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Week of Feb. 23, 2009
Economic downturn paints gloomy picture for Metro
A worsening economy and declining sales tax revenues for King County Metro Transit could take its toll on bus riders and motorists alike in the coming years.
Many people depend on Metro for all their transportation needs.
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At a time when ridership and demand for transit service has been soaring, the agency is facing the very real possibility of significantly cutting service. In addition to a $60 million loss in revenues from local sales taxes in 2009, Metro has just learned that its shortfall will likely increase to $100 million in 2010.
This latest news comes as Metro has been working to add critical service as part of a 10-year Transit Now initiative to expand its system. But that future service expansion, in addition to existing service, may now be in jeopardy due to falling revenues.
The gloomy financial forecast will mean longer waits at bus stops and more overcrowded buses. About 50 percent of Metro riders depend on transit to get them to and from work, and tens of thousands of riders will find their commutes are slower, more difficult and less reliable. Some people will resort to more expensive travel by car; for others who have no alternative means of transportation, the loss of bus service could mean the loss of a job. All these impacts will add to the stress and hardship created by the recession.
Metro is not alone in its struggle to deal with declining revenues. As the economy worsens, transit agencies throughout the nation are suffering.
The MTA in New York City is considering a 23 percent increase in fares and tolls, plus the elimination of two dozen city bus routes and some subway service. The governor in Massachusetts is looking at increasing the statewide gas tax to cover transportation costs, including a $160 million projected budget deficit for the Boston-area transit system. Closer to home, TriMet in Portland plans to eliminate 12 bus routes and reduce the frequency on other bus and light rail lines. And last week, Kitsap Transit cut all of its Sunday bus and ferry service.
Cutbacks in bus service would likely increase the number of cars on the road, especially during peak commute times. | Metro has already taken several steps to reduce costs. It has drawn down reserves, trimmed jobs, raised bus fares, and pursued efficiencies in an effort to spare direct service to the public. But the continued drop in sales tax revenues will force still deeper cuts, including the potential cancellation of proposed new bus routes, the elimination of existing routes, more employee layoffs, and the deferral of infrastructure improvements.
“This projected budget shortfall is the equivalent of 800,000 to 1 million hours of annual bus service, or roughly 20 percent of all the service we operate today,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “It’s about 75,000 daily bus passenger trips lost – that number equals about a quarter of the vehicle trips made on Interstate 5 crossing the Ship Canal Bridge each day. Put another way, that level of reduction in Metro service would be the equivalent of eliminating all of Pierce Transit or Community Transit service in our region.”
Desmond says not even the prospect of money from the federal stimulus package recently approved by Congress will cushion the tough decisions that lie ahead. While the federal dollars will help fund urgent short-term needs such as new buses and preventative maintenance, it will do little to preserve bus operations.
He said it is unlikely that money will be available to pay for more bus service to move people and goods during and after construction of a new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Metro continues to work with the state legislature to find new funding tools that will preserve the public transportation system now and over the long term.
The city of Seattle is beginning road improvement projects in the SODO area that will result in some reroutes, relocated bus stops, and delays for King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit express bus service for several months. Work starts this week on First Avenue South between South Horton Street and South Stacy Street. During this project, the Seattle Department of Transportation will be restricting traffic while rebuilding a section of First Avenue. The buses will remain on their regular routing, but there could be significant delays and bus stops could be temporarily closed at times. Starting Monday, March 2, construction associated with the Spokane Street Viaduct/Fourth Avenue Ramp Project will result in reroutes for approximately 17 Metro and Sound Transit bus routes at South Spokane Street and the SODO Busway. The transit disruptions are expected to last through mid May. For more detailed information about the Spokane Street and busway reroutes, visit Metro Online. For information about all Metro service, visit the website or call the Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.
Residents and motorists who use Northeast Woodinville-Duvall Road are getting an advance heads-up that the King County Road Services Division is planning work on the busy arterial – maybe as soon as this summer. The division wants to make major improvements at the road’s intersection with Mink Road Northeast, and there is a separate project planned for the nearby intersection at 212th Avenue Northeast. The Mink Road project includes adding turn lanes and a traffic signal, plus widening the shoulders of the roadway and improving drainage. There is still a lot of permitting and planning to do before construction can start, but the Road Division staff wants to be sure people are well aware of the potential traffic disruptions ahead of time even if they don’t break ground in 2009. If you would like to receive e-mail notifications about the Mink Road project, please send a request to Community Relations Planner Barbara deMichele at barbara.demichele@kingcounty.gov. |
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KCIA's new Striker 3000 fire truck is now in service. | After several months of specialized training, the Airport Rescue Fire Fighter (ARFF) unit at King County International Airport has put its brand-new fire engine into service. The new Oshkosh Striker 3000 fire truck is now designated as Fire Rescue 1 at Boeing Field, with the older Oshkosh 1500 designated as Fire Rescue 2. The new truck adds the latest in aircraft rescue and firefighting technology to the airport’s emergency response abilities. The new 43-foot fire truck is specifically designed for aircraft rescue. The 81,000-lb. truck comes with a 750 hp engine and a water Snozzle that can pierce through an airplane’s metal skin to precisely direct water to hot spots on the inside of the plane.
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