Category Archives: seattle stuff

Families “in motion”

This weekend, I’ll be sharing what I know about busing with babies at a family transit workshop sponsored by the Squire Park in Motion Program.

What: A casual, kid-friendly workshop where parents can learn: “how to know where the bus is going; when it will arrive; how to keep kids entertained; what to carry with you for the trip; and other helpful things to know when riding the bus.”
When: Saturday, August 6, 10 – 11:30 AM
Where: Central Area Motivation Program, 722 18th Ave (served by routes 2, 3, or 4)
How much: Free!

Kids are welcome, of course, and there will be door prizes (zoo passes!) for the first 10 families to arrive. All particpants will receive a handy family transit guide to take home. Hope to see you there!

How to make a bus chick proud, part II

Ladies and gentlemen, the future of buschickdom (buschickhood? buschickery?) is in extremely good (and thankfully, nerdy) hands:

A Personal Teen Story on Why the $20 Congestion Reduction Charge Matters
By Jasmine Beverly

I’m not a stereotypical high school girl. I don’t go to high school dances, I have to be dragged to shop for clothes, and I’d rather spend time with my family than go out with friends. I’m seventeen and I don’t even have my permit or license yet. That’s right, a high school girl without a driver’s permit or license. Reading this story anywhere else, you’d think “Ooh, she lives in the middle of nowhere and is a little farm girl,” or “What a deprived teenager she must be! Living without a car?” or “She must be the nerdy outcast who doesn’t have any friends.” And although I’m a choir nerd, neither of those statements is true; I simply live in Seattle where public transportation is amazing. Well, for now it is.

Read the rest…

Upcoming events for transit types

The County Council is hosting some public meetings about the proposed congestion reduction charge this month. One (in Kirkland), has already come and gone, but here’s the info on the other two:

Tuesday, July 12, 6:00 p.m.
King County Council Chambers
516 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, Seattle

Thursday, July 21, 6:00 p.m.
Burien City Council Chambers
400 S.W. 152nd Street

If you can’t make either meeting, you can submit your feedback here.

Saving service

At a press conference yesterday, KC Exec Dow Constantine asked the County Council to approve a temporary $20 vehicle licensing fee (officially called a congestion reduction charge) to maintain service at current levels.

The recession-driven decline in the sales-tax revenues that support public transit leaves the Metropolitan King County Council with two choices – ensure interim funding to continue service at current levels, or face the reality of cutting 17 percent of bus service.

To meet that challenge, King County Executive Dow Constantine today sent the Council a proposed ordinance to enact the one tool recently authorized by the state Legislature for King County: a temporary $20 Congestion Reduction Charge on vehicle licenses for each of the next two years.

Or, there’s Option 2.

Should the fee not be enacted, the Executive also transmitted legislation for the Council to shrink Metro service by 600,000 hours of annual bus service over the next two years, or 17 percent of the entire system – the rough equivalent of eliminating all rush hour bus service for commuters, or all weekend service in King County. The ordinance covers just the first round of service cuts – a 100,000-hour reduction to begin next February.

Metro recently launched a new site that explains proposal in detail (check this FAQ for the quick and dirty), including the cuts that would likely happen if the charge is not enacted.

I was unable to attend the press conference, but not for lack of passion about the subject. The cuts Metro is considering are serious and will affect the quality of life of every resident of the county, not just those who ride the bus. I intend to lobby the council and do whatever else I can to make sure this happens.

If you want to send a message to the council (either all nine members or your local representative), start here.

Upcoming events for transit types

Transportation investments: Who wins, who loses?

What: One of the many discussions that will be held at Great City’s weekend-long, event, Equitable Growth Dialogues.

Panelists for the transportation investments discussion include Mayor McGinn, TCC’s Andrew Austin, and Lynn Domingo of LELO.

When: Saturday, April 2, 3:50 – 5:00 PM
Where: Franklin High School, 3013 S. Mount Baker Blvd (7, 8, 14, 48, Link)
How much: Free!

Child care and translation will be provided at all of the events on 4/2. If you show up for the earlier discussions, you’ll even get lunch.

From Here to There

What: A community discussion, sponsored by Pacific Science Center (in partnership with the Seattle City Council and Streets for All Seattle) about “transportation challenges and opportunities.”

[This discussion] is part of a series of events that gather community input on different aspects of the City Council’s priority issue of carbon neutrality.”

When: Tuesday, April 12, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Where: Seattle Vocational Institute, 2120 S. Jackson (14 or short walk from 8 or 48).
How much: Free! RSVP is required.

I’m a panelist at the event, so I’ll be there. In case that’s not enough to send you rushing to the RSVP page, perhaps these incentives will: There will be activities for kids five and older, and (most importantly) there will be food.

Putting the “community” in Community Transit

CT has launched a cool storytelling project. From a recent press release:

Snohomish County, Wash. – She said, “If Community Transit doesn’t
go there, then neither do I.”

It couldn’t have been scripted any better. She was an elegant senior
who never learned to drive. She had used public transit for her entire
life, expressing in her own words what Community Transit meant to her.
She was sharing her story.

Storytelling is society’s way of communicating between people: the
histories, the hopes, the personal details. While this story happened a
few years ago and wasn’t officially recorded, it was passed from
employee to employee and an idea was born: Community Transit impacts so
many lives; those stories should be collected.

Now the agency has launched a project to gather and share stories that
express the importance of public transportation to individuals, in their
own words: unscripted, unrehearsed, unaltered.

I love this. Stories remind us why public transportation is an essential service. Because beyond all the practical reasons to ride, buses are about people.

Another year, another fare increase

In case you’d forgotten (or, like me, blocked it out), Metro fares are going up a(nother) quarter in 2011. Starting in January, a one-zone, peak-hour fare will cost $2.50. You can find the details here.

On the bright side, at least now the fares I paid back in the 80s will sound respectably old school to my kids.

Transportation round-up

The Best Bus Ride finalists have been selected. (I’ve already completed my official judging duties, which I thoroughly enjoyed.) You can vote for the people’s choice winner here. Voting ends Saturday, 11/20.
Undriving.org now has video profiles of local undrivers. Love. I’ve just added Merlin Rainwater and Betty Holman to my list of sheroes.
Got ideas about how to improve transit in Seattle? SDOT wants to hear them. The city is in the process of updating its Transit Master Plan* and needs lots of feedback from citizens. (FYI, this citizen is a member of the TMP advisory committee. I’m certainly looking forward to providing my feedback.)
Community Transit hopes to prevent further service cuts with its new “Buy local for transit” program.
A real-time ridesharing pilot will start on the 520 corridor in January. If you’re interested in participating, sign up here.
The DOT has released a series of powerful videos to discourage distracted driving.

***

*This is not to be confused with the Seattle Planning Commission’s Seattle Transit Communities report, which I unfortunately haven’t read yet.

Speaking of Microsoft…

Today is the fifth anniversary of a bus stop that happens to be extremely popular with employees of our friendly neighborhood software giant. (In fact, it’s used by more Microsoft employees than any other bus stop in our region.) It’s a 545 stop, of course (Bellevue & East Olive), and it exists because of the dogged persistence of Anirudh Sahni (my original Bus Hero). Here’s a chronicle of his multi-year campaign.

Whew! I plan to use it as motivation in my own efforts to make a difference.* I’m hoping you will, too.

*Currently, I’m obsessing about the intersection at 23rd & Yesler, which is particularly dangerous for pedestrians. An intersection that includes a library (with a popular story time), a nonprofit, senior housing, and three bus stops should prioritize pedestrian safety. I’ve been pestering the city a bit, but I really could take some lessons in persistence, organization, and providing supporting data (!!!) from Anirudh.