Week of Jun. 18, 2007

Join Metro in dumping the pump on Thursday, June 21

Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the 2007 National Dump the Pump Day is a public awareness day that emphasizes the environmental benefits of using public transportation. The day also offers the opportunity for people to beat the high price of gasoline and support public transportation as an important travel option that helps reduce our nation’s dependence on oil.

Since last week, Metro has been asking King County residents to be part of this year’s campaign by participating in a quick poll and offering up tips on how using public transit can help cut personal travel costs.

“The cost of my commute to Seattle plus parking if I drove alone, would be over $425 per month,” said one of the first people to respond. “However, because my employer provides me with a annual Puget Pass, the cost of my commute to the transit center, where there is no charge for parking, is just over $25 per month. That's a savings of over $400 per month.”

Another commuter said she purchased a FlexPass from her employer and began using her car so infrequently that she eventually sold it.

Take public transportation on June 21st.

There are other “green” incentives to using public transportation beyond saving money. U.S. public transportation systems help to create a healthier environment by reducing smog-producing pollutants and greenhouse gases. According to APTA, public transportation produces nearly 50 percent less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger mile, as private vehicles. In addition, U.S. public transportation systems save 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline every year, the equivalent of 108 million cars filling up in a year.

In 2006, there were 10.1 billion trips taken on public transportation, the highest in 49 years. Metro hit a new ridership high of 103.2 million boardings in 2006, and has been seeing record ridership throughout the first five months of 2007.

Across the nation, public transit use is up 30 percent since 1995. That is more than double the growth rate of the population (12 percent) and higher than the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled on our roads (24 percent) during that same period.

Although the national Dump the Pump campaign is targeted to June 21, Metro will be accepting tips about transportation savings through June 30.

Metro announces Roadeo winners (From left) Mel Nason, Tammy Klein, Michael Grady. The 31st annual “Metroadeo” was won Saturday by five-time champ Michael Grady. Grady, from King County Metro Transit’s East Base in Bellevue, placed first in the Operator Division. Tammy Klein, a South Base operator, placed second, and Mel Nason, North Base, took third. Ryan Stringfellow, a North Base mechanic, was victorious in the Maverick Division for the third year in a row. The roadeo competitions test the skills and knowledge of Metro’s bus drivers and vehicle maintenance workers. The contests challenge employees to keep their skills current, encourage continued mastery of all aspects of equipment operation, while setting an example for the best safety practices. Winners frequently advance to regional, state and international competition. Michael Grady will represent Metro at the state roadeo to be held in Vancouver on Aug. 19 and at the APTA International bus roadeo on May 4, 2008, in Austin, Texas.

Mariners back to host Pirates, Reds, Red Sox & Jays The Seattle Mariners return home for 12 games starting June 19, and Metro will be there with a variety of service to and from Safeco Field. For regular service to the game, Metro’s convenient online Trip Planner allows you to easily research which routes provide the best connection from your home or office to the ballpark. A premium service between the ballpark and several outlying park-and-ride lots operates after weeknight games and both before and after weekend games. It is not available for weekday games that begin before 5 p.m. The fare for special buses is $3 each way. Detailed information for all Mariners service is available on the Metro Online website. Or, call (206) 553-3000 (voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY). Open house for May Valley project The King County Road Services Division will host an open house next week to update the public on an upcoming bridge replacement project on Southeast May Valley Road. The Bandaret Bridge crosses upper Issaquah Creek where it intersects with Southeast May Valley Road near 230th Avenue Southeast. The current bridge is narrow and doesn’t meet seismic safety standards. At next week’s open house, project engineers will present an update on the design and alignment plans for the new bridge. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2008 and last up to 18 months. The open house will be held Wednesday, June 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Foothills Baptist Church, 10120 Issaquah-Hobart Road SE, Issaquah. For information about the meeting, contact Marnie McGrath at (206) 684-1154 or by email.

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