Week of Nov. 12, 2007

Metro’s commuter van programs hit high mark; ready to expand again

These Group Health employees use a Metro VanShare to connect between the train station and their worksite.

Starting in January, Metro will be launching a new incentive program designed to reduce the number of drive-alone trips during peak commute times.

Metro is now “batting a thousand” with its popular VanPool and VanShare commuting programs. For the first time in the program’s 28-year history, there are more than 1,000 vans in operation, supporting a record ridership of 1.9 million passenger trips during the first nine months of 2007.

As of Oct. 1 of this year, there were 848 vanpools and 162 vanshares in operation. Compared to the same time last year, it represents a growth rate of: 6 percent for vanpools; 26 percent for vanshares; and about 20 percent growth for total commuter van trips.

Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond said some of the recent increases in the programs can be attributed to incentives provided by Metro and local employers.

He hopes to see the vanpooling and vansharing numbers jump again in 2008 with a new “Fill It Up – Again” campaign that will launch in January. He said Metro is also working on a carpool incentive demonstration aimed at reducing drive-alone car trips on Interstate 405 in the Bellevue and Renton areas. This is the start of Metro's plan to expand carpooling options with improved RideshareOnline.com services in 2008.

The Metro VanPool program debuted in 1979, and throughout its history has been the largest public vanpool program in the nation. It is designed to accommodate commuters traveling to common destinations, with Metro providing the vehicle and everything else for successful ridesharing, including: rider support services; maintenance; insurance; fuel; and tires. Vanpool fares are based on a group's round-trip mileage and the number of riders in the van.

In 2001, the vanshare program was introduced to help bridge the gap between home or work and other modes of public transportation. Vans are typically parked at a transportation hub (rail station, park-and-ride lot, or ferry dock) and used to transport commuters between the hub and their worksites or homes. Costs are split among the vansharers.

Desmond said some of VanShare’s recent growth can also be linked to the addition of new Sounder train service.

“We recently had nine new vanshare groups form at train depots because of the new early Sounder train added at the end of September,” said Desmond.

Bears invade Dawg-land with pigskins The University of Washington football team hosts the California Bears this Saturday in a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. Riding the bus to Husky Stadium is a convenient and free alternative to dealing with the hassles of driving and parking. The Huskies will be offering free Metro service to the stadium. In addition to regular bus service to and from Montlake campus, there is also special shuttle service between the stadium and eight park-and-ride lots: Shoreline; Northgate Transit Center; Houghton; Kingsgate; South Kirkland; Eastgate; South Renton; and Federal Way. Just show your game ticket or ticket stub for a free ride on regular bus service or the special shuttles. Check out Metro Online for all the details. Pro Bears swoop into Hawks nest Da’ Bears from the Windy City fly into town Sunday for a gridiron battle with the Seattle Seahawks. The game – originally scheduled for an evening start – will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Riding Metro to the game is a great way to cut through the traffic surrounding the stadium. There will be special shuttles to Qwest Field from the following park-and-ride lots: Northgate, South Kirkland, Eastgate, Kent/James Street, and Federal Way/South 320th Street. The fare is $3 each way. Or, check the Trip Planner to see if there is regular bus service to the stadium from your starting location. See Metro Online for details on service to Sunday’s game.

Tolt Bridge crews pour it on Tolt Bridge concrete pour. The new Tolt Bridge under construction over the Snoqualmie River near Carnation achieved a major construction milestone recently, with the completion of some major concrete work. On Oct. 23, crews made a continuous concrete pour for the 300-foot deck of Span 2 on the new bridge. Work began shortly after dawn and ended around 8:15pm on a picture-perfect day. Containment tarps and a rolling scaffold platform trailing underneath the equipment on the deck ensured that concrete slurry did not fall into the water below. Approximately 340 cubic yards of cement concrete was used. The successful pour was the culmination of weeks of careful planning, preparation and inspection by both the contractor and King County Road Services Division staff. The Tolt Bridge project construction began in June 2006 and is anticipated to be open for traffic on June 1, 2008. Remaining work includes: completion of the Span 1 concrete deck, west approach slab, walls, connection roadways, and utilities.

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