Mastodon Transit Authority

Tom Fucoloro<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/10/08/the-shovels-are-in-the-dirt-so-eastlake-bike-lanes-are-really-happening/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The shovels are in the dirt, so Eastlake bike lanes are really happening</a><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4800.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>These elected and agency leaders will be building the Eastlake bike lanes by hand.Seattle leadership across three mayors have supported building bike lanes on Eastlake Ave as part of the RapidRide J project, but you just never know what might happen before the shovels hit the dirt.Well, the shovels are officially in the dirt now, and at the groundbreaking celebration today (October 8) Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell touted “3.7 miles of protected bike lanes” among the project’s benefits. “It embodies our administration’s commitment to transportation safety and sustainable transportation options.”In addition to protected bike lanes on Eastlake Ave, one of the most sought-after bike network improvements in the city, the project also includes a protected bike lane up 11th Avenue NE to connect to the under-construction bike lanes as part of the <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/maintenance-and-paving/current-paving-projects/11th-and-12th-ave-ne-paving-project" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">11th/12th Ave NE paving project</a>. Once the RapidRide J bike lanes are complete, There will be a connected all ages and abilities bike route from the downtown bike network to Roosevelt Station via Eastlake and the U District. It will also complete a new Lake Union Loop bike route, which will surely become popular. More importantly, it will cut about a mile (or 10 minutes) out of the bike journey between the city center and the University of Washington compared to routing over to the Fremont Bridge as many people do today. But the most important project goal is to prevent injuries and deaths by addressing some persistent danger spots for people who bike on this much shorter and faster route despite its lack of a bike lane. <a href="https://seattle.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=017c12065c8a712b3b9f4e4c7&id=b7dc217d89&e=9a14600390" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">An extensive study into bike route options in the area (PDF)</a> found that from 2012 through 2017, there were 39 collision reports involving people biking, and 95% of those resulted in injuries to the person biking. 8% of the collisions resulted in serious injuries. Though there were no deaths during the study period, there was a fatality on this route a few years prior (<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bicyclists-honor-a-fallen-friend/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">RIP Bryce Lewis</a>).The clear need for a safer route here seemed to be a guiding principle for this project from <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2015/12/07/its-well-past-time-to-build-safe-bike-lanes-on-eastlake-ave/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the very start of planning back in 2015</a>. Though the city did respond to backlash by conducting a ridiculously extensive study of the options, the data confirmed that Eastlake bike lanes were the best way to improve safety and create a usable and connected bike route. At no point did SDOT or any of the mayors signal that they were leaning against these bike lanes. They deserve credit for standing behind SDOT staff and our safe streets goals despite sometimes heated opposition (though perhaps it helped that <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/08/31/eastlake-community-council-ousts-40-of-their-board-members-for-supporting-a-bike-lanes-and-transit-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">some opponents made such fools of themselves</a> at times). You can follow <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/rapidride-j/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the full history of this project</a> through the Seattle Bike Blog archives.It took a lot of advocacy to get this point, with Cascade Bicycle Club leading calls for Eastlake bike lanes for well more than a decade and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organizing on the ground in recent years (Editor’s Note: I updated the post to recognize SNG’s work). It also took countless cumulative hours from hundreds or maybe thousands of people like you all who attended so many public meetings and filled out so many online surveys. Some folks in Eastlake even volunteered for their Community Council in hopes of working within that structure to support these bike lanes and transit improvements. Congratulations to all of you, even those of you who feel like your efforts didn’t work. Because look, they did.#SEAbikes #Seattle

Tom Fucoloro<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/08/20/seattle-decided-9-years-ago-to-kill-the-slu-streetcar/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle decided 9 years ago to kill the SLU Streetcar</a><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/rsc-vs-brt.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>These tables were <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SDOT_Roosevelt_HCT_OpenHouse_Boards_FINAL.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">part of the city’s process in 2015</a> to decide whether the high capacity transit line on Eastlake and Roosevelt should be a rapid streetcar (RSC) or bus rapid transit (BRT).The South Lake Union Streetcar broke down Friday, August 9, and nobody even noticed until King County Metro and SDOT sent out <a href="https://kingcountymetro.blog/2024/08/13/south-lake-union-streetcar-service-suspended-while-crews-address-power-issues/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a press release</a> about it the next Monday. Like, I searched through social media posts and could not find a single person mentioning issues riding the streetcar line the entire weekend that it was out of operation. Perhaps even more damning for the line is that Metro and SDOT are not even running any kind of replacement service while the streetcar is out of commission, noting that riders are served by existing service on Routes 40, 70 and RapidRide C. The thing that baffles me about this line is that people keep acting like the city needs to decide what to do with it when Seattle already made this decision nine years ago. The RapidRide J project was initially proposed as an extension of the streetcar from its odd terminus in the middle of Fairview Ave N north to Roosevelt Station, but Seattle decided in 2015 to make the project a bus line instead. The ongoing <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/transit-program/transit-plus-multimodal-corridor-program/route-40---transit-plus" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Route 40 Transit-Plus project</a> was also once vaguely envisioned as a streetcar line (complete with a new Ship Canal crossing), but is now a set of bus reliability improvements. The time to fight for the streetcar happened a decade ago, and the streetcar lost. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/priority-corridors-2012-vs-2016.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The streetcar lines from the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/31367ata.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2012 Seattle Transit Master Plan (PDF)</a> are missing in the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TMP2016CH32.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2016 TMP update (PDF)</a>.Around the same time, SDOT made a smart decision to add transit-only lanes to Westlake Ave so Metro could extend the RapidRide C line through South Lake Union along much of the streetcar route. It was an effective and low-cost way to dramatically improve transit service in the neighborhood, but it also made the streetcar even less necessary. Many riders using the shared bus and streetcar stops just hop on whichever comes first because level of service matters far more than what kind of wheels the transit vehicle has.These days, the SLU Streetcar carries an average of 494 weekday trips, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/south-lake-union-streetcars-shut-down-for-many-weeks/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the Seattle Times reported</a>. It costs $4.6 million per year to operate, though advertising helps offset some of that. That operating cost would be fine if the ridership were strong because transit shouldn’t be expected to make a profit. But 494 weekday rides does not justify that level of ongoing investment. For contrast, the First Hill Streetcar carries a healthier 3,598 trips on an average weekday, though it also has higher annual operating costs. The First Hill line seems to be filling an actual transportation need while the SLU line does not.Keeping the SLU line alive is a classic case of Seattle indecision. It’s connected to the city’s years of indecision about the downtown streetcar project, which remains stalled due to a $93 million budget gap. Worse, indecision like this can be very damaging to a community because streetcar supporters have reason to keep fighting for it so long as it seems that there’s still a chance. I don’t blame them because the vision of a European-style network of streetcars is genuinely appealing and seems like a vision worth fighting for. But even if the city built the downtown streetcar, there are no plans whatsoever to expand the network any further. We’d still just have one oddly-shaped line for the foreseeable future. The <s>20-year Seattle Transportation Plan and</s> 8-year levy proposal does not include any additional streetcars. (CORRECTION: As David commented, I missed that the STP does include streetcar extensions north and south on 1st Ave beyond the current design.) These are decisions Seattle has already made.The streetcar needs to go big or go home, and Seattle has firmly decided not to go big. Shutting the line down is not an easy decision. There will be costs associated with shuttering it, especially if they do so responsibly by removing or filling in the unused tracks so they do not injure bike and scooter riders. It would also be a shame if the mayor and council used the budget savings to plug the general budget gap rather than investing it in other transit improvements or plans. When the mayor decided to shut down Pronto Cycle Share, the city directed the bike share expansion budget to go to bike lanes on 4th Ave and Pike and Pine Streets downtown instead. Those investments softened the blow of losing our public bike share system, which coincidentally <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2016/02/04/pronto-needs-city-buyout-before-end-of-march-how-did-we-get-here/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">was also a victim of Seattle indecision</a>. Maybe the SLU Streetcar funds could go to exciting projects to speed up the Route 8 bus or early planning for Seattle-led light rail extensions, laying the groundwork for investments the city can feature in the next Seattle Transportation Benefits District vote due in 2026. I don’t know, I’m sure transit planners and advocates have ideas here. There needs to be some kind of organized effort to create a positive exit plan for the funds because this latest shutdown has made the SLU Streetcar an even bigger target for the City Council as they head into what will likely be a very tough budget season. “Given the low ridership numbers of the South Lake Union line, does it make sense to continue that investment?” Transportation Committee Chair Rob Saka <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/should-seattle-keep-funding-the-lightly-used-south-lake-union-streetcar/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">said to the Seattle Times last week</a>. “I don’t have a strong answer yet, but I will definitively be scrutinizing that.”Perhaps a private company would want to buy the SLU streetcar. Councilmember Saka suggested a “public-private partnership” as a possible way forward. A private company already owns and operates the Seattle Monorail, so maybe there’s a future where something similar happens with the streetcar. Amazon has invested in the streetcar line in the past. Do they like it enough to buy it? Do they want to invest in the downtown extension? Do we as a city even want this level of private transit ownership?My support for the streetcars evaporated after <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2019/08/12/four-years-later-city-settles-with-man-terribly-injured-following-streetcar-track-crash/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Daniel Ahrendt was horribly injured</a> and <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2016/06/21/memorial-walk-for-desiree-mccloud-highlights-her-life-puts-streetcar-lines-under-scrutiny/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Desiree McCloud died</a> in separate crashes on the First Hill Streetcar tracks. The city has made some bikeway improvements since to mitigate some of the dangers, but especially on Jackson Street many issues remain. The design plans for the streetcar tracks on both First Avenue and Stewart Street <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2016/06/23/downtown-streetcar-plans-would-make-1st-ave-stewart-more-dangerous-for-biking/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">are also insufficient from a bike safety standpoint</a>. I wrote extensively about what it would take to make the plans safe, and the project team did not address the issues. I won’t be sad when the city finally declares the project to be dead. I know reading this is probably a bummer for some of you. It’s a divisive issue among folks who should otherwise be united in the fight for walking, biking and transit. If the SLU Streetcar and downtown plans die as seems likely, I hope streetcar supporters out there can find a positive way to move forward and continue their dedication to advocating for better transit in our city. Share <ul><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/08/20/seattle-decided-9-years-ago-to-kill-the-slu-streetcar/?share=mastodon" target="_blank">Mastodon</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/08/20/seattle-decided-9-years-ago-to-kill-the-slu-streetcar/?share=twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/08/20/seattle-decided-9-years-ago-to-kill-the-slu-streetcar/?share=facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/08/20/seattle-decided-9-years-ago-to-kill-the-slu-streetcar/?share=reddit" target="_blank">Reddit</a></li><li>Email</li><li></li></ul> #SEAbikes #Seattle

Tom Fucoloro<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/01/30/mayor-sen-murray-celebrate-full-funding-for-rapidride-j-and-eastlake-bike-lanes/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mayor, Sen. Murray celebrate full funding for RapidRide J and Eastlake bike lanes</a><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53496091903_bb0c63ed08_o.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Photo from SDOT.If there were any concerns that <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/08/31/eastlake-community-council-ousts-40-of-their-board-members-for-supporting-a-bike-lanes-and-transit-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a controversial push</a> to kill the planned protected bike lanes on Eastlake Ave might succeed, Senator Patty Murray and Mayor Bruce Harrell just put that idea to bed for good.“When we’re done here, we will new and upgraded stations, miles of new transit-only lanes, as well as new protected bike lanes, which will all help connect the U District with Eastlake and South Lake Union neighborhoods all the way to downtown,” said Senator Murray during a press event Friday. “And when we’re done, this won’t just mean fewer cars on the road and less time spent in traffic, it is also going to help us lower greenhouse emissions while creating 250 jobs.”Construction is scheduled to start “as soon as” this year. Bus service should begin in 2027, though the bike lanes will hopefully be operational before then. A more detailed construction schedule is not yet available. The joint press conference between Seattle and federal officials celebrated the $64.2 million in Federal Transit Administration funds that will go to the project, which will also replace a water main under Eastlake Ave and repave roadways. The budget for everything, including the water main and King County Metro station services, is about $167 million from seven sources, <a href="https://harrell.seattle.gov/2024/01/26/seattle-receives-64-2-million-in-federal-funds-for-rapidride-j-project/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to the Mayor’s Office</a>: “$64.2 million from the FTA Small Starts Grant and an additional $9.6 million from the Federal Highway Administration. In addition to the federal funding, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the University of Washington will each contribute $6 million to the project. The City will provide $43 million, mostly from the Levy to Move Seattle. Seattle Public Utilities also plans to invest an additional $28 million to build a new water main, which will be completed at the same time but is considered a separate project. In addition to providing daily bus service, Metro is contributing over $10 million toward station amenities and staff resources.” <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2015vs2024.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Since its inception, the RapidRide J project both shrunk in length and ballooned in scope. While it was once envisioned as a rapid bus line from downtown to Northgate Station, the northern terminus was cut back to U District Station as costs came into focus. But the scope of work, including the water main and roadway rebuild work, dramatically increased the full project cost. Cost increases like these (as well as the RapidRide G project on E Madison Street) threw a wrench in Seattle’s plans for build so-called “multimodal corridor” projects in nearly every neighborhood using funds from the 2015 Move Seattle Levy. The project has also been heavily delayed. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2015/12/07/its-well-past-time-to-build-safe-bike-lanes-on-eastlake-ave/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Our first story</a> about the project (known then as the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/roosevelt-to-downtown-hct/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Roosevelt to Downtown High Capacity Transit project</a>) was published nine years ago, and the target opening was 2021. A 2017 cost estimate pegged the downtown to 45th Street segment at $42.4 million in 2016 dollars, but did not include the pricey water main or roadway rebuild work. By 2017, the project was trimmed back to only reach Roosevelt Station and was estimated to cost $70 million. In 2019, the cost estimate had increased to $85.7 million, and the team added the roadway rebuild work for another $29.8 million just for Eastlake Ave. They were still targeting a 2024 completion and service start as recently as 2019. In 2020, the city officially cut the length back to its current scope and started a years-long environmental review and final design process, all of which was made more difficult due to the pandemic. By the end of all that, the project emerged in its current state with construction slated to begin this year and open for service in 2027.Though the negatives of “scope creep” are clear, including increased costs and delays, there are also benefits. If water main and road rebuilding work are needed anyway, it makes sense to do that work at the same time as the transit and bike project so that crews don’t need to tear up the same street twice. But if Seattle wants to reach its transit and bike route improvement goals, the city needs to find ways to do so on a faster timeline and lower budget. Deciding when to go for the all-out rebuild versus targeted discrete improvements is difficult. The city cannot afford to use the RapidRide J/G method on every street. The next transportation levy will need to do a better job accounting for all these costs while also helping the city decide where faster and lower-cost options are more appropriate.Video of the press event:#SEAbikes #Seattle

Tom FucoloroSDOT finalizes RapidRide J design with complete Eastlake bike lanes, plans to begin construction in summer 2024<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/10/27/sdot-finalizes-rapidride-j-design-with-complete-eastlake-bike-lanes-plans-to-begin-construction-in-summer-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/10/27/sdot-finalizes-rapidride-j-design-with-complete-eastlake-bike-lanes-plans-to-begin-construction-in-summer-2024/</a>#SEAbikes #Seattle

Tom FucoloroEastlake Community Council ousts 40% of their board members for supporting a bike lanes and transit projecthttps://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/08/31/eastlake-community-council-ousts-40-of-their-board-members-for-supporting-a-bike-lanes-and-transit-project/<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/detra-segar/" target="_blank">#detra-segar</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/eastlake/" target="_blank">#eastlake</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/eastlake-community-council/" target="_blank">#eastlake-community-council</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/rapidride-j/" target="_blank">#rapidride-j</a>

Tom FucoloroEastlake group is trying to kill RapidRide J (which includes bike lanes)I’m […] Share <ul><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/07/25/eastlake-group-is-trying-to-kill-rapidride-j-which-includes-bike-lanes/?share=mastodon" target="_blank">Mastodon</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/07/25/eastlake-group-is-trying-to-kill-rapidride-j-which-includes-bike-lanes/?share=twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/07/25/eastlake-group-is-trying-to-kill-rapidride-j-which-includes-bike-lanes/?share=facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/07/25/eastlake-group-is-trying-to-kill-rapidride-j-which-includes-bike-lanes/?share=reddit" target="_blank">Reddit</a></li><li>Email</li><li></li></ul> <a href="https://wp.me/pYeSb-27wv" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://wp.me/pYeSb-27wv</a><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/eastlake/" target="_blank">#eastlake</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/rapidride-j/" target="_blank">#rapidride-j</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/sara-nelson/" target="_blank">#sara-nelson</a>

Tom FucoloroYet another Eastlake Ave survey confirms: Build safe bike lanes!SDOT released the results of autumn community outreach about Eastlake Avenue bike lane design options, and the results were once again very clear: People strongly favor safe bike lanes on this vital connection between the University Bridge and South Lake […]<a href="https://wp.me/pYeSb-26TE" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://wp.me/pYeSb-26TE</a><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/eastlake/" target="_blank">#eastlake</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/fairview-ave-n/" target="_blank">#fairview-ave-n</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/rapidride-j/" target="_blank">#rapidride-j</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-tag u-category" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/tag/sdot/" target="_blank">#sdot</a>

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