RapidRide route most likely 15th Ave.

Posted by Geeky Swedes on March 12th, 2009

Back in January, Metro Transit asked Ballard residents for their suggestions on where the new RapidRide buses should run: up 15th Ave. or 24th Ave. And now it looks like 15th may be the route.

At last night’s Ballard District Council meeting, Craig Benjamin, who is on the RapidRide advisory panel, gave an update on the bus service that will start running in 2012. He said that Metro mailed out 56,000 surveys, expecting to get the normal 1% or 2% returned. In this case, 5% of people responded, which he said is a phenomenal response. Of those surveys, 65% said that they prefer the buses to run up 15th to the 35% who would like the bus route up 24th. (See the map here.) None of this is set in stone. Benjamin says that Metro will not base their decision on the surveys alone, but “feel free to assume” the bus will take 15th. He will have more details in a month.

The D Line to Ballard will operate on major arterial streets: 3rd Ave. in downtown and Belltown; 1st Ave., Queen Anne Ave., Mercer St. and W Mercer Place in Uptown; and Elliott Avenue W and 15th Avenue W in Interbay. It will replace Metro routes 15 and 18 on these streets.

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forrest

snoopy, i'm with you about the speed of the 15X vs this new route, and i am not going to be pleased if the 15x is eliminated...

However, i don't think you are correct about the path this new route will take. the link included in this post still shows it going up mercer into lower queen anne. which actually means the route will be THAT MUCH SLOWER too.

LarryB

Hmmm.

I really wonder how the public feedback tallied up. I suspect that half of the plan is to permanently remove parking and a traffic lane in each direction from 15th - an opportunity not afforded by a 24th Ave routing.

snoopy

you will only have to transfer if you want to get to lower queen anne. If 15th is chosen, the 18 will still get you to downtown but will no longer turn left at mercer. The 15X will cease to exist. Metro claims that the new bus will take the same time as the express. This is an outright lie. I encourage all those who ride the 15X to write metro and request that they keep the that route.

lafsalot

Ballard is 6 miles from downtown. I will stop taking the bus entirely if I have to transfer to get downtown. If I wanted to do that, I'd move to the suburbs. My coworker's commute is almost the same as mine and he lives way out in Covington. This sounds like it will make my #24 commute longer.

The Sip and Ship Meth House

Hoodie-

If we can get the free lunches out of here, we will be fine. If not, once summer comes, we are dead men. Transienst will flock here by the bus load. Just imagine Golden Garderns this summer.

Maria

pantheriot the #18 will still run. You will just need to transfer at the bridge to get on the combined route the rest of the way downtown.

Hoodie Prowlers Out Again Thur

No more buses to Ballard please. They are mostly being used to bus in transients for free lunches and break ins. Thanks

I would be happy with no buses to Ballard. Buy a car like the rest of us, or stay downtown.

pantheroat

i'd hate to see the 18 go away. fine, put the rapid route on 15th, makes sense, but leave the 18 as is for us that need the transportation on 24th.

Mahtli69

@12 - I agree, David. I'd be happy with the same old crappy buses and stops if the #15 would just come 10 minutes.

david t.

I think the Metro submitted the wrong artist depiction. Except for the kid in the back-pack, it looks like a drawing from the early 1960's. Where's all the grafitti, agressive panhandlers and crazy people?

David

Joey asks "Why does it take several years for a bus route to get implemented?" And I have the same question.

Does anyone know?

I gather from the Rapid Ride web page that the plan will use new buses with "...low floors, three doors and more space near the doors...." And building the new bus stops and "bus bulbs" can take some time, but in the mean time why can't the existing route 15 buses start using the new route and schedule? Three years sounds like a long time, and it's not like they are boring a tunnel or laying down train tracks.

I'll give Metro the benefit of the doubt and assume I'm just naive to the complexities involved in changing a bus route, I just wish someone could enlighten me a little on this one.

Mondo

@9: don't worry -- the economy will be all in a tizzy having been stimulated :)

Mondo

@3 & 5: like gurple, I talked with a person at the Adams event who said that the non-chosen route would remain as-is. However, I've also read what's implied in the story here, that the 18 will end at 15th a require a transfer there to get downtown.

joey

Why does it take several years for a bus route to get implemented?

And what about Metros revenue shortfalls?

Ep

When are they going to announce that this is canceled due to budget restrictions?

ChrisH

So..no light rail/streetcar/monorail? Will these busses have a dedicated BAT lane like the one that is driving everyone crazy on 15t /Elliott past the Ballard Bridge? That should go over well...

Mr. B in Ballard

I for one voted for the 15th option, partly because it is a closer walk for me (and hopefully a faster option than the sluggish 28 to the East) and because I think it will also be closer to slightly lower income folks that are more likely to take the bus (sorry sunset hill!).

All in all - I'm pumped for 10min headways. I just wish it could be implemented faster.

Mahtli69

@3 - Except it will end at the Ballard Bridge, right?. So, presumably, 18 riders will need to transfer to the new express line at the Ballard Bridge (and shouldn't have to wait more than 10 minutes, if the new schedule is to be believed).

Duncan

You don't recognize that as the stop on 15th & Market?

gurple

I talked with someone from Metro at the recent Adams Elementary event about this. According to her, whichever route isn't eliminated (15 or 18) will remain pretty much as-is.

kim

i wish we could find a bus stop that nice on 15th.

forrest

Is the plan for this to eliminate the 15/18 express routes as well?

This thing looks like it will make a bunch more stops that those two routes do not, so it will actually probably slow my commute down.

I filled out a survey and marked my preference for the 24th Ave option because I don't want the 15 express to be eliminated for this very reason.