Sept. 5, 2006
Sims praises council for sending “Transit Now” to fall ballot
King County Executive Ron Sims commended the King County Council for its bipartisan action today in putting before voters an initiative that would provide more transportation choices. Voters will be able to vote in November on this initiative that will bring rapid transit to five critical corridors, run buses more frequently throughout King County and create innovative partnerships with cities and area employers to better serve the area’s major employment centers.
“I’d like to thank the council, especially councilmember Julia Patterson for her leadership and work in moving this critically important public transportation measure forward,” Sims said. “Given the overwhelmingly positive public feedback we received on Transit Now, it is clear thousands of residents want Metro to offer more choices and more frequent all-day service to King County neighborhoods right away – not years from now.”
Sims also praised councilmembers Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert for their support to ensure the transit needs of the Bellevue/Redmond/Overlake corridor – one of the most rapidly growing employment centers in the county – will be addressed, as well as County Council Chair Larry Phillips for his strong advocacy on behalf of Seattle neighborhoods. “Today’s action also strikes a balance in meeting the transit needs of both urban and suburban areas, which will benefit riders countywide,” said Sims.”
The proposal identifies Northeast 8th Street and 156th Avenue Northeast as one of five new Bus Rapid Transit, or “RapidRide” corridors. The plan also calls for a network of all-day, 15-minute service routes connecting most business and residential centers within the central Eastside area. The plan would also provide new commuter and all-day service in rapidly growing areas currently underserved, such as Sammamish, Issaquah, Maple Valley and Covington.
The Transit Now measure will expand Metro service by as much as 20 percent, creating as many as 21 million new annual bus rides within the next ten years. This expansion will carry a broad range of riders, including commuters, seniors, people with disabilities who need paratransit services and those who rely on carpools and vanpools to get to work. With the level of expansion proposed in Transit Now, more than a half million people would be within walking distance of improved service. Strategies used to implement the new countywide service would include:
- Bringing Bus Rapid Transit to five of the most congested travel corridors in Seattle, East and South King County with buses running every 10 minutes much of the day. Service in these “RapidRide” corridors could take thousands of motorists off the road to ease the impacts of upcoming state highway construction planned for the region.
- Running buses more frequently – typically every 15 minutes – and running more hours of the day on selected high-ridership routes, cutting the wait time for thousands of passengers.
- Adding new service to better serve residents in rapidly growing neighborhoods.
- Creating innovative partnerships with cities and major employers, such as Microsoft, Children’s Hospital and the cities of Bellevue, Auburn and Seattle. These partnerships would target transit investments to maximize ridership and better serve expanding employment centers.
If voters approve the measure in November, it will cost the average family household an estimated $25 annually. The revenue would be generated by a 1/10th of one percent sales tax increase.
Since unveiling the Transit Now proposal in April, the county has heard from more than 5,000 people. Comments were gathered from 20,000 mailers and over 90 meetings where county staff met face-to-face with approximately 800 stakeholders. The majority of residents told the county they support the measure with nearly 80 percent of those contacted as part of a Metro survey saying they support more service in growing residential neighborhoods and all-day service in areas where there is the potential for high ridership.
As part of the King County Council’s review, a total of six public hearings were held – four by the Transportation Committee and two by the Operating and Budget Committee. Those hearings generated significant additional public comment, with the vast majority of those testifying supportive of Transit Now.
“People everywhere want more Transit. This gives it to them. I believe voters will give their support to Transit Now this fall because it will deliver what they tell us they need in order to travel more easily and conveniently – whether it be to school, a sporting event or to work,” Sims said. “With these transit improvements we will also have the opportunity to put the necessary services in place to carry us through the next decade, as major construction on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Interstate 405, State Route 520 and the arrival of light rail require us to deliver an unprecedented level of support to keep people moving.”
If Transit Now passes this fall, Metro plans to begin adding new service beginning February 2007. It will also develop contingency measures that will allow it to fast-track the acquisition of new buses, including a new fleet of hybrid-electric coaches.