Comments on: TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates – and more

By: westside bus rider

westside bus rider — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:40:43 +0000

use2ridebus–People who are unhappy always post more than people who are happy.

Sagafoo–try taking the 50 and transferring at SODO station. You never wait for more than a minute there for a train or bus.

All service changes have winners and losers. I personally like the changes and ride most buses in WS.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:30:16 +0000

The route 51 has nothing to do with Metro’s statistics. Routes that don’t go downtown were not counted.

By: Busboy

Busboy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:11:41 +0000

I like the changes. It is great that they eliminated Route 51. That dang bus went around and around every half-hour, almost empty. I may have seen a rider on it once or twice. What a waste of money that route was.

By: sagafoo

sagafoo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:29:25 +0000

also, how does an Increase in riders work out to Needing more money?? METRO does not care about its customers.

By: sagafoo

sagafoo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:27:13 +0000

I think metro is scamming everyone, especially west seattle. there was nothing wrong with the 55 route except it didnt run enough, maybe metro shouldnt waste so much money tearing down and rebuilding bus stops EVERy 4 or 5 years. How much did they waste on that?? also Metro needs to start listening to the DRIVERS and Customers. If you live in the ADMIRAL DISTRICT, it takes LONGER to get downtown now, than before Rancid Ride. oopps I mean Racket Ride…

By: use2ridebus

use2ridebus — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:48:38 +0000

I am with the “Metro did not count correctly” vote and want to point out that the Fourth Avenue Exit from the West Seattle Bridge is a great alternative to the Viaduct in getting downtown. Also, I would like to hear from the “new bus riders,” those who started riding when the Rapid Ride became an option. They are mentioned frequently by Metro but are a very quiet group.

By: dwar

dwar — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:12:40 +0000

Bruce N, — The sensors you refer to are not on all busses. Only a few have them. The data they produce is only a random sample of a few trips maniplated by Metro to reinforce their own inacurate agendas.

By: bokay

bokay — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:32:55 +0000

Bruce Nourish – how do the infrared sensors above most Metro bus doors accurately count people who have to temporarily deboard to let others off the packed buses, then reboard, then temporarily deboard again to let people off the packed buses, then reboard, then temporarily deboard, then reboard, etc., until they officially deboard to end their trip? Do the infrared sensors “accurately” count the person only once even though they’ve deboarded and reboarded during their one trip? Or does this help constitute the “surge in ridership”?

By: westside bus rider

westside bus rider — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:25:23 +0000

At the risk of getting lit up, I actually think that Metro’s numbers are accurate. Although Rapid Ride got off to a rough start, the service has evened out and the reliability is improving as the city does its part and the transit signal priority works. The all day frequency of RR has attracted many more riders in my experience. I also ride the 120 and 21 and they continue to have significantly more riders than a year ago.

The state’s recent numbers show that cars on the viaduct are down by almost 25%, with 25,000 less trips per day. That would back up the fact that many more of us are on the bus.

By: GrumpyRider

GrumpyRider — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:13:20 +0000

Hey, Bruce, I’m well aware that cutbacks in other routes have contributed to the unpleasant congestion of the C-line. Thank you for so kindly educating us troglodytes about “facts” and “data, however Metro has always stated that *part* of the problem was a sudden surge in new ridership — a point that I still and will always dispute. I also dispute your subjective take on the aforementioned facts and data that the service has improved; for me and others it most certainly has not.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:06:06 +0000

Also I’d like to point out that the facts and data that Metro keeps pointing to don’t match up to real world experiences. Data can be manipulated anyway you like.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:01:05 +0000

If you’d like to know who thinks your opinions or actual experiences with the change in service don’t matter Bruce Nourish writes for the Seattle Transit Blog and he doesn’t live in West Seattle. This is his bio:
Associate Editor Bruce Nourish grew up in rural England and suburban Phoenix, before discovering his love for cities and mass transit during two weekend visits to Portland and Seattle. His degree is in Physics, and he works as a Site Reliability Engineer at Google. Bruce’s posts focus on publishing and visualizing King County Metro’s data in order to discuss and advocate restructures of Seattle’s bus network to be more efficient, cost-effective and reliable. Bruce lives without a car in Belltown. He joined the blog in Summer 2011.

Commute: Bike or bus from Belltown to Fremont.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:49:37 +0000

Right – Mr. Nourish– we disagree I guess- but is name- calling necessary? Comment forums & Metro open houses are where people can at least try & have their voices – complaints- ideas- support-heard. Incontestable ???? As I said- just don’t agree .

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:37:13 +0000

I don’t think that Bruce rides the bus in West Seattle.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:26:23 +0000

Interesting that of the 18 routes at risk of having some level of service cut, 16 of them serve West Seattle, Shoreline, Vashon Island and/or Burien.