It appears you can fight King County Metro and win…at least for a while.
Bus activists in Magnolia and some other areas of the city are celebrating their victory over Metro’s plans to change bus service in their neighborhoods.
However, it appears to be only a temporary victory.
Comments from disgruntled bus riders about the proposed changes to bus routes, including No. 2, which runs from Madrona to Pioneer Square and up to Queen Anne Hill, and Magnolia’s No. 24, helped sway King County Metro to back off restructuring or curtailing some of the routes.
For Magnolia residents, the announcement means the plans to reduce service along route No. 24, which includes West Viewmont Way West and 28th Avenue West, will be shelved. In fact, about 20 of the 70 route alterations Metro proposed last year for all of its service areas have been put on hold for the time being.
Metro officials say they received about 1,000 comments about the proposed bus changes. David Hull of the Seattle Department of Transportation, was quoted at a recent meeting as saying that “generally, people are liking the idea” of the changes.
We aren’t sure whom Mr. Hull is talking with, but it is certainly no one that we have talked to in the neighborhoods impacted by the changes. In fact, the proposals and process have been strongly rejected by many bus riders who feel the changes, slated to go into effect on Sept. 29, were thrust on people too quickly. They say they were not given enough notice of the changes.
Certainly, that was the case for Magnolia residents, who had signed various petitions against the changes. One petition alone had collected nearly 400 signatures.
Of course, the reality of King County’s continuing financial woes will require Metro to find new ways to reduce costs and find efficiencies in the future. That means Metro officials will be forced to revisit the shelved service changes in 2013. Metro officials will focus on those areas that have low ridership, including Magnolia and other neighborhoods around Seattle.
Metro officials are certainly in a difficult position, trying to save money while also supplying the services riders have grown accustomed to. They have worked hard during the last year to develop route changes that are more efficient, reach more riders and cause the least amount of disruption.
But Metro’s outreach to the affected neighborhoods and the ability of officials to explain the changes have left much to be desired.
Let’s hope this current reprieve will give Metro the time to refine its plans and better connect with the affected communities.
[[In-content Ad]]