skip to main content

Transportation Today
Week of Dec. 8, 2008

Tunnel advertising gets off to a strong start

Ron Sims and Harold Taniguchi
King County Executive Ron Sims and Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond made the announcement about the tunnel advertising last week within hours of the first ads (right) being installed.

In its search for much-needed new revenue, Metro Transit is now allowing paid advertising in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. Even though the ads only debuted last week, the first two contracts are already contributing almost $80,000 to Metro’s biennial budget.

The transit tunnel ads are expected to boost Metro’s bottom line and help keep buses rolling during a time of steep revenue losses resulting from the faltering economy. With a national recession and decreased local consumer spending, Metro expects to lose up to $60 million annually in projected sales tax revenue.

The tunnel-advertising program is just one of several revenue-generating and cost-cutting ideas Metro is exploring. The tunnel ads have the potential to generate more than $230,000 annually. When combined with sales of ads on bus interiors and exteriors, the ad revenue could climb to more than $6.6 million annually – the cost of keeping 60,000 hours of bus service on the street.

Advertising
Freestanding kiosks will have both advertising and transit information.

“Given the county’s serious budget crisis, Metro must be creative and use every tool at its disposal to bring in needed revenues, just as private businesses do,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “By taking advantage of new advertising opportunities, Metro is proactively using an entrepreneurial approach to preserve service and meet the demands of its customers at a time of booming ridership.”

The first ads – placed by Verizon – appeared in the Westlake Station last week. Verizon has a total of 42 ads at Westlake, including wall displays, freestanding kiosks, and overhead hanging banners. And, Pepsi has contracted to be the initial advertiser at University Station for the first quarter of 2009.

Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond said the amount and placement of the ads will vary slightly between the five different tunnel stations due to the different architectural layouts and artwork installation at each station. He said Metro will strive to make sure the advertising is tasteful, and does not obscure the tunnel’s celebrated public art.

Titan Outdoor contracts with Metro to sell advertising space on the agency’s 1,300 buses, and will handle the tunnel advertising as well. The company’s national and local sales staff will market King County Metro Transit’s advertising opportunities to potential advertisers throughout the country. The Verizon ads in the Metro tunnel are part of a national campaign involving multiple transit agencies.

Metro’s Ramey honored for outstanding safety record

Al Ramey
Al Ramey


For more than 50 years, Al Ramey has been driving a bus in King County. And remarkably, 45 of those years have been accident free.

Ramey is being honored this week by King County for his 45-year safe driving record – the longest safety record in Metro Transit’s history. He is now a part-time operator driving Metro’s Route 194 in South King County.

His combined driving years with Metro, Boeing, and Suburban Transportation System (one of Metro’s predecessors) makes this year his 56th of professional driving. He was named Metro’s “Operator of the Year” for 1992. In 2000, he received a 3 million miles safety award from the National Safety Committee.

“I take pride in my work,” said Ramey. “I’m my own worst critic, and I try to get better every day.”

For Metro operators, a safe-driving year is recorded during each calendar year that the operator does not have any preventable accidents.

Comment on speed limit change for 232nd Avenue NE

The King County Road Services Division will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to gather public comments about a proposal to raise the speed limit on a stretch of 232nd Avenue Northeast in the Woodinville area.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Wilder Elementary School, 22130 NE 133rd St., Woodinville

The division is considering raising the speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour on 232nd Avenue Northeast from Northeast 133rd Street to Northeast Old Woodinville Duvall Road. A traffic analysis was recently performed, and division engineers found the current speed limit is inconsistent with the roadway and area’s character.

Hop on the holiday light express

Get in the holiday mood this Saturday, Dec. 13, with a nighttime trip on a historic bus to see the holiday lights around Seattle.

Once again this year, the Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association (MEHVA) is hosting a 2-1/2 hour trip to view Seattle’s best holiday light displays. Passengers may even encounter a familiar-looking, jolly fellow in a red suit.

The buses depart at 7 p.m. from the intersection of Second Avenue and Main Street in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. No reservations are accepted, and passengers will be boarded in arrival order until all buses are filled.

Fares are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $4 for children (2-11). Metro transfers, tickets, or passes are not accepted. Please, do not bring food or beverages onboard the historic buses.

For information, call the MEHVA hotline at (206) 684-1816, or visit the organization’s website.

Spot auction set for Dec. 10

The next King County Spot Bid auction will take place Wednesday, Dec. 10 and features 50 lots of surplus office equipment, furniture, file cabinets, and electronics.

The auction is managed by the Fleet Administration Division and includes both King County surplus and items from other government agencies. Previews are on auction day only, from 10 a.m. until the start of the bidding process at noon. Check out the Spot Bid website to see a few photos of items in this month’s
auction.

The auction will take place at Fleet’s warehouse at 707 S. Orcas St., Seattle. For information, photos and driving directions, visit the auction website.

Subscribe to DOT Dash

Sign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.

See more at:

Inside Transportation
DOTcast
RPIN

More news from this week