News Release

Release date: Sept. 19, 2001

Metro Transit to unveil initiatives to guide future transit service and investments

A series of transit initiatives designed to combat congestion and provide more travel options across the county will be unveiled tomorrow, as Metro Transit sets the stage for future transportation improvements over the next six years.

The initiatives will be previewed tomorrow, Sept. 20, during the Metropolitan King County Council's monthly Regional Transit Committee meeting at 3 p.m. in the council chambers, 10th floor, King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Seattle.

Looking to the next six years, Metro Transit is proposing transit improvements that continue to respond to shifts in population and employment growth in the county. The four initiatives focus on strategies to boost ridership during peak commute times, expand bus service on routes connecting major activity centers, effectively integrate and complement Sound Transit service, and address the unique transit needs of local communities.

"Combined, these initiatives will provide the foundation for solid service expansion and regional coordination aimed at balancing the many competing transit needs of communities throughout King County," Metro Transit Manager Rick Walsh said. "In the coming weeks, we will begin the process of fine-tuning these approaches by reaching out to others who have a stake in creating effective transit services that improve mobility."

For the past year, Metro has been considering a number of improvements to maximize alternatives to driving alone. Highlights of the four initiatives being proposed include the following:

Increasing peak-period market share

• Under this approach, 90,000 annual service hours, or 25 percent of hours available during the next six years, would be devoted to boosting ridership during weekday morning and afternoon commutes.
• Much of this new and expanded service would support better connections for commuters, especially to and from downtown Bellevue.
• In coordination with Sound Transit, additional 6,000 park-and-ride spaces would be added between 2002 and 2007. Much of this expansion would support continued ridership growth to the high-density downtown areas of Seattle and Bellevue.

Improving core bus services and initiating "Bus Rapid Transit"

• About 180,000 annual service hours, or 50 percent of available service growth, would be dedicated to improving Metro's core network of routes that offer all-day service throughout the week. This improvement is critical to support local and county-wide growth management efforts
• Many routes in these activity centers would see increased frequency; buses would run every 15 to 30 minutes to attract more riders.
• For the first time, Metro proposes to initiate a fully developed bus rapid transit (BRT) system in one of the county's most heavily traveled corridors. With BRT, passengers would experience dramatically enhanced improvements such as 10-minute, all-day transit service and signal prioritization for buses. Metro is proposing to implement one BRT starter line in 2005 to be selected from three candidate sites. The sites being explored include Aurora Avenue North, connecting Shoreline to downtown Seattle; Pacific Highway South and South 154th Street, serving Federal Way, Midway, SeaTac and Southcenter; and Northeast Eighth Street, 156th Avenue Northeast and State Route 520 connecting Bellevue, Overlake and downtown Redmond.

Integration with Sound Transit

• This initiative would complete Metro route restructuring to integrate its service with the regional bus and commuter rail service offered by Sound Transit.
• Two specific expansion efforts focusing on the State Route 522 corridor between Woodinville and north Seattle, and Sounder commuter rail service in the Green River Valley will require significant coordination.

Local Flexibility

• Recognizing the special transit needs of growing communities, Metro proposes to invest about 95,000 hours -- or 25 percent of new service hours to support local transit priorities. The design of these services would be determined together with stakeholders, business and local government leaders.

Tomorrow's Regional Transit Committee briefing will kick off the start of a comprehensive public outreach effort aimed at gathering public input that will help shape the future of transit service in King County.

Public meetings will be held from mid-October through Nov. 2 to provide riders and others an opportunity to share their views. Those comments will help shape recommendations that will be submitted to King County Executive Ron Sims late this year. A final package of proposed service improvements guiding transit agency improvements over the next six years will be transmitted to the King County Council this winter.

For more information, including a summary of the proposed initiatives and an online questionnaire:
Six-Year Transit Development Plan for 2002 to 2007

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