My name is Bob Fleming, and I am very interested in seeing a greatly improved transportation system for Seattle and the surrounding region.

Current System

First of all, I must say that the Seattle area has a pretty good transportation system now, with a pretty good highway system and quite good system of public transportation.

FREEWAYS: There are two north-south Interstate highways, one east-west Interstate highway, and several other main routes. For more about the current highway system, click here.

MASS TRANSIT: Public transportation is provided by public bus systems operated by three counties and a city. There is also a regional transit authority providing express bus service, commuter rail service, and light rail service. Additionally, there is a short monorail line. For more about current public transit, click here.

News

SEATTLE-AREA TRANSIT RIDERSHIP SHOWS BIG GAINS (10 March 2008) — The American Public Transportation Association reports that ridership increased more than in most other areas of the U.S. in 2007. The national average was an increase of 2%. but for Sound Transit it was 12.5% and King County Metro showed an increase of 7%.

Broken down differently, by mode rather than agency, commuter rail in the Seattle area increased by 27%, the fourth highest in the country. For bus service, Seattle was number one in the nation with an 8% increase, and the Seattle area increased 4% in light rail and trolley ridership, with the only operating line in 2007 being the 1.6-mile Tacoma Link streetcar.

By mode, national averages are 5% for commuter rail, 1% for bus service, and 6% for light rail and trolleys.

Proposed Projects

There are several projects being considered for future transportation. These are some of them:

EASTSIDE RAIL CORRIDOR — King County executive Ron Simms is trying to make a deal with the Port of Seattle to obtain use of part of a rail corridor no long needed by BNSF railroad. The corridor runs from Renton north to Snohomish, and Simms want King County to lease or buy the southern portion of the corridor for use as a bicycle and walking trail, with possible future use for a light rail line. Click here for more about the Eastside Rail Corridor.

My Opinions

My opinions are concerned mostly with mass transit in the Seattle area. This region is quite hilly. The population of the City of Seattle is approximately 550,000 people, and the population of the region which includes Seattle is approximately 1,500,000. The population density is fairly high in a few small areas, but is fairly low for most of the area (urban sprawl). Most of the people own cars and would rather drive than use mass transit.

The modes of mass transit that I think would work best in the Seattle area are different from those that I think would work best in areas with mostly flat terrain, with significantly lower or higher population, or with significantly lower or higher population densities. The availability of funding can also make a difference.

WE NEED BOTH HIGHWAYS AND MASS TRANSIT: The Seattle area needs improved highways and streets, but also a good mass transit system with an integrated mix of different modes of transportation. The two systems complement each other.

MANY PEOPLE CAN’T USE MASS TRANSIT: No matter how good the public transportation system is, many people need to drive. The goal should not be to try to eliminate most of the automobile traffic, but rather to improve public transit as much as possible in order to reduce a significant part of highway traffic. We still need to improve the streets and highways, but we also need to put a lot more money into public transit. Superior public transit will reduce highway traffic and therefore reduce the amount of money needed to improve roads.

MONORAILS WOULD BE THE REGIONAL HIGH-SPEED TRANSIT BACKBONE: My vision of a truly successful public transit system would begin with a skeletal network of high-speed monorails interconnecting the major centers of population, work, and activities. The monorails would be the high-density backbone of the system, carrying large numbers of passengers quickly over relatively long distances throughout the region from Marysville in the north to Fort Lewis in the south and to Redmond and Issaquah in the east.

In many cities subways, heavy rail (commuter rail), or light rail are effective for the basic high-speed mass transit backbone. However I don’t feel rail is the best solution for Seattle. I don’t think that the population density of Seattle, especially for mass transit riders, is sufficient to justify the very high cost of a subway system. Furthermore, rail systems require a fairly level track because on a steeper grade (slope) the steel wheels slip on the steel rails. Because Seattle has many hills, it is necessary to build tunnels in order to avoid steep grades for rail. This runs up the costs, and stations are much more expensive when they have to be located two hundred feet underground. Monorail can handle steeper grades, so is more flexible in construction.

MONORAILS WOULD BE SUPPLEMENTED BY BUS RAPID TRANSIT AND EXPRESS BUSES: Express buses would extend this network to other areas of relatively high ridership density but without enough ridership and/or too geographically remote to be economically served by monorails. Express bus service can also include bus rapid transit (BRT).

LOCAL BUS SERVICE WOULD FILL IN THE AREA BETWEEN THE HIGH-SPEED ROUTES: Local bus service would fill in the areas between the higher-speed routes, passing as close as possible to as many homes, businesses, and other origins and destinations as possible.

THE VARIOUS MEANS OF TRANSIT WOULD BE INTEGRATED INTO ONE SEAMLESS SYSTEM: The goal of this system would be that most people in the region could walk only a short distance to a bus stop and then be able to travel to within only a short distance of their destination. Riders would transfer as necessary from local to high-speed services and back again in order to complete their journey. In order to attract the maximum number of riders, therefore reducing as many auto trips as possible, the services would have to be well integrated into one seamless system. A rider should be able to board a transit vehicle anyplace in the system, pay the fare, receive a transfer, and use that transfer freely throughout the system, possibly paying an additional fare if their trip is long. The fares and zone system should be the same regardless of whether the trip is by bus, street car, monorail, light rail or other mode of public transport within the system.

BIKEWAYS WOULD PROVIDE AN INCENTIVE FOR MORE PEOPLE TO USE BICYCLES: If a lot more people ride bicycles instead of driving, there would be a lot fewer cars on the road, alleviating congestion. Bikeways would make it easier and safer for people to go more places by bicycle.