Seattle Transit Blog doesn't like 12th Ave streetcar route

As Tuesday night's community meeting to discuss possible routes for the new streetcar approaches, here's what we know about 12th Ave's role in the plans:

• There's community interest on Capitol Hill and the Central District in including 12th in the route. CHS's Josh Mahar makes the argument for 12th here.
• King County councilmember Larry Phillips has come out in favor of studying a 12th Ave route.
• And it's probably safe for bikes

Here's one more thing. The rapid transportation geeks at Seattle Transit Blog say the 12th Ave route alternative is the worst of the bunch:

The first and most fundamental problem with the 12th Ave alignment is the couplet.

While the couplet increases total coverage of the streetcar, it dramatically reduces the quality of that coverage. By separating the northbound and southbound travel by 3 blocks, the area that is close to both a northbound and southbound station is reduced significantly.

 

To prove their point, STB created the map graphic linked on this post which illustrates the 'walk shed' of the 12th Ave route -- basically, what areas would be within walking distance of the streetcar line. After examining the maps, we'll take STB's word for it. The site also argues that zoning for future development makes a route on Boren a better option and that the only institution that would benefit from the 12th Ave route would be Seattle University.

STB also makes a point that even we can see in the fancy maps -- a 12th Ave route would serve only the edges of First Hill well. What we don't know is how important that factor will be in the city's process to determine the final route.

We'll be bringing you more on the proposed alternatives in the coming days including updated arguments for 12th Ave and information about who on the Hill is backing which route.