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Buses and beyond: Council accepts report implementing transit alternatives
Summary
Delivering traditional transit service in new forms
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The Metropolitan King County Council today adopted a motion accepting a five-year implementation plan for alternatives to the delivery of traditional transit service to King County communities that need transit but not big buses.
“Productive routes take time to germinate—this plan to identify innovative approaches to alternative and ‘right-sized’ transit with the help of community stakeholders, will help make our transit system more viable and should increase ridership,” said ordinance sponsor Councilmember Jane Hague. “This is especially important for our suburban fringes.”
As part of the ordinance approving the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2011-2021 adopted by the Council in 2011, Metro Transit was directed to explore the concept of alternative services both as a cost-saving measure and as a way to serve communities where fixed-route bus service may not be cost-effective.
In adopting the legislation that implemented the temporary Congestion Reduction Charge, the Council included language calling on Metro to investigate options for alternative or “right-sized” transit service. The ordinance approving the Transit Strategic Plan called for Metro to develop and deliver to the Council a five-year implementation plan for alternative services. Today’s adopted motion accepts Metro’s report.
The Five-Year Implementation Plan identifies three geographic areas of the County – Northeast (Snoqualmie Valley), Southeast, and Vashon Island – as locations for three initial pilot projects. Working with community stakeholders, Metro will present alternative service options for consideration and possible implementation in 2013-2014.
The Council amended the motion accepting the Five-Year Implementation Plan to support swift implementation of the pilot projects, to consider alternative service options for “first-mile” transit needs, and to emphasize the importance of integrating a wide selection of alternative service options—such as Dial-A-Ride-Transit buses that can go off regular routes in parts of their service area, vanpools, Community shuttles, Bike sharing and volunteer drivers —into Metro’s planning process for revising bus routes.
The Council also called for the addition of a fourth pilot project to address suburban connections to high-volume bus routes on major transit corridors.