We reported last week on the unfortunate 6-block gap across Broadway that has suddenly been created for Metro routes 43 and 8. We caught up with King County spokesperson Linda Thielke today for clarification on what the county is doing to get a stop back in commission near the Hill’s most significant thoroughfare. Thielke tells us that Metro is, indeed, looking at the option of adding a “temporary” stop at East Olive and Harvard but it will take some time to work out with the City of Seattle. Fortunately, Thielke says, it’s not going to take two years to figure out. “It’s not something we can just go do — We have to work with the city,” Thielke said. “But just because you don’t see it yet, doesn’t mean we’ve given up.” Thielke said that progress has been made with the city on a solution.
If you’d like to add your thoughts to the process, Thielke suggests e-mailing [email protected]
I haven’t been complaining all that much about the stops at Boylston being removed (even though they’re right at my front door) because the stops west are just a few blocks away.
But the temporary stops are only a half block from the original ones. How hard can it be to “work with the city” to get those put up? Especially when the issue of the 6 block gap should have been figured out before the stops where removed. It’s too bad they waited until after people complained to try and solve the problem.
Taking away those bus stops was pretty stupid. Those are very busy area’s and a lot of older and handycaped folks use them all the time. I truly belive that the bureacrat types who make these dicisions have their heads so far up their butts that they can’t see or hear anymore. They live in a small, moronic world of dumness and scheclabala.
Most drivers continue to stop at the “phantom” stop on eastbound John just past Broadway.
It’s nice, sometimes, that actual humans are still in charge of operating the system, isn’t it?
i heard that the hauling trucks for the Link construction is routed on olive Way to John for months and that trucks may line up back to Harvard! if that’s true, it makes sense to not have bus zones at Harvard or buses would get stuck trying to get to the zone. besides, is it really too far to travel back two blocks from 11th Ave to Broadway?
I agree with others who have already commented. How come this was not thought of ahead of the stops being removed. Its so sad that Metro charges more and we keep getting less and less service. If they were any other business they would be out of business. Oh, that’s right! No competition. So we have to put up with their crappy ways….
This happened to my friend and me the other day. We saw the Broadway stop was closed so we thought, “Okay, we’ll just walk down to the next stop.” Well, By the time we got down the 6 blocks we had missed two buses so we figured we might as well walk over to Pine and catch a bus there. Good thing we weren’t old people.
Yeah, why didn’t someone think of this before they took out the stops?
I’m on the Pedestrian Advisory Board and (I think?) the Transit Riders Union Steering Committee. I’ve posted this link to Tom Rasmussen’s Facebook page. He chairs the Seattle City Council’s Transportation Committee and has been responsive and solicited our suggestions recently. Andrew Cencini and I are getting together shortly to write something more official to the city.
The temporary relocation of the Broadway & John stop is necessary, but I thought it was going to 10th Ave. rather than 11th. I worked a very little with SDOT and the community council to make sure we were getting pedestrian crossing improvements on Boylston at Olive and Denny, and I’m thrilled with the refuge island we got on Olive. (A curb bulb at Denny & Boylston is coming thanks to additional funding from Sound Transit) I do not understand why the Boylston bus stops were removed at the same time the crossing island was installed–and I don’t think the community was consulted on that. This obviously shouldn’t have been done while the Broadway stop is at 10th or 11th. They are also planning to remove the eastbound stop on Olive just past Howell St. I’m not sure if that’s been done already, but I don’t think the neighborhood was consulted on that either.
In general, Metro bus stops tend to be spaced closer together than they need to be, slowing down buses and compromising their reliability. But as stops are removed or consolidated, it’s critical that nearby residents who use the stops be consulted, and that removals, consolidations, and relocations be coordinated so we don’t get a dunderhead result like we have at the moment. I was leery of removing the Boylston stops already as we’re a dense neighborhood with high transit use; these stops are at the heart of an urban center and do get used.
See SDOT link: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/docs/Community
here’s the right one (PDF): http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/docs/LLR%20Ped
you seem active in the community and ‘in the know’! so Sound Transit and SDOT had the plan and $$$ for the crosswalk and Metro closed the bus zones just before the project started. SDOT owns the streets and sidewalks – did they ask or make Metro close the zones? I’m also curious – have you talked to anyone from those agencies to ask why this crosswalk and closing the bus zone at Broadway at the same time? Poor timing? It sems there must be a reason why the stop at 10th wasn’t put in… also, is it true that the Link construction trucks will line up west of Broadway? and who is the ‘they’ closing the Olive and Howell bus zone? that’s ‘my’ zone and I want to protest immediately to ‘them’!
One of the main transfer points for the #8 and #43 is Broadway and John, and if the the east bound stop on the southeast corner cannot be restored then in the interest of the all riders a temporary one on the northwest corner should be created. I’m glad to hear that the some of the bus drivers still stop going east. Nonetheless, no one can depend on it.
I made a mistake. Harvard may be an acceptable alternative.