41 Replies to "Sound Transit Route 560: Changes kick in on June 8th"

• Big G May 28, 2013 (3:53 pm)

  Awesome! So those of us living between Alaska Junction and Westwood Village, in my case Morgan Junction, can no longer conveniently take the bus to the airport. Something my wife and I do regularly. Sweet life.

  We often fly out around 7 am, and used to be able to hop the bus at 4:50 and arrive at Seatac at 5:20. What doof at ST decided to ace out huge ridership from Alaska Junction to Westwood Village??? Especially with all the condos going in?

• Brian May 28, 2013 (4:16 pm)

  So, since ST does not accept Metro transfers, to get from West Seattle to the airport without paying twice, you will have to: Take the C line to Westwood, transfer to the 120 to Burien, transfer to the 140 to SeaTac Light Rail, then transfer to the A Line to the outskirts of the airport. Or, take the C to downtown, tranfer to the 124 (milk run) to SeaTac Light Rail, then the A Line… Got it! (“We’ll Get You There”)

• Charlie May 28, 2013 (4:38 pm)

  Yay! Very happy about this. And yes, I live in Westwood.

• Thomas May 28, 2013 (4:47 pm)

  @Brian: …or get an ORCA card and use it to transfer between agencies.
  .
  Edit: Wait, why would you make all of those transfer just to get to the Light Rail, which you can take the C line to then get off at the first stop downtown and get into the tunnel (and on the Light Rail)? That’s dead simple and very reliable (since you end your route on a train).

  • WSB May 28, 2013 (4:59 pm)

    Also pointed out in the original discussion (linked in the story, when we refer to the first discussion last fall) – Route 50, which now serves part of West Seattle, goes to light rail – ends at the Othello station, and I believe the SODO station is close to its SODO stop (check me on that, I need to ride it someday just to know firsthand) …
    .
    50 route map: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/cftemplates/show_map.cfm?BUS_ROUTE=050&DAY_NAV=WSU

• pfftt May 28, 2013 (5:02 pm)

  The route from the Junction was losing money. Not enough ridership. The 560 gets busy at Westwood Village so it makes sense. Most people who live north of Morgan Juntion upto Admiral drive to the airport anyways.

• KenK May 28, 2013 (5:08 pm)

  Generally, I have found that those people going to and from an airport will have various pieces of luggage. Making even one transfer while trying to carry luggage is not at all convenient. Plus, for whatever reason, they are using buses to serve an airport that do not even have an area to store said luggage.
  .
  This system that ST created displays an incredible lack of any basic or common sense thought processes. I’ll bet not one person in that ‘organization’ has ever once taken any bus in their own network.

• Big G May 28, 2013 (5:10 pm)

  Those are not early morning options. At this point, early AM options are Mooch a ride, Cab ($40 or more) or Park (even with Groupon still $8 a day at crappy places, more at better places)

  All of those are crappy options. They shaved 3 miles off the route, and aced out tens of thousands of people. And the part of WS that is growing most rapidly

• KenK May 28, 2013 (5:21 pm)

  They could have easily staggered the schedule a little more if ridership was so slow. Rather than every 30 minutes at peak times, it could have been every 60 minutes or even every 90 minutes. An extra wait at the airport is far superior than any option involving transfers.
  .
  Shuttle Express is looking better all the time. Bet their north West Seattle business picks up rather nicely now.

• CMP May 28, 2013 (5:22 pm)

  Thanks for following up on this, the information is much appreciated! I was worried the 560 would be totally eliminated so while I’m not thrilled about a transfer from the Rapid Ride C at Westwood, I still think it will be faster than taking the 50 to the Sodo light rail station. And this is more incentive for me to continue packing light for any trip!

• datamuse May 28, 2013 (5:27 pm)

  “Making even one transfer while trying to carry luggage is not at all convenient.”
  .
  I do it all the time, because living in Highland Park, I’ve had to take Metro to White Center and pick up the 560 there. It’s really not that big a deal unless you’re bringing a family’s worth of skis or something.

• Deb May 28, 2013 (5:39 pm)

  I’m sorry, but the tag line “West Seattle, This One’s For You” feels rather like a slap in the face to a community looking at service reductions. While I participated in the service reduction discussions and sent comments to Sound Transit and Metro about the poor lighting and road safety issues at the Westwood Transit Center, I’m not confident that these issues have been resolved.
  Sound Transit – make sure that your PR Teams know about ALL SIDES of an issue before they come up with what they think is a really snappy ad. Who knows, they might decide to come up with less antagonistic words to convey the pending changes. Thanks!

• Mickymse May 28, 2013 (5:48 pm)

  This one’s for you … because ST is responding to requests for more frequent service to the airport. And they’re now able to serve MORE people before – not less – since Metro has created a de facto transit center by running more routes to Westwood.

• Chris W May 28, 2013 (5:55 pm)

  Yes, the 50 stop in SODO is close to SODO station, southbound anyway. You have to cross the street twice, but it’s just a couple hundred feet.

• twobottles May 28, 2013 (6:00 pm)

  So they reduce service eliminating a huge portion of West Seattle and have the gall to to say “West Seattle, this one’s for you”? Did someone forget to add the middle finger salute to the graphic?

• Bus rider May 28, 2013 (6:18 pm)

  Let’s take back our taxes from Sound transit. Everybody that is fed up-all them.

• why_cause May 28, 2013 (6:22 pm)

  I have to agree with Deb.
  Westwood Village is just barely in West Seattle. How can our options be better than ever when they are taking away a segment of the service?

• Big G May 28, 2013 (7:01 pm)

  I agree. Westwood Village is much much much more White Center than West Seattle. West Seattle’s 30 minute ride to the Airport just became an hour.

  What they’re really saying is “You all can afford a cab or to park, so just do that.”

  • WSB May 28, 2013 (7:47 pm)

    I do beg to differ on the contention that “it’s not really West Seattle if it’s south of The Junction.” That hasn’t been the case in a century. West Seattle goes from the southern city limits (whether Arbor Heights or Roxbury or Myers Way S.) to the Duwamish to Elliott Bay to Puget Sound. Yes, Westwood is in the south end, but it is not any more “White Center” than homes in Admiral or Alki or Gatewood or Fauntleroy or Highland Park or … TR

• KenK May 28, 2013 (7:28 pm)

  I also agree with Deb. This is absolutely NOT for us. At least not the vast majority of those in West Seattle. Westwood Village is what, maybe 1 block north of the city limits? So as why_cause states, barely in West Seattle.
  .
  The population density is much greater between Morgan and Admiral and only getting higher with all the new condos, apartments, townhouses, row houses, micro homes, etc., being built or planned. Especially considering the limited parking at many of the new sites – all the more reason for bus service to remain in the area.
  .
  If ST is truly interested in the ridership, they would make it more convenient to use. Not the opposite.

• WTF May 28, 2013 (7:28 pm)

  It’ll be fun to watch the count down for when Westwood Village owners start ticketing people parking their cars there overnight!!!

• BPD May 28, 2013 (7:28 pm)

  Does anyone have a map identifing the various stops (bays) at Westwood? I have counted at least 5 stops. Further, if such a map does exist, please post it at all Westwood stops.

• Daldart May 28, 2013 (8:11 pm)

  Will long-term parking be allowed at Westwood Village Shopping Center for folks heading to the airport and flying out of town?

• Brian May 28, 2013 (8:16 pm)

  Thomas & WSB – Yes, you can transfer from the C Line or Rt 50 to Light Rail in either SODO or Downtown, BUT Light rail is still Sound Transit, and whether you use an ORCA card or cash, you still end up paying twice! Once to Metro, once to ST. An Orca card doesn’t avoid the double payment. If it did, OK, use the C to the 560. My point is, you have to pay both Peter AND Paul to get to the airport. Metro transit will get you close to the airport, but ST has a monopoly on actually going TO the airport.

• Jason May 28, 2013 (9:17 pm)

  @Brian

  If you get on a metro bus & pay with an ORCA the amount of that payment is applied to the light rail fare automatically. If you are riding any bus CT, MT or PT & connecting with ST then an ORCA card will save you $.

  You’ll pay Peter and only pay Paul the difference!

  From ORCA website:
  “Transfer buses and trains easily using ORCA
  If you need more than one bus or train to get to your destination, the ORCA card automatically calculates the transfer.”

• Moose2 May 28, 2013 (9:24 pm)

  Brian, you don’t pay twice when using an ORCA card (you do if you pay cash). For example, if you pay off-peak on the 50 ($2.25) then when you pay for the train to the airport you pay only the difference (an additional 0.25c).

  If you really don’t want to use ST, there are several Metro services to the airport (definitely not a ‘monopoly’ for ST). From West Seattle, you could take a 128 then transfers to RR A line, for example. It’ll be a lot slower, but avoids any ST train or bus.

• Moose2 May 28, 2013 (9:25 pm)

  To be honest, very few people rode the 560 between the junction and Westwood area. ST appear to have keep that portion of the service running as long as they could, but now it is duplicated (largely) by RR C and with easy between services to Westwood, this change makes sense.

• kas May 28, 2013 (9:54 pm)

  ^ Agreed, Moose. At least we will have all day service to airport. I regularly catch C near ferry, and 560’s going by in either direction are nearly empty. This seems like a cost effective move since C aleady goes between Junction and Westwood.

• Emily May 28, 2013 (9:57 pm)

  Deb and others have said it already, but this is ridiculous. Metro keeps CUTTING service and insults our intelligence by touting the changes as improvements to service.
  I live in Admiral and while I don’t use the bus to commute (because I don’t work downtown – it’s neither cost, not time-effective to take public transport), I PREVIOUSLY used it for all trips downtown to shop, go to dinner, visit museums, sporting events, etc. Now the bus line runs TO downtown for a short window in the morning and FROM downtown for a short window in the evening. The truly ridiculous part? As I drive downtown after work, I love seeing the empty return buses headed that way that say “out of service”.

  For the airport, I loved taking the 560. I don’t live near the junction, but I’d park just south of it and catch the bus there.
  Thank goodness, Metro says, “this one’s for you!”
  I can’t wait to want to lug my suitcase two blocks to catch one bus, then get to the junction to take another, then get off to walk across two roads to then wait for the light rail to take me to the airport where . . . guess what? It’s another half mile to walk to the airport itself.

• old timer May 28, 2013 (10:14 pm)

  There is a 25 cent difference in the fare – Sound Transit vs Metro. ST is more expensive so, naturally, people rode Metro when they could.
  ST interprets this as a lack of patronage rather than a mis-pricing of service.
  ST missed an opportunity to provide good peninsula service to West Seattle, all for a quarter.

• Brian Go May 28, 2013 (11:31 pm)

  That transit ad couldn’t be more Orwellian in its double-speak. They cut service to the vast majority of West Seattleites and proclaim our options for getting to the airport are better than ever … yeah right Ministry of Transportation. The only truth that can be gleaned from that ad is that more of us will be driving in the comfort of our own cars instead of waiting for a bus. Sigh.

• Hillary May 29, 2013 (7:44 am)

  I have thought the Metro slogan “We’ll get you there” was chosen for the irony for a long time. As someone who takes the bus out of necessity I am often caught in the rain these days when the C doesn’t come, miss connections at Westwood, and have to stand in the dark and unsheltered stop at 25th and Barton/Henderson many nights. The 560 was often an option for me at Morgan Junction when I absolutely had to get home and nothing was coming. If Westwood is to be a travel hub it needs to be safe and efficient, and the 560 SHOULD still run from Alaska Junction.

• stephanie May 29, 2013 (7:59 am)

  Thank you TR! I live at the top of Highland PKWY hill and have taken the bus to the airport but we mostly have very early and arrive late flights so we just get a cab. I wish it was easier to take Metro but they are making it really hard.

  Btw, Highland PK and parts of WC are still in WS you snooty people and I love these areas.

• datamuse May 29, 2013 (9:11 am)

  I’m perfectly willing to claim that I live in White Center once my property taxes are adjusted accordingly.
  .
  I take the 560 from White Center to the airport fairly often and it’s usually almost empty when I board. So where’s this huge ridership from the Junction that justifies not reallocating the service?

• themightyrabbit May 29, 2013 (11:35 am)

  “I can’t wait to want to lug my suitcase two blocks to catch one bus, then get to the junction to take another, then get off to walk across two roads to then wait for the light rail to take me to the airport where . . . guess what? It’s another half mile to walk to the airport itself.”

  we travel with young children. and even on multi week trips, everyone carries their own luggage. we check no bags. all carry on.

  recommendation – carry less. transportation on our buses here as well as buses in many cities do not accommodate large suitcases. anywhere. don’t just blame ST or KC.

  >> get luggage with good wheels for ease of use. I have some other family members that still lug around huge suitcases with too much stuff. Not a good idea. Makes you vulnerable when travelling.

  Hope that helps!

• dcn May 29, 2013 (12:16 pm)

  I like the change. Yes, I live fairly close to Westwood, although not so close that walking there with luggage and a young child would be easy. I’ve found the limited 560 service that we’ve had up until now to be useless for mid-day flights (what I usually try to take with the above-mentioned small child). At least now we can take the bus instead of the much more expensive shuttle, even if we have to transfer once to get to Westwood.

• AJ May 29, 2013 (1:51 pm)

  Huh? How does this serve West Seattle? West Seattle ends at Roxbury. A terminus just two blocks into West Seattle does not cover all of West Seattle. It would just scratch the surface of West Seattle. Sound Transit could/should do a much better job with selling this idea to us West Seattleites who can’t use the service because it’s too far away to even contemplate using.

• Tuesday June 2, 2013 (11:39 am)

  LOL. It’s always funny to see how public transportation seems to think all service problems can be overcome with the right kid of marketing. “RapidRide” “This one’s for you, WS!” Gotta love politics…

• frequent bus rider June 5, 2013 (6:04 am)

  Thank you ST, for doing what’s best for the most riders!

  Everywhere that you could previously get to on the 560 in West Seattle is now served by the very frequent C Line.

  My only gripe is the removal of the White Center transfer stop. That was where I could transfer from the 60 to the 560 without walking the length of Westwood Village. It made sense to stop making the route go out of its way down 15th Ave SW, but why can’t there be replacement stops at 16th Ave SW and Roxbury? This also means there is no longer a direct transfer point between the 128 and the 560. Put new White Center transfer stops in, and I’ll be happy.

  In the long term, I would love to see the 120 make it all the way to the airport. The 560 was designed for people who infrequently go to the airport to fly. The 120 is the best route for getting people to the airport daily for their jobs.

• frequent bus rider June 5, 2013 (6:19 am)

  “Yes, the 50 stop in SODO is close to SODO station, southbound anyway. You have to cross the street twice, but it’s just a couple hundred feet.”

  The westbound SODO Station stop for the 50 is even closer, involving one street crossing. The sign just happens to be hidden by tree branches.

  Metro recently added a westbound stop for the 21 in front of the Seattle Public Schools headquarters. Previously, the westbound connection between the train and the 21 was a choice of two really long walks, on the order of the walk between the 60 stop at Westwood and the C/21/560 stop at Westwood.

  It would be a simple matter to add the 50 to that 21 stop, so that riders headed west could catch the 21 or 50, whichever comes first, since they have so many destinations in common.

  For riders starting from the Junction, the 50/train combo might actually beat the C/560 combo, especially during peak, when the 50 runs every 20 minutes, and there is lots of empty space for luggage.

• Eric June 7, 2013 (3:31 pm)

  For such a wealthy “Amazonian” city, our transportation options are expensive and atrocious. The 520 from Admiral to Seatac should absolutely be an option. AND it needs to be advertised all over the place to create more ridership. Once you try it, you’re hooked. SO much better than calling a low service Stita cab for $40.00 minimum one way!

Sorry, comment time is over.