Week of May 15, 2006

More people putting their cars on the ‘park-and-ride’ diet

Metro Transit has seen a steady increase in park-and-ride usage over the past two years, and 2006 is turning out to be no different. Daily park-and-ride use rose by 1,428 vehicles during the first quarter of this year – an increase of 10 percent compared to 2005.

Higher gasoline prices, job growth, and new Metro services seem to be the contributing factors to this increase. There are more people needing to commute at a time when the cost of driving alone is soaring.

“With gas prices rising, people want to use less gas but they still need to get to work or school every day,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “Our park-and-ride lots are a convenient way to trim the miles off those daily commutes. It’s like a diet for your car.”

Every day, approximately 16,000 drivers are parking at one of Metro’s 123 lots in King County. Although the lots are filling up, there is still quite a bit of capacity in the system.

Popular park-and-rides tend to be ones with frequent transit service to multiple destinations that are also located close to major freeways. The combination of location and service give people who use those lots more commute flexibility. In terms of sheer number of vehicles parked in the lots, larger park-and-rides like Kenmore, Eastgate, South Bellevue, South Kirkland, Federal Way and Sound Transit’s Kent and Auburn garages have the most use.
 
In February, the Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride garage opened and quickly joined that list. Even Metro staff was surprised by just how fast commuters flocked to the new garage.

“Traditionally, we expect a new park-and-ride to take several months to catch on,” said Desmond. “People have to alter the commute patterns and make other adjustments in their schedule. But at Issaquah Highlands, we had more than 400 vehicles on the first day and it’s now over 600 in just three months.”

Desmond attributes that to pairing the opening of the garage with new peak-commute transit service on the Route 218. Buses on that route are now frequently standing-room-only in both the morning and the afternoon. In June, Metro will add four more trips on the route – both to ease overcrowding and to offer alternatives to other Eastside commuters while the Issaquah Park-and-Ride on State Route 900 is under construction.

Sound Transit is rebuilding the 28-year-old Issaquah lot. It will close to parking on June 3, but all Metro and Sound Transit buses will continue to serve the existing stops at the park-and-ride. A smaller interim parking lot will open May 31 across the street on SR 900, but Metro expects many commuters to switch either to the Eastgate or Issaquah Highlands garages during the 18-month construction period. When complete, the new Issaquah garage will hold 800 vehicles – doubling the size of the current surface lot. Sound Transit is also currently building a garage at the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride.

In addition to park-and-ride expansion along Interstate 90, Metro is in discussions with Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation to explore options for increasing capacity at park-and-rides along the Interstate 405 corridor and at some locations in South King County.

A new Metro service that really complements park-and-ride usage is VanShare. This service targets commuters who need to bridge a transit gap between a park-and-ride lot or transit center and their worksite or home. The program provides a van to a group of three or more commuters who want ride transit, but need help with the first or final link in the trip. VanShare riders also enjoy the advantage of designated parking stalls at park-and-ride lots and train stations. There are currently VanShares serving the Overlake Transit Center, Renton Transit Center, Eastgate Park-and-Ride and the South Renton Park-and-Ride, plus local ferry terminals and train stations.

Want to add a park-and-ride to your commute, but not sure where to get started? Check out the park-and-ride Web page on Metro Online. Here are some tips for park-and-ride first-timers and Metro veterans:

●  If the lot you want to use is full, consider adjusting your schedule to arrive before 7:30 a.m. Or, check Metro Online for other nearby lots.

●  Do not park in unauthorized spots like fire lanes. The local police department will ticket or tow your vehicle;

●  Some park-and-rides have multiple bus stops. Check the signage carefully to make sure you are waiting for the right bus headed in the right direction. For example, at Eastgate the westbound Route 225 boards in a different location than the north/eastbound 225;

●  Are the buses serving your park-and-ride crowded? Sometimes riding one bus earlier or one bus later makes a big difference in snagging a seat.

●  Each park-and-ride seems to have its own etiquette when it comes to boarding the bus. Before you rush toward the door, be sure and check that you’re not cutting in on an established waiting line.

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