In advance of the West Seattle open houses later this month (listed on the WSB Events page and here) about RapidRide bus service starting in 2011, Metro has now posted more West Seattle-specific info on this page, including an online questionnaire for you to fill out before February 1st, asking which route alternative (map here) you’d prefer. (Hat tip to Seattle Transit Blog for pointing out the updated Metro page.)
Done. My concern is that this is the SAME route the 54x already takes (with the Fauntleroy route). If it takes the Fauntleroy route, it does not stop at 35th & Avalon, unless a new stop will be put in somewhere on Avalon (in front of the KFC? In front of the possible new constuction across from the 7-11?). Will the 54x route be discontinued so it’s the SAME route with less stops, more buses? And it looks like Metro does have the disclaimer up regarding looming viaduct issues – a good reason to attend any upcoming meetings for sure!
WHAT?! This service isn’t starting until 2011?! I guess I didn’t read that mailer closely enough.
Christopher…I saw that last night. My first thought was…a lot can happen in 3 years. And in the meantime….
2011? give me a stinkin’ break. I will be living in Hawaii by then..
2011??? And THIS is their “timely” response to the lack of mass transit? It’s a BUS for heaven’s sake!!!! Why would it take so long?
It’s the optimisim that traffic will even be moving in this city in 2011 that I appreicate !
As is typically the case with a questionnaire, I found it frustratingly limited in opportunities to elaborate. Will have to try and hit one of the open houses.
I’m curious why there are so many stops between the Morgan Junction and ferry terminal. Also wondering where a big new station would fit in the Junction… and what its “eye catching new style” might look like.
TeaLady, The timing is because if the routing is approved, California Avenue south of Alaska Junction needs work. They need to redo the foundation, build in fiber optic lines, build the bulb outs and begin to install the actual stations. KCMetro plans on having a final recommendation by the end of this year (2008) and then work with SDOT on the infrastructure issues. It seems like a long time but when you consider the street work and route issues (mitigation) which are required it’s not that out-of-line. It is apparently timed to begin service when the Viaduct will no longer be available to WS folks – which is in the 2011 timeframe.
It’s not at all clear, looking at the map on Metro’s website, why they’re asking our opinions about the routing between Alaska and Fauntleroy and 35th and Avalon.
The map indicates that the only stops on either side of the routing alternatives are Alaska Junction and 35th and Avalon. So…why does our opinion matter? If there’s no stops, then what matters is which of these is the fastest route, and which of these offers the best possibility for creating a dedicated bus lane. I would hope that Metro would have some data far more worthwhile than the public’s collective anecdotal evidence and opinion to figure that one out.
At this point, I might suggest that the fruitless gathering of opinion and the quintessential Seattle longing for “consensus” and “process” might have a tiny bit to do with the 2011 (if we’re lucky…) start date.
So it takes three years to buy some busses and figure out where to drive them around. Ooooo-kay. It is a REALLY good thing we don’t have a traffic problem now ;-)
Maybe it is a technology issue. They need the time to figure out how to generate the 1.21 gigawats required to get those busses airborne. “Where we’re going we don’t need roads!”
Let’s hope that once we finally get to 2011 they will have computer equipemnt that will actually work. Repeat after me now….”bus tunnel”.
AI, If you look at the proposed service map, it actually doesn’t take the same route as the 54X – the 54X comes entirely down Fauntleroy from the Morgan Junction. So I hope this doesn’t replace the 54X since those of us who live on/near Fauntleroy between Morgan and Alaska would have a bit of a trek for the bus.
So….all of these questions that are arising are exactly why going to the meetings about Rapid Ride is important….right, Chas?
What! This new service will go on Avalon Way westbound? Some Rapidride! They should not change the route westbound. I’m gonna go to this meeting.
Sue – Whoooops – my error! Ok, my concern is still that Metro not reduce other bus routes in the area when/if this route is added. I noticed the 2011 start date in other information. Sure, the entire viaduct may be closed by that date, but the work will begin sooner as I understand (2009??) so our traffic problems will get worse soon. They’ve already planted the “viaduct closure” notification boards for vehicles which means they are already planning for auto traffic. 2011 is too late.
Jan, absolutely correct – everyone should attend at least one of these three scheduled RapidRide meetings. The issue with going straight down Fauntleroy to the bridge or going down to 35th and Avalon is that there are bus connections on 35th which the routing down Fauntleroy to Avalon would miss – specifically the 21. But, please, attend at least one of these meetings.
Rapid Ride is a marketing concept that will be anything but rapid. I am sure that it has slick brochures and charts that make everyone feel good that “we are doing something”. We had a chance to move our transit above traffic and Grid Lock Greg killed it. Buses will be stuck in the same traffic as everyone else. When the viaduct gets torn down ( or falls down ) Seattle traffic will come to a standstill. Does anyone remember what traffic was like after the Nisqually earthquake ? It was miserable for months. I work in South Lake Union and use the viaduct daily. It took 45 minutes to an hour for my daily commute each way without the viaduct. I could and did sometimes use my mountain bike which only took 45 minutes from West Seattle. Seattle deserves the mess that we will be in as our leaders have no vision nor political courage to get our transportation off city streets either underground or elevated. Anyone who has attempted to drive from West Seattle to downtown between 7:30 am – 9 am on a snow day or when there is an accident should know what I am talking about. All the meetings, marketing materials, new busses, new paint jobs and bus stops in the world are not going to fix the mess that we are going to be in and quite frankly deserve once the viaduct is gone and Grid Lock Greg is still fighting it’s replacement.
Well, I think all bus routes should have this “rapid ride” concept with fewer stops. The city and Metro seem to place bus stops every few 100 yards, as if we’re too lazy to walk a little further. If the stops were spaced out every four blocks instead of two (or even one, as I’ve seen), then the buses might run a little more timely and not back up traffic for cars as well. I know, I’d be singing a different tune if I had a broken leg and had to hobble four blocks to the bus on crutches, but I’d suck it up.
Unfortunately, it’s not just the politicians creating the mess. We (City, County, State) complain about traffic issues and then always seem to vote down solutions, and if we, as well as the legislature, pass something, well, hello, Tim Eaymen.
JohnM: You’re right. And we’re also the ones in the cars that are clogging the roads.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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