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Week of Sept. 5, 2006
PCC and Metro team up to offer ‘organic transportation’
 What do you get when you combine the largest consumer-owned natural food co-operative in the U.S. with one of the greenest public transportation systems? You get a partnership that’s poised to fight global warming and pollution at the grass-roots level while tackling congestion at the same time.
King County Metro Transit and PCC Natural Markets [external link] are laying down a challenge to shoppers at the eight PCC Natural Markets in the area. The goal is to show PCC members that they actually can make a difference and improve the quality of life in their neighborhood by taking the bus, walking, bicycling, or even sharing a ride. And, if they try these alternatives just twice a week over a ten-week period instead of driving, Metro and PCC are betting they just may discover there’s a lot more to green than meets the eye.
The “Metro Challenge” [external link] program at PCC is designed to let residents throughout King County add down-to-earth meaning to the broader policies King County is putting into place to reduce the harmful greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
“Just as consumer demand transformed the production of organic food, we can make a commitment here at home to change a climate,” says King County Executive Ron Sims.
PCC is also excited about the new partnership. Company leaders say teaming up with Metro aligns with PCC's mission to build community and promote sustainability.
photo: Metro Challenge bicyclist Linda SchwartzOver the next several months, Metro and PCC will encourage members to take a pledge to leave their cars at home and try alternative forms of transportation. If they complete the end of program survey, they’ll be rewarded with a $5 PCC gift card. Along the way, Metro will be there to help with advice and trip planning support. PCC members will also receive handy tips and transit information via newsletters, the web and through in-store advertising.
The deadline for signing up for the Metro Challenge is Friday, Sept. 22.
This collaboration is the first in Metro’s “Partners in Transit Program.” It complements the growing list of actions being taken by Metro to increase ridership while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of Metro’s buses traveling the streets and highways of King County are now burning a 20 percent mix of biodiesel along with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. When combined with the agency’s fleet of hybrid buses, electric trolleys, and the cleanest burning regular diesel available, Metro is fast becoming the greenest transit agency in the nation.
It’s time again to “Do the Puyallup,” as Western Washington’s largest fair [external link] opens this Friday, Sept. 8 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 24. There are a lot of transit options for getting to and from the fair – including connecting service on Metro for King County passengers who transfer to service in Pierce County for the final leg to the fairgrounds. To travel to the fair from King County using regular bus service, passengers will need to transfer from Metro Transit to service provided by Pierce Transit or Sound Transit. Use the Trip Planner with the destination of “Puyallup Fair” to find the most convenient connections to the fairgrounds. Pierce Transit and Sound Transit are also offering special shuttles to the fair from several locations, but King County residents will probably find the Tacoma Dome Station and Sumner Station the easiest to get to. Use the Trip Planner to help you figure out the best transit trip from points in King County to those two locations. See Metro Online for all the details on getting to the fair.
The York Bridge on Northeast 116th Street near the 60 Acres Soccer Park north of Redmond will not reopen to traffic in September as planned, due to the recent concrete workers labor dispute. King County has been constructing a replacement bridge for the Sammamish River crossing on Northeast 116th Street since last summer. Work was scheduled to last through November, but county engineers had hoped to have enough work done so vehicles could cross the bridge by September of this year. A recent concrete workers dispute has created a lengthy backlog of orders. Until the York Bridge concrete order can be filled, work is temporarily on hold. Motorists should continue to detour via 154th Place Southeast, Northeast 124th Street, and Willows Road. That detour provides access to the soccer fields and other recreation areas near 60 Acres Park. |
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Two of Metro Transit’s top managers recently won the prestigious 2006 Achievement Award from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for valuable contributions to the public transportation industry. Syd Pawlowski, supervisor of Rideshare Operations, received the award for his efforts to expand vanpooling in Washington. His work on the Regional Vanpool Coordination Team led to the development of a long-range vanpool expansion plan, which resulted in legislative funding to support this plan for statewide expansion. Victor Obeso, manager of the Service Development Section, was honored for his vision, leadership and commitment to developing innovative mitigation efforts on challenging transportation construction projects. One example cited was the Interstate 405 project, where Metro worked with the state to offer commuters a new bus route that would help take cars off the road in the construction area. The awards were handed out in August at WSDOT’s Public Transportation Conference & Expo.
The King County Road Services Division has revamped its plans for a road repair project on 276th Avenue Southeast in Hobart. The Roads Division had planned to close the road for up to two months to replace a failing culvert under the roadway. But, the recent concrete workers labor dispute pushed the project back to the point that work would be going on while fish were migrating back to nearby Carey Creek. The county did not believe it could obtain a permit from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to do construction during the spawning season. Because of those scheduling conflicts, the county has decided to postpone the culvert replacement until 2007, but will be making emergency repairs during the week of Sept. 11. These temporary repairs will involve placing a new, smaller plastic pipe inside the existing culvert to temporarily seal it and allow water to continue flowing under the roadway during the upcoming rainy season. Installation of the pipe will take about five days, and crews will have to close down one lane at a time on the road during the repair project. The location of the project is on 276th Avenue Southeast – the main road through Hobart, which is also the continuation of the Issaquah-Hobart Road south of State Route 18 – near the intersection with Southeast 200th Street. |
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