(WSB photo, last week)
“We really bumbled out of the gate,” acknowledged Metro‘s Robbie Frankel at last night’s HPAC meeting, referring to how the proposed bus-stop closures in Highland Park/South Delridge were – and were not – initially communicated. As first reported here, the only initial notification was via paper notices posted at the stops, and they pointed would-be commenters to an email address that bounced. That emailbox – which apparently had been deactivated since the last time Metro gathered feedback on stops in this area – has since been reactivated, and Frankel said the feedback already has likely taken one pair of stops off the table for closure consideration: He says they’ve heard a lot about the importance of the SW Thistle stops, two of six stops proposed for changes on the original list.
Otherwise, Frankel stressed that the proposal is in the very early stages. As to why stop closures are being proposed at all, he said it’s because of the City of Seattle’s plan to give Metro money to beef up weekend/night service on Route 125, and to improve some of the stops – maybe adding shelters, benches, paved pads, etc. They wouldn’t want to waste that money on stops that might eventually be removed in a future Metro review of the route, so they stepped up the review (though otherwise their next look at local routes isn’t scheduled until 2026).
It was stressed to Frankel that 16th SW serves South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and the community really wants to ensure the college is getting the support it needs to thrive, so that’s another reason to tread lightly with this route. It was also suggested that Metro will want to reach out to the 16th SW Safety Committee that’s been active in advocating for traffic calming and other concerns closer. Meantime, the extended deadline for comments is two weeks from today – March 14 – and you can email your feedback to busstopsw@kingcounty.gov.
P.S. More on the rest of last night’s HPAC meeting later.
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