Update Dec. 3: Metro is holding a public hearing on bus service on Thursday, Dec. 5, at North Seattle Community College:
You can learn more about why service must be cut and how you may be affected at a public meeting at North Seattle Community College this week. We’re also inviting you to help us understand the affects these cuts will have on you.
Public meeting in North Seattle
Thursday, Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m.
North Seattle Community College
9600 College Way N., Seattle – C1161 and North Star rooms
Update: The Seattle Times today posted a poll on how to fund transit. Click here.
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As 2013 enters its final month, there is still no agreement on how to avoid serious cuts to Metro transit service next year, including the elimination of several routes that serve Maple Leaf.
As our news partner The Seattle Times explains: “In all, 74 of the 214 routes would be deleted, while other buses become more crowded or run less often.” Click here for the full list of proposed changes.
Lawmakers in Olympia, who left town after a special session earlier this month without acting on a transportation package, are still discussing a hike in the state gas tax – and part of that deal could give Metro, a part of King County government, additional taxing authority.
Meanwhile, King County is considering asking voters to approve higher sales taxes and car-tab fees if the Legislature doesn’t act.
And if legislators AND voters say “no?” Here’s our analysis:
Route 41: Quick bus downtown from the Northgate Transit Center. No change in frequency but service would stop an hour earlier (Now 1 a.m. Proposed midnight.)
Route 77: Commute hour bus downtown that runs along 15th Avenue Northeast. No changes.
Route 66 Express: From Northgate Transit Center along 5th Avenue Northeast, Roosevelt Way Northeast and downtown via Eastlake. Deleted entirely. Recommendation – take the 70 or 73
Route 67: From Northgate Transit Center along 5th Ave N.E. Deleted entirely. Recommendation – take the 73
Route 68: From Northgate Transit Center, along Roosevelt, along 25th Avenue Northeast to University Village, to UW. Deleted entirely. Recommendations – in Maple Leaf and Roosevelt, take the 73. In Ravenna along 25th Avenue Northeast, use 372 express.
Route 73: Along 15th Ave. N.E. From North Seattle through Maple Leaf, along the Ave into the University District and downtown either on the freeway or via Eastlake (depending on time of day). Revised. New route essentially replaces 66X, 67, 68, 71 and 72) and goes from Northgate Transit Center through Maple Leaf on ROOSEVELT (not 15th). Recommendations to get to North Seattle, north of Northgate Transit Center: Take the 77 during commute hours, or the 347 and 348.
We’re not transit experts, so if you have recommendations or remarks, please use the comment section to let us know.
The article misses the bus reductions that serve the east side of Maple Leaf. The 306 disappears, and everything else that serves that side of ML from Lake City Way gets cut back.
That was satire in case you missed it.
Didn`t McGinn just put in a whole boatload of bicycle lanes for you green commuters?
#14 An Observer:
It is about negative $100 million over budget and about negative 6 months behind schedule. Source.
Or are you curious about the other line, which is about 4 years ahead of its planned opening date?
As to your question about the 2006 promise, this should answer most of your questions.
Not really sure what that has to do with rail. Of the 9.5% sales tax rate, only 0.9% goes to Sound Transit, and part of that money goes towards building and operating their other modes of transportation–bus and heavy rail.
@Thomas Paine, I go to Snohomish pretty regularly, that town has no decent nightlife, very few decent restaurants, no music or arts scene, and you will use a 1/4 take of gas and spend an hour+ commuting to work. What on earth could look better to you there? If you work in Seattle the money saved in taxes and house prices will get used up in commuting time and expense and you won’t have fun living there.
I like everything about the 73 proposal except the change to Roosevelt. That adds another 5 blocks to my already 5 block walk to catch it from 20th Ave NE. I like it more frequent and running later, I pretty much always have to cab/Uber it home after a night out at bars and clubs because our bus service ends so early.
Snohomish County is looking better all the time. From there I can watch the Democrats and unions fight over the last scraps of un-stolen money…just like in Detroit.
And that rail system is how many Billion$ over budget? And how many years behind schedule?
They sold it as being to Northgate by 2006, if I recall, and at a third of it’s actual cost. When does poor forecasting morph to actual lying?
I’m going broke paying for poor governance. The value just isn’t there.
Sales tax is near ten cents on the dollar now.
Via 12th
Reading Tim’s link in post #4, it says the Northbound 73 leaves 15th NE at Ravenna, then goes North on Roosevelt to Northgate.
Since Roosevelt is one-way Southbound below NE 75th, how does the bus drive North?
Really?!??? No buses at all on 5th Ave NE????
I would not vote for the Plan B for funding for sure. Our family has 5 cars (I know but the kids cars are only worth a few hundred dollars) and an $80 fee per car would be painful, and a sales tax increase on top of that Ouch! I don’t mind helping out but that is too much.
I’m sure the Teamsters could give you an answer if they represented Metro drivers.
If we got rid of unionized bus drivers, and hired non-union drivers, we could run all of the existing routes at much lower costs. Why should people have to walk, or pay higher taxes, just to enrich the Teamsters Union?
The County Council, to whom you’d still report to if you moved into Shoreline or even the eastside.
Oh, don’t get me started! I just paid for my car tabs AND the tax that was added ($20) that was done by the City Council WITHOUT a vote of the people.
I see more and more bike lanes, squeezing out buses and cars and who pays for that? We do!
This is the way they raise taxes…take the money to give to special interest groups and then ‘stick it’ to those who have vehicles or rely on the bus.
And the bike lanes continue with ‘no problem’ of funding. This state is ridiculous and King County more so. Cannot wait to move out and into Shoreline or even the eastside.
Current 73 runs every 30 minutes, or every 60 at night and on Sundays. The “new” 73 would run every 8-10 minutes and 12-15 on nights/Sundays.
Weekdays 66+67 combined have about 15 minute headways, and 68 is 30 minute. So buses would come about as often.
Not the best plan, but if there’s no money I don’t know what else Metro can do. I think it’s a bit of a blessing in disguise; it would tremendously simplify NE Seattle to UW routing. Right now, if you’re traveling between Maple Leaf and UW, you have your choice of four routes which stop in three different places.
http://seattletransitblog.com/2013/11/08/a-closer-look-at-metros-cuts-seattle-and-north-king-county/#nesea
The proposal for the 73 involves running buses every 8 minutes throughout the day to handle the 66/67/68 riders. Night service also runs more often and later in to the night. See:
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/am/future/PDFs/changes/route-073.pdf
Metro seems to have put a lot of thought in to making a proposal that makes the most efficient use out of limited funding, but I hope the funding issues are addressed soon.
The legislators could care less about us. We fight over cheap junk on Black Friday but we wont stand up and show them we are fed up with them. Complacency at its best.
You have GOT to be kidding me. The 66, 67, and 68 are all already standing room only by the time they get to the UW campus. If all three of these are eliminated how are they ever going to move all of those people south using only the 73? This is a ridiculous “solution.” I’d like the legislators to have to commute to work on any of those routes as they are now for a week and then follow the recommendation to “take the 73.”