Smarter Transit is an all-volunteer, pro-transit, non-partisan, non-profit citizens’ organization. Our mission is to support and advocate for accountable public transportation governance and investments that grow transit, vanpool, carpool ridership, and safe bike and walking routes throughout the Puget Sound region in the most cost-effective way.
NYT: The Holy Grail of Transportation Is Right in Front of Us
Better bus service would improve millions of Americans’ lives. Opinion by NYT columnist, Farhad Manjoo. Photo: Florian Buettner/laif, via Redux
We occasionally post articles and news of interest regarding transit and transportation issues that affect the Puget Sound Region. If there are stories that you think deserve attention, or if you have news or information that you’d like to share, please contact us!
NYT: The Subway Needs Riders to Save It. Will They?
Billions of dollars in federal aid have pulled New York’s transit agency from the depths of its fiscal crisis. But a growing consensus that its ridership may never return entirely threatens its future. (Photograph by Ali Kate Cherkis, NYT)
Seattle Times: Sound Transit faces a $11.5 billion shortfall. Now what’s it going to do?
When Sound Transit unveiled a $54 billion tax measure in 2016, even its most tenacious critics said the rail and bus budgets were so larded with financial cushions the agency couldn’t possibly run short on cash. Only five years later,...
Washington State DOT’s Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Business Case Analysis (UHSGT) is a promotional brochure riddled with serious errors and misstatements
Read the complete paper here: Washington State DOT’s Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Business Case Analysis (UHSGT) is a promotional brochure riddled with serious errors and misstatementsKey Findings The term “Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation...
Puget Sound Business Journal – Opinion: Light rail expansion isn’t what our region needs post-Covid
Mariya Frost is the director of the Coles Center for Transportation at the Washington Policy Center. Four years ago, transportation experts predicted Sound Transit’s light rail expansion would be obsolete before it’s built. Now, Covid-19’s impact on how we...
KOMO News: First Avenue South Bridge to be repaired, causing longer commutes in West Seattle
SEATTLE — If you think the commute in and out of West Seattle is rough now – get ready for January. The Washington State Department of Transportation said they will be doing some critical work to the First Avenue South Bridge that will require...
Performance audit of Sound Transit reveals over $100 million spent to fix mistakes and missing information
From the Washington Policy Center: The Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO) released a performance audit of Sound Transit, finding that the agency should spend more time upfront in carefully designing and planning projects to reduce high...
California Bullet Train Quickly Losing Money and Support
Los Angeles Times: A viaduct built in Madera for California’s high-speed rail project. (High-Speed Rail Authority) Lawmakers are withdrawing their support from the high-speed rail project as many become skeptical of the plans and...
Taking a big hit to ridership, King County Metro sees COVID-19 recovery as opportunity to “reset”
From the Washington Policy Center: In a June 17 update, King County Metro provided information on the agency’s COVID-19 response and recovery, as well as the impact of the pandemic on budget and policy. Metro reported that ridership...
Hold Seattle DOT accountable before trusting it to fix West Seattle Bridge
From the Washington Policy Center:The West Seattle Bridge was first opened to traffic in 1984, replacing a twin drawbridge (or bascule bridge) that had been struck in 1978 by the freighter Chavez. Its replacement – a segmental bridge supported...
There are better solutions and greater needs
Bus Rapid Transit and Bus Rapid Transit “lite” offer more flexibility than light rail. It carries more people more places.
Ride share programs are very cost effective and use existing infrastructure.
Safe bikeways and walkways are needed in every community.
Maintaining our existing infrastructure should be a priority.
Let’s put our money where it actually moves us forward.
What we want in the region
- Invest in a high capacity, affordable, rapid bus system that covers the whole region within a few years instead of inflexible, expensive and limited capacity light rail lines that reach a fraction of the region after decades.
- Finish the HOV system and commit to policies that keep it functioning at 45 mph 90 percent of the time.
- Realize the extraordinary potential of carpool and vanpool programs.
- Recognize that new technologies will change the way we get around making it even more critical to have the flexibility to upgrade and change as we need.
- Maintain our existing roads and bridges and fix the choke points that lead to congestion.
- Spend money on the simple sidewalk, safe crosswalk and bike path. These make communities truly livable and walkable.
- Start with the question, What’s the problem we’re trying to solve? Identify real goals and performance measures and allow objective analysis of the alternatives.
- Put directly elected people in charge instead of unelected boards who have no accountability and often a conflict of interest.
What is Bus Rapid Transit?
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is not buses as you know them. BRT treats buses like subways but with more flexibility. BRT buses always have right of way: they don’t stop at red lights or get stuck in congestion. Loading is also much faster because riders pay before they board, stations are raised to be level with the bus floor, and buses have more and wider doors. One lane can facilitate 300 buses per hour. Light Rail can only handle 10 trains per hour and can never have more than 4 cars per train.
King County Metro’s Rapid Ride is not BRT – think of bus service on a continuum from classic slow city bus to “rail on rubber tires.” This description of BRT (bus rapid transit) contains all the elements of an ideal system. But, many things can be done to improve the speed of the buses through a corridor. KIng County Metro’s Rapid Ride is really just higher frequency – more should be done to actually make it “rapid.”
Read the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy’s “What is BRT?” for a fuller picture.
Even the former FTA Administrator advocated for expanding Bus Rapid Transit type service over expensive rail …at one time.
– Peter Rogoff in 2010 as head of Federal Transit Administration
In November, 2015, Peter Rogoff took over as CEO of Sound Transit and is now “excited by big light rail expansion plans.”
Get involved
Contact your appointed and elected officials: Puget Sound Regional Council, Sound Transit Board and Washington State Legislature.
Volunteer: Smarter Transit is a non-profit organization run by all volunteers. We need help with research, writing, speaking, networking.
Share what you’ve learned with friends and on social media.
Contact Maggie Fimia or John Niles: Here
Learn more
Sound Transit Revealed Get into the numbers of light rail, BRT and SoundTransit.
Transportation Matters A blog about rails, cities and politics in the Pacific Northwest.
Key Performance Measures Our report on what the data shows for transit 2040.
Here is a summary of the Sound Transit Contracts See who contracts with Sound Transit and also how many staff they hire
All Sound Transit contracts over $100,000 since 2007 by category
http://www.citylab.com/search/?q=does+light+rail+work
Does Light Rail Really Encourage People to Stop Driving? No, but it does pull them off buses, if a new study of British systems is any indicator.
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2013/02/does-light-rail-encourage-people-stop-driving/4800/
Have Light Rail Systems Been Worth the Investment?
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/04/have-us-light-rail-systems-been-worth-investment/8838/
Expedia Moves to Seattle
84% of Portland’s regional trips still by car
Despite bike and transit gains, 84 percent of Portland region’s trips still by car: Metro study
Transit Riders Union concerned about a two class transit system
https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/03/22/23823256/transit-riders-union-concerned-that-two-class-based-public-transportations-systems-taking-shape-in-seattle
Hawaii struggles to keep rail project from becoming a boondoggle
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/21/us/hawaii-struggles-to-keep-rail-project-from-becoming-a-boondoggle.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
Billions Spent but fewer people using public transportation in Southern California
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ridership-slump-20160127-story.html
http://www.soundtransitrevealed.com
Transportation Matters – Troy Serad has a passion for transit, especially trains that make sense, does not own a car, but the most important thing is that, like Mark Ahlers, his information is based on facts and careful research. His background is in urban planning, rail planning, accounting and cartography. https://transportationmatters.wordpress.com
What is Bus Rapid Transit – BRT?
https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/
Great website that works with cities around the world on transportation issues including Bus Rapid Transit.
https://www.itdp.org
Bus Rapid Transit Institute – National data and info
CETA Archives, Coalition for Effective Transportation Alternatives
</a>http://www.effectivetransportation.org<a href=”http://smartertransit.org/resources-and-organizations/”></a>
http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/Adopted%202016%20Budget.pdf
Contact your local elected officials:
http://www.psrc.org/about/members/
Find Your Legislator:
http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
About Face by Sound Transit CEO
https://transit.dot.gov/about/speeches/administrator-peter-remarks-boston-reserve-bank-next-stop-national-summit-future
2014 PSRC Regional Growth Centers – Where does growth really go in our Region?
http://www.psrc.org/assets/10190/Centers_Monitoring.pdf?processed=true
June 1, 2015 Crosscut We Deserve Better Transportation Planning
March 26, 2015 Daily Journal of Commerce Transportation 2040 Plan: What’s the Return on our $174 Billion investment?
Latest transportation stories from local papers
In the interest of providing the whole range of news regarding transportation and transit we are providing links to current articles and opinion pages. Smarter Transit does not necessarily agree with the views or info provided in all articles or op-eds.
Seattle Times
- Police launch distracted-driving patrols in King...by Mike Lindblom on July 28, 2021 at 1:00 pm
King County police agencies will spend extra time patrolling for drivers who illegally use a cellphone behind the wheel, safety officials say. Surveys show that the percentage of drivers seen holding a phone rose last year.
- ‘Mr. Barricade’ promotes quick-build bike...by Michelle Baruchman on July 26, 2021 at 1:00 pm
In our latest Traffic Lab Q&A, the CEO and president of Crossroad Lab explains how cities can quickly install temporary bike lanes and pedestrian improvements while developing longer-term plans for more permanent facilities.
- Hockey fans can expect to pay more to park near...by Michelle Baruchman on July 24, 2021 at 1:00 pm
The Seattle City Council will consider a proposal Monday to raise on-street parking fees in Uptown during large events at Climate Pledge Arena. Hockey fans parking near the area could pay $22 to park for four hours.
- New Northgate pedestrian bridge could honor late...by Mike Lindblom on July 23, 2021 at 3:58 pm
Seattle Councilmember Debora Juarez has proposed to name a walk-bike bridge at Northgate for the late civil rights leader John Lewis. The bridge over Interstate 5 will connect North Seattle College to the new Northgate light-rail station.
- Help name Washington’s next ferryby Daisy Zavala on July 23, 2021 at 12:01 am
The Washington State Transportation Commission is calling on residents to submit name proposals for a new ferry. Deadline to submit is 5 p.m. Friday Oct. 1.
- Seattle’s new Fairview Avenue bridge opens...by Mike Lindblom on July 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm
The opening of the $52 million span comes after two years of detours. Walkers, cyclists and skaters will get to enjoy the bridge deck for two hours before motor vehicles start crossing.
- 10-year-old girl struck and killed on Olympic...by The Chronicle on July 20, 2021 at 6:19 pm
A 10-year-old girl is dead and a 12-year-old girl was airlifted with critical injuries after a woman suffered a medical event, drove off U.S. Highway 101 and struck them on the Olympic Peninsula Monday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
- A robot will fetch owners’ cars under this...by Mike Lindblom on July 20, 2021 at 1:00 pm
The Spire condominiums on Denny Way will provide 266 spaces where drivers leave their car near the entrance, and a robotic dolly parks it. Besides saving space, the system is safer than standard garages, says supplier Parkworks.
- What questions do you have about possible Sound...by Michelle Baruchman on July 19, 2021 at 1:00 pm
Sound Transit faces a $6 billion to $8 billion shortfall to build light-rail and bus extensions promised in Sound Transit 3. The agency is talking about delaying some projects. What questions do you have about those possible delays?
- Repairs bring traffic havoc again this weekend on...by Mike Lindblom on July 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm
Southbound I-5 will shrink to one or two lanes again this weekend through Sodo as contractors resume resurfacing the 56-year-old freeway. Similar work in late June created traffic jams of 4 to 5 miles approaching downtown.
Everett Herald
- Heat wave melted county roads, buckled sidewalksby Ben Watanabe on July 26, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Extreme temperatures in late June, likely a result of climate change, damaged asphalt and concrete. Heat wave melted county roads, buckled sidewalks Ben Watanabe
- Lessons in biking and busing to a Snohomish...by Ben Watanabe on July 19, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Don’t pick a route almost entirely uphill and along a single-lane highway without shoulders. Lessons in biking and busing to a Snohomish County campground Ben Watanabe
- County drops Pilchuck Creek bridge to one lane...by Ben Watanabe on July 13, 2021 at 10:38 pm
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Deterioration of the bridge, built in 1933, prompted capacity and weight restrictions. County drops Pilchuck Creek bridge to one lane near Stanwood Ben Watanabe
- No quick solutions to Highway 9 commute through...by Ben Watanabe on July 12, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Some drivers try shortcuts that frustrate neighbors and add to the gridlock in the area. No quick solutions to Highway 9 commute through Snohomish Ben Watanabe
- Rail boosters to Sound Transit: Don’t delay...by Wire Service on July 10, 2021 at 2:41 pm
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington “For too long Everett has paid into the system with minimum benefit,” said transit supporter Brock Howell. Rail boosters to Sound Transit: Don’t delay Link expansion Wire Service
- Speedy Smokey Point Boulevard is temporarily...by Ben Watanabe on July 5, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington The change is part of a “complete streets” demonstration for shared roads — and it could be the future. Speedy Smokey Point Boulevard is temporarily slowed down Ben Watanabe
- Going somewhere? So are a million others over...by Ben Watanabe on July 1, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington COVID restriction-easing and a three-day weekend this year could make travel hectic. Going somewhere? So are a million others over July 4 weekend Ben Watanabe
- Everett council asks for transit merger steering...by Ben Watanabe on June 28, 2021 at 8:30 am
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Survey results show strong support for growth options, which prompted the City Council to act. Everett council asks for transit merger steering committee Ben Watanabe
- Filter and flow: Learn more about air circulation...by Community Transit on June 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Here’s some refreshing info that will help you breathe easy while riding Community Transit: there is excellent air circulation and ventilation on their buses to help reduce the spread of […]
- Filter and flow: Learn more about air circulation...by Community Transit on June 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Here’s some refreshing info that will help you breathe easy while riding Community Transit: there is excellent air circulation and ventilation on their buses to help reduce the spread of […]
Tacoma News Tribune
- California woman dies after crashing motorcycle...on July 25, 2021 at 9:18 pm
A California woman has died at an area hospital after crashing her motorcycle on the Washington state coast Friday afternoon, according to updated information released Sunday by Washington State Patrol. … Click to Continue »
- Two killed in collision between motorcycle and...on July 19, 2021 at 2:03 am
There has been a deadly wreck on I-705 near the on-ramp to northbound I-5, the Tacoma Fire Department reported Sunday. The crash, which involved multiple vehicles, occurred about 6:30 p.m., … Click to Continue »
- There may be delays at Stadium Way and Division...on July 17, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Drivers should avoid the Stadium Way and Division Avenue intersection in Tacoma starting Monday, July 19 until the end of August as Sound Transit will be installing the remaining tracks … Click to Continue »
- Maintenance crews work on northbound I-5 in Fife...on July 14, 2021 at 5:01 pm
UPDATE: WSDOT shared shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday that maintenance crews determined they can get the work down without traffic slowdowns. Drivers going northbound on Interstate 5 on Wednesday … Click to Continue »
- Puyallup looks again to lessen traffic backups on...on July 12, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Puyallup City Council members agree more work needs to be done on Shaw Road, but they’re concerned about the funding. Council member at-large Dean Johnson said in knocking on doors … Click to Continue »
- Pedestrian hurt after being hit by motorcycle in...on July 11, 2021 at 5:30 pm
A Puyallup motorcyclist, who was allegedly driving under the influence, faces a charge of vehicular assault after he crashed into a pedestrian early Sunday, according to Washington State Patrol. The … Click to Continue »
- One dead in crash on Pacific Highway South in...on July 9, 2021 at 11:36 pm
One person died in a crash along Pacific Highway South at South 356th Street in Milton on Friday. Milton police are investigating the wreck, which involved two vehicles. Police say … Click to Continue »
- Heading in, out of Tacoma this Fourth of July...on July 2, 2021 at 12:00 pm
With warm weather still abundant after Western Washington’s recent heat wave, some typical holiday traffic is to be expected this Fourth of July weekend. According to the Washington State Department … Click to Continue »
- Semi-truck overturned on I-5 ramp in Tacoma;...on July 2, 2021 at 12:35 am
A semi-truck overturned Thursday afternoon on northbound I-5 at the interchange to I-705 in Tacoma, blocking several lanes. The Tacoma Fire Department initially responded to the incident at 3:45 p.m., … Click to Continue »
- Video shows serious collision on northbound I-5...on June 29, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Two Olympia motorists collided Friday evening on northbound I-5 near Tumwater. Although no one was hurt, the driver who caused the crash was cited for driving in an aggressive manner, Trooper Robert Reyer said Monday. … Click to Continue »