Metro revises fall service changes but doesn't back off cut to First Hill's 2

The just-released revisions to Metro's proposed Fall 2012 service changes don't include any significant Capitol Hill area-related updates from the the proposals for routes on and around Capitol Hill CHS documented in November. You can look at that in two ways. On one hand, Metro planners decided not to incorporate any feedback you provided via their online survey or at a series of public meetings on the changes. On the other, at least the agency isn't proposing to tweak your commute any further.

Meanwhile, a community group is rallying around pushing back the changes proposed for Route 2. Details below.

A quick spin through Metro's "Have a Say" site shows this message in red for nearly all the area routes CHS took a look at:

The exception is Route 2. But the agency isn't, yet, backing off its plans to slice the route connecting Queen Anne and First Hill via downtown. Instead, the revision from the November proposal is a tweak designed to replace service on the QA end of things.

Our updates from November plus insights from Seattle Transit Blog's Bruce Nourish, then, still stand. We've included most of that information again, below. Not everything in central Seattle was static, however. Central District News reports that Metro has backpedaled on its proposal to trim route 27.

Nourish, meanwhile, sums up the rest of the revised proposal package here.

He provided this overview of the proposed fall 2012 changes to us in November. We also recommend reading the comment thread on that post for some good discussion of the changes and the process. Thanks much to Aleks Bromfield for his contribution to that discussion.

Bruce Nourish notes on Metro Fall 2012 service proposals:

* Route 11 gets a major boost in weekday midday frequency from 30 to 15 minutes, while nights and weekends remain at 30.

* Route 14N (the part of the 14 north of where it turns on Pike) is split off from the 14S and will cease service around 7 PM on all days; frequency will drop to 45 minutes on the weekends and weekday midday, staying at its current rush hour frequency.

* Routes 10, 11 and 14N will now terminate on 2nd Ave & Pine/Pike downtown, exactly like the 43 does now. This means you'll have to walk/transfer to get to the south parts of downtown and other places that those routes previously went to (Colman Dock, West Seattle, Jackson St/Mount Baker), but will make these buses much more reliable.

* Route 12 will now loop around at Colman Dock, requiring a walk/transfer to get to the north end of downtown. Its frequency will not change, but see the next point.

* Route 2's northern segment, from the point where it now turns from Seneca to 3rd Ave will be deleted; instead, it will be routed down Madison/Marion just like the 12 (It's probably worth showing the map below, to help readers understand this). The 2 will maintain its current frequency, but will be staggered to provide very frequent service from Colman Dock to the three-way intersection of 12th Ave, Union and Madison: 7.5 minutes during the day Mon-Sat and 15 minutes on evenings/Sundays. This is a very high level of service, some of the best in the city.

* Routes 9X, 43, 48, 49, and 60 remain unchanged on Capitol Hill, but see the next two points.

* Route 48X is replaced with more trips on the 48N, but the 48X operates only from Crown Hill to the U-District, so that shouldn't affect riders on the south part of the route.

* Route 60 is unchanged in Capitol Hill. Way to the south, it will stop serving the VA Hospital on Beacon Hill and be extended slightly in White Center, moving its terminus to Westwood Village.

At this point, the most significant community effort in the area now seems to be focused on preserving Route 2 service. Here's a flyer being distributed by a group hoping to push Metro to re-think the change.

R2 - Flyer 1-24

You have more opportunities to provide feedback either online or at one of the upcoming community meetings including the closest to our area on February 27. A rep from Metro also left a comment on our previous post inviting calls or email on the changes:

(206) 263-9768 (voice mail, but we listen to it every day and take down all messages as part of the public record) haveasay@kingcounty.gov