Metro proposals unveiled: Delridge-Junction Route 50 won’t happen

Metro has just unveiled a slate of proposed route changes, mostly related to the impending opening of the light-rail line: Southwest changes are listed here (including rerouting the south end of 128, which travels through West Seattle/White Center) – but we noticed one big thing missing: The proposed Route 50, which generated some West Seattle excitement because it would have included a leg taking bus riders directly between North Delridge and The Junction, is no longer under consideration. That’s “because of costs,” Metro spokesperson Linda Thielke tells WSB; she also noted that the proposal generated mixed feedback during the public-comment period. Its Southeast Seattle leg had been linked to some changes that were generating concern in that area, according to what Metro reps told the North Delridge Neighborhood Council two months ago (WSB coverage here). The next step for all the changes proposed today is a County Council committee public hearing next Tuesday night (info here) and then a vote in May. (If you want to see what’s being proposed for southeast Seattle, here’s the direct link to those details.)

13 Replies to "Metro proposals unveiled: Delridge-Junction Route 50 won't happen"

  • chas redmond April 17, 2009 (11:08 am)

    I can understand the concern over costs since Metro will be running a shortfall soon. I am also sensitive to the concerns the folks in the Rainier Valley expressed about the reduced service which would have occurred in some neighborhoods. I’m much more concerned, though, in the continuing fragmentation which Metro does to West Seattle by its route structure. Metro has not addressed the nearly decade-long cry for a West Seattle circulator bus or buses and continues to assume everyone has a single destination – Downtown. I would like to see an open and elected board of directors for our transportation agencies. Agencies which operate under management of existing councils with no public representation rarely actually serve their public well.

  • JW April 17, 2009 (3:11 pm)

    SO THEY ARE JUST GOING TO DO AWAY WITH THE 128 THAT GOES FROM WEST SEATTLE TO SOUTH CENTER ??????

  • WSB April 17, 2009 (3:13 pm)

    No – it’s just changing its route at the south end to go to a different Tukwila stop. I’ll look and see if I can find the proposed route … TR

  • 56bricks April 17, 2009 (3:47 pm)

    It’s unfortunate the #50 didn’t make the cut. It would have been very helpful for Veterans going to the VA hospital. Especially the disabled.

  • Carole April 17, 2009 (5:42 pm)

    The Tukwila light rail station is a good couple miles west of Southcenter, certainly not walkable, what with all the freeway interchanges to get past. Will they run shuttles to Southcenter? Who designs a transit system that completely not just bypasses a major destination point but actually turns away as it approaches? What a missed opportunity for employees and shoppers who could have used a closer stop, a flyover pedestrian bridge, etc.

  • Amy April 17, 2009 (7:02 pm)

    Honestly, while I have a large number of thoughts on more/better routes that would better serve WS, my primary concern is reliability.

    If I could actually count on Metro to simply SHOW UP when scheduled, or within a reasonable time thereof, I’d take the bus every day.

    The last three times I’ve taken the bus to/from work were as follows:

    1. SODO to WS: 3 buses didn’t show up for the route I needed. After waiting over an hour I finally took a series of different buses that got me home – 2.5 hours late.

    2. WS to SODO: This one I cut some slack because it was a “snow” day – though the roads were 100% clear. Even side streets. I waited 2 hours in the cold for a 22 that simply decided to re-route and skip an entire street – the one street on its route that was clear and dry. I watched the bus go past from 2 blocks away and there wasn’t a thing I could do. I’m sure they had some big excuse about the snow, but again the roads were clear. Completely. Only the sidewalks were bad.

    3. Last week SODO to WS: The bus is supposed to leave my stop at the :36 and :06. I got outside at :30 and when :45 rolled around I assumed the bus had been early, so I’d wait for the :06. Not a big deal. At :02 a bus went by, empty, with the “TO TERMINAL” sign up, and didn’t even slow down. I can only assume this was my bus, and that the driver decided to knock off early when his bus emptied out. Of the 3 other routes that should come by there, I saw 4 buses (2 each for 2 routes) go by in the hour I waited. In other words, fully 50% of the buses just failed to show up. It was sunny and clear that day, and no weird detours on the roadways, and no games. Tons of people were waiting along with me.

    If Metro could simply commit to showing the hell up when they’re supposed to, even 90% of the time, they’d have a whole lot more riders.

  • Out for a walk... April 17, 2009 (11:52 pm)

    Thank you Amy for sharing. I hope Metro (and the Mayor and King County Executive and who ever else is in charge?) sees this and your comments. Reliability is crucial and Metro won’t get dedicated, committed riders until they can demonstrate they are reliable.

  • Mike D. April 18, 2009 (7:44 am)

    This is really to bad, it would have been a really good route for those in North Delridge and Pigeon Point who want to go to the Junction, SODO or Columbia City. Fingers crossed that some kind of improved East/West Metro service is forthcoming when the revenue situation improves.

  • Al April 18, 2009 (8:22 am)

    It looks like the 140 will be in place to serve the Tukwila light rail station to Southcenter Blvd. But it’s once every 30 minutes, so if you miss it, you’ve got a looooong wait.

  • Bob April 18, 2009 (9:24 am)

    From the P-I: “Meanwhile, on-time performance has declined, dipping to a 12-month average of 74 percent in early 2007, the latest period for which Metro provided …”

    “On time” here means, I believe, “not more than 5 minutes late,” which thereby counts as “on time” many buses that actually do miss connecting routes. Of course it’s an average, and on some routes it’s pie in the sky for them to get close to that.

    In Metro’s book, connections are a happy accident if they happen even twice as often as they miss them.

    The County Council needs wake up and set sensible operating standards for Metro, such as a minimum of 90% on-time arrivals (not 5 minute late arrivals) on every route in the system, starting in 2010. If they can’t do it, fire the Metro director and try again.

  • homesweethome April 19, 2009 (1:52 pm)

    I think the point really ought to be thus: in a growing city, you cannot expect to use bus service as your main mass transit. It will not be reliable because it cannot be so setting a standard for reliability is a futile exercise. If county and city governments continue to use infill development i.e. more people, then clearly taxes must transit improvements. If it isn’t covered, well then the current mess is what you get.

  • Michael April 20, 2009 (12:47 pm)

    I think people really didn’t like the “North Delridge-Junction” route because it was really Columbia City-Delridge, and considering we’ve had some incidents involving, um, youth from those areas, it might not have been the best idea.
    .
    How about North Delridge-Junction-Downtown instead? Anyone float that idea?
    .
    And agreed, anyone who thinks the bus should be a great replacement for the real mass transit the shortsighted populace here voted down forty years ago…well, they aren’t paying attention. For example, Bob’s idea simply can’t work unless we get all those meddling cars off the roads.
    .
    We could have had a monorail, on time and operable in the snow. But now, we fudged and the mayor stonewalled until it became too expensive.
    .
    Thank you, people of Seattle, for leaving us with a bus-only future.

  • Nants April 21, 2009 (2:52 pm)

    I’m sorry the bus between N. Delridge and the Alaska Junction won’t fly. I’d like to know more about the decision than just “cost.” That’s not very helpful to know if we should try a similar idea in the future.

    However, I’m not upset about it since we learned the bus would have rerouted and stranded other riders.

    We still need some transit solutions in West Seattle. But it seems rather hopeless right now.

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