Reason #72 Why The Seattle Streetcar Should Expand

To get a job as a King County Metro bus driver you must prove you have reliable transportation...

King County Metro does not qualify as reliable transportation.


Catch the trolley debate on a KUOW 94.9 FM podcast:

Guests

Ethan Malone is the streetcar program manager for the Department of Transportation.

Don Clifton is a co/owner and CEO of S.L.U.T. Apparel.

Jan Drago is the chair of the Transportation Committee on Seattle City Council.

Bob Anderton represents 5 cyclists who have filed claim against the city after bicycle accidents involving the SLUT.

Streetcar Confusion

Photo: Seattle Times

The Seattle Times raises a good point within an article about the S.L.U.T.'s ridership — paying is awkward — and there are folks who don't pay at all.

On the trains, the orange-trimmed ticket machines take only cash, no plastic. On the sidewalk, a set of four machines takes only plastic, no cash.

Trains sometimes wait for visitors as they fumble with the outdoor machines, not knowing they can pay onboard, said Christine Rimorin, a daily commuter who suggests making rides free.

Two people, in a group of five headed to lunch, held cash in their fists, thinking a Metro inspector would collect fares. One person eventually bought a ticket from the machine; another didn't.

One woman didn't because she thought her ride would be free since she boarded in the downtown zone that's sometimes free for buses.

Another repeatedly flattened her dollar bill, but the machine repeatedly spit it back, and she gave up. "Please eat my money," pleaded a business visitor from England, until the machine finally accepted.

Esther Franada of Kent tried the streetcar on her first day of work in South Lake Union. She tried in vain to buy a ticket. She didn't need to — she had a Metro pass.

Only 1 to 2 percent of riders evade paying the fare, Jacobson said. Spot-checks are sporadic, but are supposed to increase this summer.

"I think I've been checked twice," rider Jeff Whiteaker said. "It would be pretty easy to cheat."

1 to 2 percent, huh? Poll time:

Some interesting statistics:

• The S.L.U.T. serves slightly over 1,000 daily, on average
  
  
• On average, there are 8 riders per one-way trip
  
  
• Ticket sales on the streetcar cover 5% of operational costs vs. 6% for the countywide bus system
  
  
• Counting bus passes, streetcar passengers cover 14% of operational costs vs. 22% for the bus system
  
  
• The streetcar has 97% on-time performance vs. [substantially less] for the bus system
  

Funding, Funding where is the Funding

Mercer Mess Update

The Seattle City Council gave the go ahead to the Spokane Street Viaduct project on Tuesday, but in regards to the Mercer Fix the Council told Nickels - show us the money!

The project isn't dead, but the Nickels administration must show documentation on how they plan to fill the $88M shortfall. Nickels said he could get federal and state grant money along with $36M from private sources to help cover construction—let's hope he can back it up.

Read more on the P-I.


The S.L.U.T. gets around

Meanwhile, SDOT proposed four possible streetcar extensions, each connecting to the South Lake Union line or the new light-rail line, opening next year. The four proposed lines are as follows:

• Central Line. Streetcars would run every six minutes from KeyArena along First Avenue through downtown, turning east on South Jackson Street and end at 23rd Avenue South. Crunican favors doing this project first, given the uncertain future of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Cost: $180 million.
  


• Fremont/Ballard Line. Streetcars would run every 10 to 15 minutes from 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street in Ballard, through Fremont and end at the South Lake Union line. Cost: $130 million
  


• First Hill/Capitol Hill Line. Streetcars would run every 12 minutes from East Aloha Street, south on Broadway, ending at Union Station. Cost: $110 million
  


• U-Line. Streetcars would run every 10 minutes from the University of Washington along Eastlake Avenue East to the South Lake Union line. Cost: $170 million.

The money for the projects would come from property owners, transportation agencies and other public grants. I think it's a solid proposal and would love for the plans to come to fruition—but there's that pesky funding issue again.

Read more in the Seattle Times.

Lake Union Loop Christened

The city decided to honor Lake Union's past by naming the six mile trail-to-be "Cheslahud Lake Union Loop", after a Duwamish chief who lived on the lake.

Over 500 names were proposed in a contest held by the parks department, including South Lake Union Trail (S.L.U.T.) and Pass Gas Path, but history and taste won out.

For more behind the name, hear from one of the contest finalists who had a part in naming the trail.

Trolley Tribulations

It turns out the S.L.U.T. isn't alone in its plight to provide transit to the masses.

There's a blog called Streetcar News that covers streetcars, trams, trolley cars, light rail—whatever you call the things—from Yakima to Berlin, and Seattle to Budapest. Here's a selection of recent posts that may sound eerily familiar:

April 17, 2008 - Another crash in Christchurch:

A car crashed into a tram in Christchurch on Tuesday. The auto was turning into a carpark at the same time that the tram pulled out of Cathedral Junction. No-one's hurt, and there doesn't look to be any significant damage.

That makes two crashes at Cathedral Junction in as many days. The previous one featured a tram and the building's doors.

April 20, 2008 - Christchurch: Yep, you guessed it, another crash:

There was yet another tram crash in Christchurch on Friday. That makes three in one week, which is all the more amazing when you realize that the line is only 2.5 kilometres long.

This time, a bus and a tram hit each other at the corner of Cathedral Square and Worcester Street. No-one was hurt, and there was no significant damage. The tram is fine, and was able to carry on after a short delay.

No, trolley accidents are not distinct to Seattle, but something every tram township experiences, whether it be due to inexperience, flawed systems or plain negligence.

The S.L.U.T.'s recent mishaps—a bumper here, a parked pick-up truck there—have been relatively harmless, compared to this crash in Baltimore, or this collision in San Diego.

This seeming pattern is no cause for an uprising against rail, as difficulties with rail are sensationalized much like problems with airlines, and accidents are no less rare.

The S.L.U.T has struck again!

The local news stations and papers may have to start dedicating a full-time team to cover all of these S.L.U.T.-astrosphes.

This time, a car ran a stop sign striking the red trolley traveling west on Valley St. at approximately 2:15pm yesterday—no doubt adding more fuel to this fire at the Seattle Transit Blog.

Humpday Roundup

Ride the S.L.U.T., originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen

Another S.L.U.T. calamity: The red trolley car is taken out of service after hitting a parked pickup

Friends of Seattle says South Lake Union may get the shaft: Nickel’s Mercer Street improvement proposal hits road block

From the “how’d they do that?” category: how they capture the prospective condo views at South Lake Union discovery center

New Logo!

The Southlake has a new logo! Gathering inspiration from those friendly street signs that keep us from getting run over, we superimposed our namesake over that venerable South Lake Union landmark, the S.L.U.T! Available in an assortment of flavors:

Parking Meter Invasion

The city has been installing parking meters throughout South Lake Union recently, and last week they metered Westlake. The area's small business owners who've grown accustomed to free parking are up in arms over the change:

"I pulled in today at 8:45 (a.m.), and I got the second to last spot, and someone right behind me got the last spot," Calvert said. "God forbid I have to go to the bank or want to go get lunch or anything because there's going to be no place to park (for more than two hours) after I get back.

"They want it to pay for the SLUT," he said using the derogatory name for the South Lake Union Trolley, which is officially called the South Lake Union Streetcar.

God forbid the city subsidize public transit and encourage more sustainable travel options instead of easing the single drivers' commute.

The P-I cited a 2005 study commissioned by the city which found that nearly all the spaces on Westlake were full all day. If parking spots are more than 70% full drivers get frustrated and are less likely to stick around. With the meters the street will become more accessible, and even cranky small business owners stand to benefit.

See SDOT's South Lake Union Parking Guide for more information.

New Feature: Views of South Lake Union

Watching the SLUT pass by - Take 2, originally uploaded by J_H_P

I'm happy to introduce a new feature to our readers on The Southlake: a South Lake Union photo pool on Flickr. This pool was started by Jonathan Hanlon more than one year ago and is populated with hundreds of amazing images by photographers Dean Forbes, Patrick Wright, Kim and Jonathan Hanlon himself capturing incredible views from around the South Lake Union neighborhood including the Center for Wooden Boats, the Cascade District, the S.L.U.T. and the Space Needle.

Do yourself a favor and browse through the South Lake Union pool, and be sure to upload any of photos of your own.

Kapow! Coffee hit with rent increase

Photo: The Seattle Times

There was a story in The Seattle Times this morning about Kapow!'s rent tripling. Apparently, the Munro Family Trust wants to milk that 200 sq. ft. storage garage for all its worth. Owner Angela Baker will have to sell more S.L.U.T. t-shirts, pull espresso shots on the Lord's day, and raise drink prices for the first time in ten years to cover the increasing costs of milk and retail space.

The area's growth is good for most, but some small businesses are obviously feeling the crunch of competition and rising property values.