. In most cases, this is a rehash of our Primary Endorsements, albeit with a substantially different editorial committee. As always, our endorsements solely reflect the candidate’s positions and record on transit and land use. Longtime readers know our core positions […]

I suspect most self-identified progressive groups would agree that human-caused climate change is an emergency that requires sacrifice to overcome. That’s why it’s so disappointing that State leaders like Governor Inslee are so lukewarm about I-732, a revenue-neutral carbon tax, because they are subordinating the need to reduce emissions to other political objectives. This kitchen sink […]

Bay D before 2012 bus restructure / photo by Oran I used my rare afternoon off Wednesday to check out the state of Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel joint operations, now that Link Light Rail trains are running every six minutes each direction during peak, and six bus routes have been moved upstairs. A pair of […]

Shoreline’s 145th St Multimodal Study Open House materials are online. You can participate in the “citizen exercise” through October 11th. ST Board approves reserved permit parking at some of its lots. SDOT taking over management of Pronto Bike Share. How Seattle’s proposed commercial linkage fee will work. I-405 toll lanes having little effect on general-purpose traffic […]

This November, there are two ballot measures targeted directly at improvements in the region’s bus systems. One of them will also make a significant contribution to safe nonmotorized transportation. Both of them are decidedly worth your vote if you live in either jurisdiction. YES on Move Seattle. It would be tedious to recite every benefit that […]

A standing-room only crowd of 300 people turned up last night at the Mountaineers to testify before the County Council on the proposed University Link bus restructure. We and Transportation Choices Coalition live-tweeted the event, and you can read our threads here and here. (You can also follow the #Bus2Link hashtag). Councilmembers Dembowski, Gossett, and McDermott […]

This morning at the County Council’s committee meeting on the ULink Restructure (separate from tonight’s public hearing), Metro will respond to a question posed by Councilmember Dembowski: Does Metro have the capacity to enact the restructure and save routes such as the 43 and the 71? Metro’s response is a fascinating look into an agency struggling to […]

As we reported this morning, Tuesday night the King County Council TrEE Committee and chair Rod Dembowski will host the only public hearing outside of work hours on a proposed Metro transit restructure that could dramatically increase access to frequent transit service in Northeast Seattle and Capitol Hill. The restructure is a set of significant (and controversial) bus […]

Paying for transit will be easier and more flexible with an improved user experience when “ORCA2”, the second generation of the ORCA regional fare system, is planned to go live in 2019. Although ORCA has matured to become the most popular way to pay fares in Central Puget Sound since its launch in 2009, there […]

Tuesday evening at the Mountaineers (7700 Sand Point Way NE), the King County Council will hold a special meeting of its Transportation, Economy, and Environment (TrEE) Committee. While the public will have had 4 other opportunities to comment at the regular committee meetings (9:30am every other […]

This November’s election is big, with the entire Seattle City Council up for election and at least four incumbents out, and Move Seattle and Community Transit Now on the ballot. This Monday, October 5, is the deadline to register to vote or change your voter registration address. You can register or change your address online, […]

At a recent county council meeting where the proposed Metro route restructure was discussed, Councilmember Larry Gossett suggested that Sound Transit accept Metro paper transfers, due to the hardship current Metro cash payers would suffer having to pay twice when they transfer to Link. This would be a huge step backwards in the efforts of […]

Following up on yesterday’s ridership report, here are three charts to file in the back of your head the next time you hear an ostensibly pro-transit voice arguing that scalable transit investments “could be done better and more cheaply with buses.” The first chart shows that if Link were its own transit agency, it would […]

SDOT paints West Seattle Bridge bus lanes red, cites statistics on improved compliance elsewhere. Are developers paying their fair share? “new construction now accounts for 25 percent of the city’s sales-tax revenue.” ($) Expedia move slips from 2018 to 2019, various commuter incentives in play. ST Board approves limited permit parking at 10 lots. Developer […]

Sorry folks, been busy and this was late. July’s Link Weekday/Saturday/Sunday average boardings were 40,442 / 32,873 / 26,375, growth of 8.3%, -3.9%, and -2.8% respectively over July 2014. Sounder’s weekday boardings were up 15.3% with ridership increasing on both lines. Tacoma Link’s weekday ridership increased 2.3%. Weekday ST Express ridership was up 4.7%. System wide […]

Is the Move Seattle transportation levy a smart investment of property-tax dollars? That was the question at Seattle Speaks, a community forum televised live on Seattle Channel from Town Hall on Tuesday night. The $930 million levy has been touted by city leaders as the key to a safe, interconnected, affordable and innovative city. But […]

Apologies for the short notice, but tonight (September 30) at 5:30 is your last chance to testify before the City Council on the HALA Grand Bargain and the Council’s related workplan. The Council’s Select Committee on Housing Affordability will hear public comment on the proposed Affordable Housing Impact Mitigation Program (aka the Commercial Linkage Fee). After tonight, the […]

With the proposed U-link restructures headed for council this week, I recorded a podcast with Zach and David to talk about the restructure, the history, and what will change when U-link opens next year. We tried to give a good overview of the changes, some of the challenges (both technical and political) and the […]