Metro’s September changes: Saturday SSCC service update

| Transportation | West Seattle news

When Metro went public last month with its revised proposal for West Seattle (and vicinity) route changes to take effect in September, in conjunction with the launch of RapidRide Line C, some of the loudest voices of concern came from South Seattle Community College and its Puget Ridge neighbors. They were concerned about service levels on the weekends. Today, Metro has published an online update that says they might at least reconfigure for Saturdays:

We are currently considering the possibility of providing some level of service on Saturday when SSCC is in session. However, continuing to provide Saturday Route 125 service would come as a trade-off for other service improvements. We are analyzing these trade-offs as we look to provide the highest quality transit service to the most people.

The Metro updates also reiterates that the next revised proposal – which goes to county leadership for consideration – will be out in mid-April.

Mickymse March 10, 2012 (5:31 pm)

Just to reiterate here what Metro said… The original proposal would have provided MORE frequent service at MORE hours to SSCC and the surrounding neighborhood, as well as added additional cross-West Seattle neighborhood connections.
.
Instead, it got nixed because students do not want to transfer between routes and would prefer a one-seat ride into Downtown.

MA March 22, 2012 (11:29 pm)

Yes, SSCC students, faculty, and Puget Ridge neighbors would prefer to take one bus to and from downtown. That is because we are almost universally catching another bus when we get there. Trading a two bus each way commute for a three bus each way commute is only no big deal if it is not your commute. Transferring ALWAYS takes more time. And the 125 is hardly a “one seat ride” anywhere. I ride the 125 six days a week and the only time I get to sit down is before 7 AM on a Saturday.

The community objections to the plan were legitimate concerns by adults who rely on Metro to get to school and work, not a bunch of lazy kids complaining.

We have a right to insist that the public transportation in our neighborhood serves the needs of our neighborhood. If a transit plan does not work for the majority of the people on a route, it is a bad plan, period. The proposal did not meet the needs of Puget Ridge/SSCC and we said so.

The proposal to take away weekend service feels like a punishment for objecting to the Grand Plan Metro first proposed.

Sorry, comment time is over.