East Side Councils Should Demand KCM Routes Bypass MI

 

The previous post detailed how Mercer Island city council could mitigate the East Link debacle.  The council should not spend $1.5 million suing Sound Transit claiming their proposed “bus intercept” configurations violated their 2017 Settlement Agreement.  Instead the council should use the fact KCM was “Not a party to the Agreement” to simply prohibit KCM buses from using whatever bus intercept configuration Sound Transit wants.

 

Requiring KCM buses bypass MI on the route into and out of Seattle would limit routes terminating on island to Sound Transit 554.  It’s unlikely Sound Transit would even continue 554 current schedule of one bus every 15 minutes since very few I-90 corridor commuters need access to island.  Any arrangements needed to accommodate those buses would have minimal impact on island.

 

The Mercer Island decision to prevent KCM from terminating buses on island would end the need for thousands of cross-lake commuters transfer to and from East Link for their commute into and out of Seattle.   Mercer Island residents would no longer have to share their access to East Link at their light rail station with thousands of I-90 corridor commuters.

 

Instead, during a Sept 1 meeting the Mercer Island council proposed implementing a temporary utility tax rate to raise $1.5 M to fund litigation opposing Sound Transit bus intercept configuration.   That was to be followed by final approval at the Sept 15 meeting.  The agenda for that meeting includes the following under Regular Business:

 

8. AB 5749: Temporary Increase in Utility Tax Rates (Ordinance No. 20C-20 Second Reading and Adoption) and Interfund Loans Authorization (Resolution No. 1586) for Potential Litigation Costs to Enforce the Terms of the City’s 2017 Settlement Agreement with Sound Transit.

Recommended Actions:

1. Adopt Ordinance No. 20C-20 temporarily increasing utility tax rates to raise additional revenue for potential litigation to enforce the terms of the City’s 2017 Settlement Agreement with Sound Transit.

2. Pass Resolution No. 1586 authorizing interfund loans in the amount of $750 thousand each, for a combined total of $1.5 million, from the City’s water and utility funds to the General Fund.

3. Appropriate $1.5 million in loan proceeds authorized in Resolution No. 1586 for litigation costs.

 

It’s not clear whether there will be any “public comment” allowed.  What is clear is the council still doesn’t understand the problem is not with Sound Transit’s bus intercept configuration, it’s with allowing KCM buses to use it.  Even If they "succeed" in the suit and get a more acceptable bus intercept configuration, Mercer Island will still be inundated with KCM commuters. Residents will be forced to share their access to East Link at their light rail station with thousands of KCM I-90 corridor commuters, potentially ending access during peak commute.

 

KCM commuters along the entire I-90 corridor will have to endure the hassle of attempting to transfer to and from East Link at the Mercer Island station.  Terminating both Sound Transit and KCM bus routes on Mercer Island will also limit I-90 Bridge transit capacity to East Link’s share of DSTT capacity, a fraction of what’s needed to meet peak commute demand. 

 

Thousands of KCM riders will chose the option of driving rather than enduring the hassle of transferring to and from light rail to commute into and out of Seattle and the hassle of accessing light rail for the return trip in DSTT.  The result of any Mercer Island suit to get an acceptable bus intercept configuration will be more commuters driving cars and increased congestion along the entire I-90 corridor. 

 

Again all of this could be avoided if the Mercer Island council, rather than suing Sound Transit over objections to their bus intercept configuration, prohibited KCM buses from using it, requiring they bypass island. Their Sept 15 council meeting they intend to proceed with the suit. Other east side city councils should take action to insist they not do so.