“Option B”
King County Metro says there is wide support for plans to maintain higher frequency while shifting streets used by key bus routes along the coming Madison RapidRide G corridor but that community feedback could help save the planned cuts to bus service on Summit and Bellevue Ave north of Olive Way.
The agency has released new proposal maps and details of updated plans for its “Madison Street Area” network service revisions. CHS reported here earlier this year on the planning and survey process designed around optimizing bus lines in advance of the expected start of RapidRide G service hoped to begin in 2024.
Under the revised plans, Metro says it is moving ahead with changes to Route 10 and Route 12 with a proposal for the lines be “reoriented” to operate along E Pine instead of E John and Madison, until they turn north on 15th Ave and 19th Ave. Metro is also going ahead with the plan to move Route 11 off Pine.
“The Route 10 and Route 12 proposals were supported by respondents to bring more frequent service to important destinations along Pike Street and Pine Street. The Route 11 proposal had strong support from survey respondents,” Metro said about the decision. “The Route 11 proposal (along with the Route 8) would provide all-day, all-week, frequent service between destinations along Olive Way, John Street, and Thomas Street – such as the Capitol Hill Station, Safeway, Kaiser Permanente, Meany Middle School and more.”
But community push-back on the permanent axing of Route 47 has Metro looking at a new plan for lower Capitol Hill.
“The proposal to permanently remove Route 47 didn’t have strong support from survey respondents,” the Metro announcement said. “In addition, Metro found that people living with a physical disability were much less likely to support the proposal to permanently remove Route 47 than people not living with a physical disability.”
“Community members informed Metro staff that accessing transit can be challenging for some people living with mobility issues in this densely populated part of Capitol Hill given the steep hills that run east and west,” Metro said.
To try to address the need, Metro is proposing two options. One would increase frequency on routes near the Summit and Bellevue corridor while the other would decrease some of those frequencies in exchange for extending some trips on Route 3 to serve the area.
Option A: Higher frequency on revised routes 10, 11, 12 and 49 compared to Option B. Like today, no service would operate on Summit and Bellevue Ave north of Olive Way.
Option B: Add new bus service to Bellevue Ave and Summit Ave north of Olive Way by extending some Route 3 trips*. To make this possible, buses would be less frequent on revised routes 10, 11, 12 and Route 49 compared to Option A.
*Service levels for current routes 3 and 4 in Queen Anne, Uptown, First Hill and Central District would be similar to what they are today.
“We are still evaluating bus service changes in the Summit neighborhood and are exploring two service options in western Capitol Hill and need your feedback to help us decide which option we should choose,” Metro says.
That process will play out faster than the last. Metro says a survey on the options will be open until the end of August at madisonstreetproject.com.
The process to reshape bus service near the new RapidRide bus line comes as construction on the route reached the halfway point earlier this year. The three-year, $134 million SDOT-managed project has grown into a complete overhaul with everything from the city’s sidewalks and intersections to its water and sewer mains being ripped up and replaced along the 2.4-mile route.
When it finally debuts, along with what is hoped to be faster, more efficient bus service, the route will also have new curb ramps, sidewalks, and crossing improvements.
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This really needs to open back up. I miss the old Summit line!
20 minute service all day is not frequent. Even if the 10 & 12 share part of a route both with 20 minute service, they definitely won’t be staggered reliably, and it’ll be 20 minutes between buses. Calling it frequent service does not make it so.
I agree. This makes me sad.
I will be selecting option B. I was sympathetic to the needs of those on Western side of Capitol Hill, and many of those I contacted were also pleased with the process that allowed those needs to be addressed, along with creating new important First Hill, Downtown and Rapid Ride G connections. Also desirable was the redirecting of some of Route 3 to create another non-transfer trolley route through downtown for those who may have difficulty making transfers. It is a good use of the existing trolley lines and provides important new service and is an example of the Metro and SDOT providing solutions based on community feedback and needs.