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Metro Transit

Crosscut most recent

Tolls: a long road still ahead to get best results

Posted Mon, Jan 9, 2 a.m.

There are some encouraging signs, but tolls can't work as well as possible without more flexibility and wider adoption. And cross-lake efficiencies also require much more flexibility in transit than reliance on light rail.

READ MORE 22 COMMENTS

Bus rapid transit is good but it's not rail

Posted Thu, Dec 1, 2 a.m.

Opponents of rail transit tend to talk up the advantages of bus rapid transit. But are they even serious about promoting fast buses?

READ MORE 26 COMMENTS

Light rail and streetcars could double up on voters next year

Posted Thu, Nov 24, 8:30 p.m.

An effort has been launched to get a Ballard-University District light-rail line on the ballot. And won't Mayor McGinn be back with something to keep his vision for streetcars moving forward?

READ MORE 32 COMMENTS

Will levy fatigue doom another run at Seattle car-tab fees?

Posted Tue, Nov 22, 2 a.m.

As the city comes to terms with this year's failed car tab fee, officials are already looking for a new ballot measure. But the calendar is looking full.

READ MORE 20 COMMENTS

Voters aside, Seattle is full speed ahead on rail

Posted Mon, Nov 21, 2 a.m.

While the city's residents just rejected a tax that included $18 million for streetcar planning, Seattle's Transit Master Plan envisions devoting most of a 20-year effort to streetcar lines.

READ MORE 34 COMMENTS

While citizens are told to have courage, Metro ducks

Posted Thu, Nov 10, 2 a.m.

Two court cases in Washington state are testing how free speech and security relate to one another in a modern era.

READ MORE 3 COMMENTS

The smarmy faux populism of I-1125

Posted Fri, Nov 4, 2 a.m.

Tim Eyman and company claim they just want to help the poor folks who can't afford higher tolls at rush hour. Don't believe them.

READ MORE 9 COMMENTS

Why voting for city car tabs is a tough call. And the right one.

Posted Thu, Oct 27, 2 a.m.

Seattle's Proposition 1 doesn't look all that attractive (does anyone really want to vote for something that says "fee increase" in the ballot title?). But here's how a density and transit advocate decided to vote yes.

READ MORE 18 COMMENTS

Seattle's car tab proposition lets city move ahead

Posted Tue, Oct 25, 2 a.m.

Proposition 1 has taken its share of criticism, and it's not perfect. But voting against would be perfectly wrong for a city that wants to compete economically in the country and the world.

READ MORE 20 COMMENTS

How safe are Seattle's roads?

Posted Mon, Oct 24, 10:41 a.m.

New data, relevant to tonight's Road Safety Summit at City Hall, suggest elderly pedestrians are being mowed down more than cyclists. The data indicates police ought to focus more on drivers who fail to yield to walkers and bikers. And we're not making much progress in reducing auto traffic.

READ MORE 27 COMMENTS

Eyman's I-1125 blocks voters' will on light rail

Posted Fri, Oct 21, 2 a.m.

Bellevue Square redeveloper Kemper Freeman Jr. found the perfect partner and issue for quietly advancing his anti-rail agenda.

READ MORE 17 COMMENTS

Can Seattle get its leadership groove back?

Posted Mon, Oct 17, 2 a.m.

The secret to urban success, says Ron Sims, is regional coherence. How do you achieve that? Leadership. But where does that come from, and how does it work? History offers some examples.

READ MORE 19 COMMENTS

Double-tall buses: sitting pretty

Posted Wed, Oct 12, 2 a.m.

Community Transit, serving north of Seattle, has made the smart move of buying sleek double-decker commuter buses. The ride is thrilling, and the views are stunning.

READ MORE 6 COMMENTS

Cities now compete on how well they plan for biking-walking-transit

Posted Mon, Sep 5, 2 a.m.

With more people moving to urban settings, the cities such as Portland and Minneapolis that do the most to build transit and bike-friendly streets will be the economic winners.

READ MORE 12 COMMENTS

Metro Transit: poor people stuck with the tab again?

Posted Tue, Aug 30, 2 a.m.

In with Metro's new $20 vehicle license renewal fee, out with Seattle's old ride free area downtown.

READ MORE 16 COMMENTS

The sorry state of Seattle's streets

Posted Fri, Aug 12, 2 a.m.

The crisis in repairing pavement of our streets has been getting worse for 25 years. In the next few days, the Seattle City Council must decide on a November ballot measure that would raise car tab fees to address a little of this acute problem. Here's new data on how bad the pothole plague has become.

READ MORE 47 COMMENTS

The Big Bore and the Big War

Posted Tue, Aug 2, 2 a.m.

How the Viaduct issue has become such a high-stakes, unending, deeply meaningful battle over the future of Seattle.

READ MORE 57 COMMENTS

Playing chicken with Metro buses

Posted Mon, Jul 25, 2 a.m.

The bus system threatens to make big cuts, including on popular Seattle routes, if it doesn't get relief in the form of a surcharge on car-license tabs. Suburban members of the County Council balk at helping more transit-friendly parts of the county. Meanwhile, the city is threatening to put its own big ask to the voters for transit on the same November ballot.

READ MORE 19 COMMENTS

Local leaders blunder on three big issues

Posted Wed, Jun 15, 2 a.m.

On transit-oriented development, taxes, and tunnels, local leaders are earning the dismal verdict: They made it worse.

READ MORE 23 COMMENTS

What's the latest 'big idea'? And does it solve anything for Seattle?

Posted Tue, May 31, 2 a.m.

Consider the city's intense discussion of street food. Could we just be trying to promote something here because it has proved popular elsewhere? Some careful reflection may help us determine whether we are really on to something that will make a difference.

READ MORE 9 COMMENTS

King County Metro Transit (buses). Bookmark this page (Cntrl+D in Windows and Linux, Cmd+D on a Mac) if you'd like to check this topic regularly.

Metro Transit Blog posts

Amtrak Cascades: Is it robbing social services here?

Posted Wed, Feb 2, 10:22 p.m. 2011

The costs and benefits of Amtrak Cascades deserve closer attention from Washington state.

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Gregoire says two tunnel bids meet or beat expectations

Posted Sun, Oct 31, 11:15 a.m. 2010

Both bidders offered to do the work at or below the price state officials had expected.

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Sound Transit's (un)progress report on light rail

Posted Sat, Aug 21, 11 a.m. 2010

Light rail costs $7.13 per trip and a quarter of the time it's late, argues a critic of the system.

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'T' words on the mayor's mind: transit, transportation, and taxes

Posted Wed, Aug 11, 12:45 p.m. 2010

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said today that he likes the ideas the city council is pursuing on taxes and vehicle fees to improve transportation. But he would like the council to look at a bigger parking tax hike.

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As government dollars grow more scarce, how about 'incentive liberalism'?

Posted Sun, Jun 6, 10:38 p.m. 2010

You might call this approach "Duncanism," after the Race to the Top competition. It could be a good solution for future Metro transit service.

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The Metro task force gingerly starts down a long road

Posted Tue, Apr 20, 10:29 p.m. 2010

At stake are questions of equity and how to reconfigure the bus system in the light of a financial crisis. Buckle up!

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What's cool about Rain City's new train

Posted Fri, Jan 8, 6 a.m. 2010

A writer takes Link Light Rail to Sea-Tac for the first time and finds the experience trumps even the environmental benefits.

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Adding insult to injury

Posted Fri, Jan 30, noon 2009

Not only are jobs getting scarcer, but costs are still rising. What is it about recessions that the government doesn't understand?

MORE

Let it snow!

Posted Thu, Jan 8, 11:07 a.m. 2009

Do we really like this kind of rain better than the white stuff?

MORE

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the crusade against I-985

Posted Thu, Oct 30, 11:40 a.m. 2008

The editorial board at the P-I has penned eight op-eds on why voters should reject Initiative 985, Tim Eyman's traffic congestion relief measure. Overkill? Apparently not — there's a new op-ed against I-985 on the way.

MORE

Clicker

Police: Bus passenger punches driver, causes accident The passenger allegedly assaulted the Metro Transit driver after refusing to pay the full fare -- but demanding a transfer slip anyway. The driver suffered a broken leg.

SEATTLEPI.COM | COMMENT NOW

Sound Transit train's open door was very much against policy A driver faces firing over an incident in which a Link Light Rail train pulled into Westlake Station with a door open.

SEATTLE TIMES | COMMENT NOW

Is 'buy American' too political for Metro? Jim Brunner writes, "Reversing a previous ban, King County Metro Transit said Thursday it will accept bus ads urging shoppers to 'Buy American' and 'Shop Locally.'"

SEATTLE TIMES | 1 COMMENTS

Seattle rejects transportation fee on cars Voters went strongly against a $60 per year car tab measure to finance road, transit, bike, and pedestrian improvements, plus planning for new street car lines.

SEATTLE TIMES | COMMENT NOW

Local firm will assemble Czech-made streetcars That brings some local jobs in building the new First Hill streetcars.

SEATTLE TIMES | COMMENT NOW

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