Making It Easier to Get From Here

By Lauren Vane, Seattle Times

Feb. 3–It’s 4:37 p.m. on a January night. The skies are threatening snow and Kevin Jenne just finished a day’s work at a downtown Seattle bank. He plops down in a seat on the 143 bus, beginning his 90-minute commute home to Maple Valley.

“If I miss the next bus, I can’t get home,” Jenne said.

There are only three buses home to Maple Valley in the evening. If Jenne misses the last bus, which has happened plenty of times, it’s a hassle for his family.

His only options are to take a bus to the Renton Transit Center and pay $65 for a cab the rest of the way home or wait for his wife to gather up the kids in the van to pick him up.

For years, he’s heard that King County Metro has planned to add trips to his bus route. This year, Metro plans to make it happen.

As the bedroom communities of Southeast King County continue to grow, King County Metro is trying to keep up. Beginning this fall, Metro says transit riders will start to see improved service paid for by 2006 Transit Now initiative.

Southeast King County residents who ride Metro transit could see some new routes and more frequent service on existing routes, especially midday and on weekends.

While the proposed improvements won’t make public transportation in Southeast King County as convenient as it is on the Eastside or in downtown Seattle, the changes are a start for the growing number of commuters who’d rather ride the bus to work than drive there.

“The traffic is way up,” said Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke. “Gas prices are up. People don’t really want to drive.”

Metro routes in Southeast King County were designed to serve rural communities, not to handle the growing suburban area it has become, said Neil Strege, chief of staff to King County Councilman Reagan Dunn, who represents most of Southeast King County.

Possible improvements

Because plans haven’t been approved, Metro can’t say for sure what changes will be made, but several proposals would bring more frequent service to Southeast King County. Metro can say that help is on the way.

On Route 143, an express route that carries commuters between Black Diamond and Seattle through Maple Valley, Metro plans to add more peak-hour trips in both directions. And Route 149, which runs between Renton and Black Diamond, would be extended into Enumclaw, and more frequent trips and Saturday service would be added.

Metro also plans to add at least two routes to improve travel between Kent’s East Hill and downtown Seattle.

While most of the changes would mean more service, at least one route might be canceled. Route 912, which runs from Enumclaw to Covington, is one of the least-used bus routes in King County. If it is eliminated, another route would serve those riders.

Transit plan

The Transit Now initiative outlined a 10-year plan for countywide transit improvements to be paid for with 0.01 percent increase in sales tax. The initiative specifically identifies improvements for rapidly developing areas — a category that encompasses much of Southeast King County.

Last year, Metro reported record-high ridership across the county, a surge attributed to population growth and high gas prices, said Victor Obeso, Metro’s manager of service development.

In South King County in particular, transit riders are making use of park-and-rides more than ever. In the third quarter of 2007, usage at South King County park-and-ride lots rose 10 percent from the same period last year, Thielke said.

New route creations must be approved by the Metropolitan King County Council. September is the earliest any improvements would be made to Southeast King County transit, Obeso said.

Trying to get home

As the 143 bus travels down Interstate 5, leaving the Seattle city skyline behind, commuters sink into their seats and relax as they pick up a novel or gaze out the windows.

Jennifer Freese, 32, lives in Renton and rides the 143 bus daily to her job at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Freese’s commute on the bus takes about an hour. It might not take her as long to drive, but she says she prefers the bus.

“It’s less stressful than driving,” Freese said.

Because Route 143 makes only three southbound trips all the way to Black Diamond in the evening, Freese and Jenne say their bus is crowded, often with standing-room only.

Having passengers standing is unsafe when the bus is traveling at high speeds on the freeway, Jenne said.

In seven years of riding this bus, Jenne says he’s complained numerous times to Metro about the safety concerns and the lack of frequent trips but has never gotten a response.

It’s not uncommon to have people standing on the bus, Thielke said, and hand straps, metal rods and hand grips on the backs of seats make standing as safe as possible.

Jenne says the bus service doesn’t match the growth of the suburbs.

“We have the same buses we had 15 years ago, when Maple Valley was a tiny place,” Jenne said.

Listening to riders

Rider feedback is something Metro takes seriously, Thielke said. Officials in Southeast King County cities say they often hear from riders who want better bus service in their communities.

“It’s a big problem,” Maple Valley City Manager Anthony Hemstad said.

In a bedroom community like Maple Valley, where most people travel to Kent, Renton or the Eastside for work, Hemstad said it’s important that residents have an alternative to driving.

In Enumclaw, where residents are served by only two Metro routes, each with limited runs in the mornings and evenings, it’s difficult for people to take the bus to Maple Valley or to Pierce County, Enumclaw Mayor John Wise said.

“If you wanted to go do something that way, you’re pretty well limited,” Wise said.

While Enumclaw hasn’t experienced the same growth boom as nearby cities, they’re about to lift a building moratorium. That could mean thousands more residents, Wise said, and they’re going to need buses.

Lauren Vane: 253-234-8604 or lvane@seattletimes.com

Proposed bus-route improvements

Under King County’s voter-approved Transit Now initiative, big changes are proposed for routes that would affect many Southeast King County transit users. Here is a look of some of Metro’s plans:

Black Diamond On Route 143, a popular express route between Black Diamond and Seattle, peak trips could be added in both directions.

Kent’s East Hill Two routes are proposed to provide new service between the Lake Meridian Park-and-Ride to Kent Station and downtown Seattle.

Maple Valley Maple Valley commuters would benefit from the proposed improvements to Route 143, which travels between Black Diamond and Seattle, and more proposed runs for Route 149, from Renton to Black Diamond.

Enumclaw Route 149 from Renton could be extended to serve Enumclaw, and more frequent runs could be added, including on Saturdays. Route 912, which runs between Enumclaw and Covington, could be discontinued because few riders use it.

Source: King County Metro

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