Seattle Needs More Public Transit not Tolls

The April 4^th Seattle Times Traffic Lab article, “Mayor pushes for tolls downtown” exemplifies the inability of those responsible to recognize how to deal with the area’s congestion problem.  First of all, rather than trying to put tolls on roads leading into or in downtown Seattle they could simply increase parking fees in the area, especially during peak commute hours.   Those arriving after 10 a.m. would not face the additional charge.  Employers who provide parking would also be required to pay the parking fee surcharge for their employees.  

However, the problem with either tolls or increased parking fees is neither will likely change the need for commuters to drive into Seattle, they’ll simply increase the cost of doing so.  The way to reduce Seattle congestion is to offer commuters an alternative, namely more public transit.  While King County Metro could increase bus service within the city, Sound Transit could reduce congestion both within the city and along the routes into Seattle.

A 70-ft articulated bus can accommodate up to 119 sitting and standing riders.   Fifty additional buses an hour into Seattle from Everett and Federal Way along I-5, and from east side across I-90 Bridge could replace nearly 6,000 vehicles on each of the three routes into Seattle.  Two hours of increased bus service each morning would dramatically reduce Seattle congestion.

The added bus service would also reduce congestion on the routes into the city.  A typical freeway lane can accommodate about 2000 vehicles per hour at 45 mph.  Replacing 6,000 vehicles per hour with 50 buses would add the equivalent of 3 freeway lanes reducing congestion on the three major routes into Seattle.  The added capacity into Seattle would also likely reduce the housing "premium" commuters are willing to pay to live there. 

Mayor Durkan should use her influence to “dissuade” Sound Transit from continuing with plans to spend most of the $54 billion ST3 funds on a light rail spine that will do nothing to increase transit capacity into Seattle. (and nothing to reduce congestion.) Whatever riders the extensions add will simply displace those currently using light rail.  

Instead, over the last five years, Sound Transit has simply ignored the need to increase the area’s transit capacity.   Their Quarterly Ridership reported 115,163 4^th quarter bus trips in 2012 only increased to 120,400 in the 2017 4^th quarter.  That comparable total average express-bus-weekday boarding only increased from 54,345 to 61,526 during the five years.  The additional 300 morning and afternoon bus trips could more than double that ridership.

Not only do they need to increase bus service, they need to provide additional parking.  All the P&R lots with access to transit have been full for years, yet Sound Transit’s spent $6 billion on “System Expansions” with ~80 percent of that on light rail expansions, without adding a single major P&R with access to bus routes. They wait unto 2024 to begin adding a measly 8560 stalls by 2041. 

Rather than adding parking Sound Transit has proposed, “to better manage demand” at existing P&Rs.  These include having commuters pay to reserve a spot at an existing P&R and more recently subsidizing Lyft rides for Mercer Island commuters to and from their T/C.  Neither will provide the needed additional capacity.

Again, reducing congestion in Seattle requires reducing the number of vehicles entering the city.  Forcing commuters to pay tolls or higher parking without offering them increased public transit as an alternative only adds to their cost and does nothing to reduce congestion.  They need more transit capacity and parking.

Sound Transit should be “encouraged” to quickly add more bus routes, especially to areas with large numbers of new apartments and condominiums.  Those working in Seattle should be surveyed to determine when and where to route the buses.  Commuters could pay a “ride assurance fee” to guarantee a seat on their preferred route sufficient to provide Sound Transit's typical 35% recovery of operating costs, allowing others to ride free.

The survey results could also identify locations for added parking.  The new parking could be “Pay-to-Park” where commuters could pay monthly or annual fees to reserve a parking space and access to a preferred route that again cover 35% of operating costs, allowing others to ride free.

The bottom line is Seattle’s current congestion, along with congestion on the roads into the city, is largely the result of Sound Transit’s five-year failure to increase public transit capacity into the city.  The billions they intend to spend on light rail spine will do nothing to increase that capacity. 

Again, Mayor Durkan needs to recognize that tolls are "unlikely" to reduce Seattle congestion and that she should use her influence to “persuade” Sound Transit to add more transit capacity rather than extend light rail spine.