non-clicky Transit Poll

[madDawg228]

I haven't really thought about specifics, since I've only really used transit around here and what we have seems pretty bunk compared to my super limited experience with transit in the San Fran and Atlanta areas.

I like everything spun posted.

I wish there was a way to have more car pool/bus lanes, and tax the $hit out of single occupant vehicles during peak commute times. I would also want to have more commute options in Shoreline/Mill Creek/Bothell.

I wonder how any changes could be made. Maybe we'll have to finally succumb to a state income tax.  *-)

[Deleted]

Apr 23, 2014 13:29:19 GMT -5 madDawg228 said:

I haven't really thought about specifics, since I've only really used transit around here and what we have seems pretty bunk compared to my super limited experience with transit in the San Fran and Atlanta areas.

I like everything spun posted.

I wish there was a way to have more car pool/bus lanes, and tax the $hit out of single occupant vehicles during peak commute times. I would also want to have more commute options in Shoreline/Mill Creek/Bothell.

I wonder how any changes could be made. Maybe we'll have to finally succumb to a state income tax.  *-)

Once it becomes too inconvenient/expensive/time consuming to drive. 

I have a coworker who's 35, born and raised in London, and still doesn't have his drivers licence. He's never had a need to drive because he was always able to get anywhere that mattered via public transit. 

Here, if you want to drive through central London during the week (and I think Sat too) then you have to pay a tax of £10. Gas is $8/gal. A garage just around the corner from me sold for £60k (not a house plus garage, just the garage to park your car). There are a bunch of cars on my street that just sit there for weeks because zoned street parking is at a premium here, so once you get a spot you just don't move your car. 

Basically, the cheapest/easiest/fastest (at least through central london) option is public transit, so that's why people take it. Living where I live, I would never ever consider owning a car in London. It's a bigger PITA than it's worth. 

[catbus]

I like your ideas, spunbutterfly. Not directly related to transit and totally unrealistic: I'd like the "better-than" attitude prevalent in a lot of Seattleites/suburbs-dwellers to go away. I get so sick of the degrading terms people use for others who take the bus. I have a coworker who could so easily hop a bus to work (she lives in Ballard in one of the brand new apartment buildings at Market & 15th, we work near Pike Place Market), but chooses to drive alone and calls the bus the "loser cruiser."

Edit: I've heard others refer to buses as "shame trains." Ridiculous. And as long as I'm ranting, I wish my employer would create incentive to take transit. Right now, we have the option of either having a paid bus pass or paid parking (well, employee has to pay ~$15/month for it). Guess what most people choose? And it's really not equitable, either, given that the market value of the bus pass is ~$75, but the monthly parking value is nearly $300. I think our employees should be responsible for a larger share of the parking cost, or those who choose transit should get some kind of reward for doing so. And I say all this as someone who does currently drive in and take that parking benefit (for the record, I carpool with H and DS, drop them at H's building, then continue to my office). 

[catbus]

Apr 23, 2014 13:59:03 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

Apr 23, 2014 13:52:51 GMT -5 catbus said:

I like your ideas, spunbutterfly. Not directly related to transit and totally unrealistic: I'd like the "better-than" attitude prevalent in a lot of Seattleites/suburbs-dwellers to go away. I get so sick of the degrading terms people use for others who take the bus. I have a coworker who could so easily hop a bus to work (she lives in Ballard in one of the brand new apartment buildings at Market & 15th, we work near Pike Place Market), but chooses to drive alone and calls the bus the "loser cruiser."

This makes me... so mad. We try to find the bus/walking option whenever it's possible within reason.

* Reason meaning: if it takes me 3x longer by bus to get where I want to go than driving I will either 1) not go or 2) drive.

She's also the type to ask people what kind of car they drive as small talk and judge people based on their cars, so... yeah. 

[Deleted]

Apr 23, 2014 14:21:53 GMT -5 MrsPotatohead said:

I know - having been to London and Paris I am *SO* jealous of the transit system, but we just don't have that.  I feel like they are trying to make it more expensive (like raise the cost of parking) but the bus is still not as fast or convenient as a car here, I have no idea how that transition will happen, but I bet it will be painful. 

But it's also a little unfair to compare Seattle public transit to these cities because London public transit is over 150 years old. People still complain about it on a daily basis.

[alias]

The problem (as a suburban dweller) is that transit is focused too much on just Seattle. So, if you make parking in Seattle absurdly expensive, but it is very inconvenient to get to Seattle on public transit from outside of Seattle, then everyone who doesn't live in Seattle is screwed. I know it has expanded somewhat, but it is still really limited. There was a job I applied for in Seattle and I looked into transit. I am flexible and can drive to where I need to start, but I still would've had to take the sounder and then two buses and it would've taken MUCH longer than driving. Also, the hours are a problem. My H used to have to be in Seattle very early and there was no option that could get him to work on time. And, there are very limited buses on the weekends.

It would be nice to have a real public transit system with several subway/light rails that run on a regular basis, seven days a week and go from Everett to Tacoma, as well as the east side. It would be nice if the stations were covered and/or indoors and you could use re-loadable cards. Then, of course, buses for neighborhoods and to get to transit stations.

[niq]

I never replied to this one . The city of Seattle has a population density of about 7K. The American metro areas with more comprehensive transit than us -- NYC, Boston, Chicago, SF, DC, Philly -- all have densities in the 9K+ range or higher.

Start with the proposed ST2 map for Light Rail (red) and Commuter Rail (Green)


No at-grade trains in the middle roads. Everything is an El or a subway so that it's never stuck in traffic. Commuter rail can run at grade in those suburbs that have enough space.

Add a White Center<->Northgate subway line, with stops in West Seattle, a couple (not all) shared stops downtown, Belltown, SLU, Queen Anne, Ballard, Crown Hill. No harm in extending service all the way to Lynnwood (though I bet if the subway/El line ended in Shoreline, that'd be fine)

Add a line from the southern 'burbs into town. Like, Maple Valley->Renton->Auburn->Kent, and maybe it continues on the current light rail path (but above grade), or something like that.

Add a line from Edmonds to downtown, through places near the water, then Ballard/Fremont, Queen Anne, SLU, downtown.

Add a "circle" line, starting at the U-district and going clockwise through Kirkland, Bellevue, Mercer Island, the C.D., SODO, Belltown, SLU, QA, Ballard/Fremont, and then back to the U district.

New commuter rail lines:
* Redmond<->Downtown - stops in Bellevue, Kirkland
* Issaquah<->Downtown
* Tacoma<->Bellevue<->Everett, stops in Renton, Factoria, Redmond, Woodinville, etc.
* Double Everett<->Downtown<->Tacoma service, but add a one stop north & south of downtown, and have two different routes through the city. Like, half the Everett->Downtown commuter trains should stop at UW and then go downtown. The others should stop in Ballard/Fremont and then go downtown.

#iwantapony

OH, and one more thing. A minimum of 4 blocks between bus stops. arrrrgh


... I may have given this some thought before

[Deleted]

Ooh I like this. I often dream about 2-4 dedicated bus/rail lanes separated off from the car lanes on I-5. With all commuter stops on I 5 being in the middle so that buses don't have to exit/enter the freeway. Or maybe three lanes with the third lane being a flexible north or south-bound lane depending on traffic. All this to be said that I am glad I am not on the transportation commission.

[karebear219]

Like niq posted sound transit's plan for the light rail is going to help a lot for N to S and E to W. It's just going to take years for it to get finished. I just might be able to take the bus to work once it is done. Then the bus system can fill in the gaps. I can't wait to be able to take the light rail down to the stadiums. Ten more years.

[catbus]

Apr 28, 2014 11:43:33 GMT -5 niq said:

OH, and one more thing. A minimum of 4 blocks between bus stops. arrrrgh


... I may have given this some thought before

THIS, OMG. So, one of the routes Metro KC keeps threatening to eliminate is the 21, which actually has really high ridership, and which many people depend on to get from home in West Seattle to work in SoDo (*cough* Starbucks *cough*). MKC claims it loses money on that route. Well, maybe they should try speeding up the route by eliminating some of the stops, like along the southern stretch of southbound 35th Ave SW that are literally every block. 

[BlackCanary]

I'd love to see something like the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system down in CA.