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August 22, 2011 at 3:43 am #732693
WSBKeymasterIf someone hasn’t already mentioned it … the bus system is a COUNTY service, not a city service. Highway 99 is a STATE highway, not city or county. I would suggest you take bus complaints to your elected officials, particularly one who is up for re-election this very fall, County Councilmember Joe McDermott, if you have already gone as far as you can through whatever complaint system Metro has.
August 22, 2011 at 6:27 am #732694
transplantellaParticipantWSB–with all due respect–taking community concerns to elected representatives is an exercise in futility. Not that griping on a web forum is any more productive….(at least it is mildly theraputic)
The political process in this country is broken. Candidates make promises to the little people they have no intention of keeping , and their never-ending political campaigns are paid for by big contributors whose aims have no correlation to the public sentiment.
To admonish us to take our concerns to bought-out political representatives working their way up the government pig trough of upward mobility is the same as telling us to post our Christmas wishes to Mrs. and Mr. Santa Claus c/o the North Pole.
Futile prayers to false idols.
August 22, 2011 at 7:24 am #732695
DianeParticipantnow where is that ‘like’ button?
August 22, 2011 at 9:04 am #732696
metrognomeParticipantJoB — the roads and the buses were there long before the stadii. So tell me, and be specific, where would you run the buses to get from WSB to downtown where they can pick up passengers in the SODO area … or would you just not serve those people and businesses in SODO.
datamuse — see post 20 from the Velvet Bulldog:
“I looked into taking the bus from here to a job I had in Wedgwood for a bit. Would have taken 2 or 3 buses and up to 2 hours to get to and from. During the day I had to go to job sites. Unfortunately the route 74, which served the office location, didn’t run during the day–only during peak hours. So–bam–I’m in my car.”
See also previous comments in other threads (as well as comments after stories on the home page,) from people who complain that there isn’t direct service to their spouse’s place of work or to Ballard or to the UW or to other places that meet their individual needs but for which there is not enough demand to justify a route. A common latent theme to the complaints out here is that the government exists to meet MY specific needs and I take any failure to do so as a personal affront and a reason for RAGE (see title of this thread) because I pay my taxes.
Jiggers — it is called throughrouting and it saves your dollars. And yes, the long routes can cause problems for on-time performance. You can disconnect the 54/55 from the 5 but it will cost big $$ to add enough more buses (and yard space and mechanics) and drivers to do that. I ride the 54 all the time and it is usually pretty close to on time. I also drive a lot and my travel times are unpredictable; Saturday I drove to Ballard and lost 15 – 20 minutes due to the traffic from Hempfest. When I drove home via the only logical route due to the SB 99 closure, I lost another 10 – 15 minutes, mostly because Belltown has become such a hopping destination on weekends. I guess I should blame the government for not shutting Belltown down on the weekends the Viaduct is closed.
I’ll say it again, you earthlings are endlessly amusing.
August 22, 2011 at 9:11 am #732697
metrognomeParticipanttransplantella — IF the political process is ‘broken’, you can’t blame it all on elected officials and bureaucrats. Citizens and corporations and unions bear responsibility as well, a concept citizens seem to have difficulty accepting.
So, blog readers, how do you participate in YOUR government(s)? Besides complaining, I mean.
Citizens in a democracy get the government they earn.
August 22, 2011 at 3:40 pm #732698
JoBParticipantmetrognome…
i would run them around the stadiums… up to 6th and back down if i had to..
just like other cities do when they come up against that kind of public transportation roadblock..
or the city transportation “gods” could give up a lane to dedicated bus travel.. not bus and rideshare…
the bus only corridor could be moved from 6th (?) to 1st or 4th where it would actually be more effective…
no matter how much the bus economists keep touting bus as the cheapest option.. it isn’t going to attract ridership as long as it has to compete with the existing traffic for roadspace…
i would love to design a public transit system for the metro… i won’t get to.. but someone should.. actually design a system that works and is reliable…
because convenience and reliability are what it takes to build a well used public transit system.
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August 22, 2011 at 3:43 pm #732699
JoBParticipantmetrognome…
hum… you have two busses that turn around instead of going through and you still have the same number of busses on the route…
and more reliability.
August 22, 2011 at 3:55 pm #732700
BostonmanMemberIts not surprising really. Given the size and population of Seattle the public transportation isn’t adequate. Its a bus only system which means it shares the same roads, traffic delays, construction projects and slowdowns as people who are driving a car. If weather is bad the buses will break down before cars. The water taxi is a small titanic waiting to happen. I have seen it off the docks when it breaks down spinning in circles.
I hate to say it but even Portland had a better system, at least they had a light rail that ran east and west into the city. Seattle has the Husky stadium to the north, the only 2 major highways to the east side of the state intersect with I-5 on the North end of Seattle and the South end right by the stadiums. Too many bridges with too few lanes. Its a complete disaster. For a reference of time I used to take the bus into Seattle, I work just North of Pikes market on the water. If I took the bus from Alaska junction it was about 45 minutes to an hour. Driving its 20 minutes plus I get the freedom of not having to worry about the bus schedule. If I need to come into downtown on the weekend its no problem because of the parking I have.
Seattle has a long ways to go to catch up with other big cities.
August 22, 2011 at 4:46 pm #732701
JimmyGMemberMetro is not just inefficient in its routing, its inefficient financially.
Metros operating costs (per boarding) are 38% higher than the national average.
Sound Transit and Metro should be combined into one agency, as it is now we are paying for two full bureaucracies to run two systems that overlap and share so much. Change whatever rules or laws prohibit this and fold them into one system. The in-fighting between the two agencies over the DSTT, the LRV, drivers, supervision, etc. is ridiculous.
The only bright spot I see on the horizon is the end of the ride free area, long overdue.
August 22, 2011 at 5:13 pm #732702
JiggersMemberIt is foolish to eliminate the free ride zones in downtown. The free ride zone doesn’t go very far first of all, second of all, it is more efficient to board people on and off faster rather than take more time for people to pay the fare in that sector. There will be a longer waits for your bus to reach you in the suburbs because of those little minutes that add up. I imagine there were a number of reasons to have free ride zones. One of them I suspect was to move downtown traffic faster This is all just specualtion of course. Government is broke so to say, so the freebies are going going gone…Welcome to the new revolution!
August 22, 2011 at 5:39 pm #732703
JulieMemberWe ARE the government.
August 22, 2011 at 5:44 pm #732704
AlParticipant“Government is broke so to say, so the freebies are going going gone…Welcome to the new revolution!”
Isn’t this the whole point of the new Republican agenda – pay your own way? Run the government like a business so if a social service needs to be subsidized because it can’t support itself on its own revenues then the cost of such service needs to be passed on to the users rather than the general public? Or the service gets cut? If so, then Metro and many government services are heading in just that direction. Hopefully we can get through it without tearing each other to pieces in the meanwhile.
And I agree it would have been extraordinarily faster to use the water taxi if it had been open. Water taxi to shuttle to Junction. Faster than bus to I-5. Why would you not want to do that? I am just curious as it’s an actual viable alternative to the bus, unless it was after-hours.
August 22, 2011 at 6:13 pm #732705
datamuseParticipantAll right, metrognome, but I’m also seeing complaints about buses showing up anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour late, and that this isn’t infrequent. To me that’s a much bigger issue than whether a bus provides door to door service, which I agree is an unrealistic expectation.
On the other hand, two hours to get to Wedgwood doesn’t strike me as realistic either. I could get to my job in south Tacoma in that amount of time, faster if I drove to the park and ride.
If more funding is what it takes to get this system working better, I’m all for it–and right now I only use Metro occasionally.
August 22, 2011 at 10:30 pm #732706
JoBParticipantjimmG…
great point.
Portland’s public transportation only took off when the entire metro area was unified into one system…
the breakdown? Vancouver… Could have had light rail 10 years ago but it’s not part of the metro system and shortsighted voters turned it down :(
August 22, 2011 at 10:34 pm #732707
JiggersMemberAl…not everyone can afford to ride the Water Taxi.. You must be doing ok yourself.
August 22, 2011 at 11:44 pm #732708
jxbMemberThe Orca card my employer gives me works on the Water Taxi, fortunately.
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Even if it didn’t, though, I’d still pay for it, considering my only other option is the 55 Metro bus. Compare the cost/commute times for going downtown and back each work day in an average month (43.3 trips).
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Rte. 55 bus: $108/22 hours per month
Water Taxi: $162/7 hours per month
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Sure, the price difference is substantial, but with the water taxi I spend 15 fewer HOURS a month on public transportation, and that doesn’t even include the extra monthly hours waiting for late buses. (The water taxi always leaves on time.) Is that worth $55? To me it is.
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Of course, if I had to rely on those horrible shuttles to get to the water taxi, then all bets would be off. The water taxi is only practical if you 1) live near enough to walk or bike to it or 2) you drive and park on Harbor ave.
August 23, 2011 at 1:41 am #732709
yeah-meParticipantJiggers … I don’t think anyone is telling you to go to the beach or to ride the water taxi everyday (if too expensive). I believe it was a suggestion as an alternative from downtown when First Ave is jammed up with a game and the South Viaduct is closed.
It would have cost more, but with the taxi shuttle to the Junction you likely would have made pretty decent time (and maybe even enjoyed the boat ride).
August 23, 2011 at 4:40 am #732710
JiggersMemberI’ve enjoyed more boat rides to last me into the next life here..
August 23, 2011 at 5:01 am #732711
DunnoParticipantMy only question is about Sunday afternoon. Why, with SB 99 closed did DOT have the Xpress lanes on I-5 running North Bound. Heads should roll!!
August 23, 2011 at 7:14 am #732712
todd_ParticipantI agree Dunno and Jiggers.
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Traffic was a nightmare on Sunday afternoon trying to get from the Seattle Center area to WS. Sorry to hear about peoples frustrations with buses. Something is not right, buses are often late and they are running red lights with regularity all over the city.
August 23, 2011 at 3:51 pm #732713
AlParticipantJiggers, you made a huge assumption about income levels. In fact, I ride my bike to work so I don’t have to pay for the day-to-day transit/driving fees. In some cases, once or twice a year, if there’s a reason I can’t ride my bike and need a viable option, I choose to take the water taxi. I don’t think people were saying you should take it every day…but it is an option for horrendous traffic situations.
August 23, 2011 at 5:46 pm #732714
JiggersMemberAl.. I’m unemployed so there you go. I dred going to Alki on the weekend because it has become way too crowded. I prefer Alki during the weekday, like a matinee movie. You almost can have the whole beach to yourself. I rode on the Water Taxi last year, but had to request a cab up to the Junction after the lame free shuttle ended early.. If the shuttle ran more later times, I’d ride the Water Taxi a few more times. Its annoying to have to go out of your way. So, I rarely go out of my way and plan ahead.
August 24, 2011 at 4:21 am #732715
redblackParticipantjiggers: maybe you should read the links i provided. the shuttle has extended its hours in the past year or two. the water taxi would have taken you out of SODO and away from gridlock pretty quickly, and the 773 would have taken you out of seacrest – against the grain of beach-cruising traffic – to avalon, and then to the junction. and i believe that the schedule flexes for events like corporate sports games.
i’m not trying to tell you what to do, but you might give it a closer look.
August 25, 2011 at 12:49 am #732716
lostcoyoteMembern/t
August 25, 2011 at 12:53 am #732717
JiggersMemberMetro buses need a can of lysol on everyone.
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