Mercer Fix: The Issues

City Councilmember Nick Licata presented his case against the Mercer Fix at last night's Cascade Neighborhood Council meeting to mixed reactions: some supportive, some befuddled.

To be fair, Licata is not against fixing the Mercer Mess entirely—he's against the two-way Mercer as proposed and doing it at other project's expense. Unfortunately, this would likely mean nothing would be done (think Viaduct, 520, etc.).

Let's move on to the issues. But first, let me preface the rundown by explaining that most of Licata's arguments revert to an alternative plan formulated in 1999. Said plan would leave Mercer as is and instead widen Valley, with a possible pedestrian bridge across Valley Street for access to Lake Union Park. For the sake of brevity, we'll refer to this as the '99 plan.

Traffic

Let's start off with traffic. After all, it's certainly at the front of the mind for residents of Queen Anne, Magnolia and Fremont. Fair enough, it is a transportation project.

The two key routes are westbound (I-5 to Seattle Center) and eastbound (Seattle Center to I-5).

At the morning's peak traffic hour, travel times both ways would either stay the same or improve by up to 4 minutes (westbound) versus doing nothing.

At the evening's peak traffic hour, travel times get worse. Depending on whether two-way Mercer ends up being seven lanes or six lanes there's a big swing. Seven lanes gets up to 3 minutes longer (eastbound) than Mercer as is. Six lanes, however, would be up to 11 minutes longer going east.

This is Licata's main argument. The Mercer Fix Nickels et al are proposing has six lanes, but seven lanes could be achieved by lopping off a row of parking (which has some impact on pedestrians since they are that much closer to the traffic).

Cost and Funding

The Mercer Fix costs $200M and has a large ($170M) funding gap. According to Licata, his '99 plan would cost just $47M (80% less).

There's one problem here in Licata's argument. A large portion of the cost of either project is going to be in acquiring the land the widening thoroughfares would encroach upon. The city once owned the land necessary to move forward with the '99 plan. When the plan fell through, they sold it to Allen for $20M. The value of that land now, thanks to Lake Union Park and South Lake Union redevelopment in general, is upward of $60M. Licata's plan suddenly becomes more expensive.

As for the funding gap, Nickels is proposing to use internal funds from the Bridging the Gap levy, a fund for transportation maintenance and improvements, as well as the employee head tax and commercial parking tax. In addition, the project would use proceeds from utilities, any state or federal money, and 'other' (see section on economic development for likely source)

The real key to the funding plan is a windfall the city has seen in the commercial parking tax. That money can either go toward this project, or, as Licata would have it, shotgun sprayed across the city.

Viaduct Synergies

Nickels says its critical Mercer goes both ways to alleviate traffic during the Viaduct's destruction and rebuild whatever form that may take. Licata says his guys tell him it would make no difference. Not sure who to believe on this one.

Reconnecting the Grid

Along with the proposed Mercer Fix, we'd be connected to our friends in Lower Queen Anne / Uptown. Under Licata's '99 plan, Aurora would continue to keep us apart :(

There are some misconceptions that reconnecting the two long lost neighborhoods would require a lowered Aurora which would cost another $200M. This is not the case. The plan is moving forward under a surface-level intersection option on some of the smaller east-west arterials. This would require anywhere from 8 to 18 lights on Aurora, which has the truckers up in arms.

Economic Development

Licata admitted the two-way Mercer along with the more narrow Valley would yield more economic benefits to the area than any other alternative. The area that would benefit most is the three-block area between Valley and Mercer, and Fairview and Westlake.

The obvious question & answer followed—Q: Who owns that property? A: Paul Allen.

What's currently on those three blocks? A couple marine stores, a couple gas stations, a junkyard and some dilapidated office buildings. Sounds like it's in need of economic development. What's the difference if Allen makes some more coin.

Pedestrian -Safety and -Friendliness

Licata says crossing the two-way, six lane Mercer would make for some 'critical crossings'. Nevermind the design proposal clearly demarcating crosswalks by paving them in brick, or that there will be a tree-lined island.

Measuring pedestrian impact based on the number of lanes someone walking to Lake Union Park would have to cross going north, Licata says the Mercer Fix and the '99 plan is a wash.

The hole in this argument is that Mercer stays as is, and Valley becomes even wider. This seems much more vehicle-friendly than pedestrian-friendly.

The '99 plan had a pedestrian bridge over a widened Valley Street to Lake Union Park. A pedestrian bridge doesn't really inspire a walkable neighborhood type of feel. I've never heard of people funneling through a bridge over a bunch of speeding cars to get to their favorite sidewalk cafe.

In contrast, the Mercer Fix would narrow Valley Street and add wide sidewalks to Valley and Mercer.

Other things the Mercer Fix has going for it in this area are the proposed bike lanes running both ways on Mercer and Valley. Connecting the grid (see section above) also benefits pedestrians/cyclists tremendously, even Licata admitted this was so.

The End! Almost.

The Mercer Fix already passed through the City Council 8-1 (guess who the dissenter was) with a yellow light. Nickels wants to breakground in Q2 2009. Once construction starts, the debate virtually ends. Up until that point, Licata is hellbent on stopping the project. In the next few weeks he will join efforts with the commuter community groups to present to the city their proposed use of the funds in other parts of the city.

I'll leave you with a thought Licata passed on to those attending the CNC meeting:

When talking to the consultant the city hired to design the Mercer Fix, the consultant told Licata the purpose of the design was to let people know they've entered the city once they get off I-5 – that South Lake Union is more than just peripheral scenery flashing by on their way to and from work.

That is the key distinction between Licata's '99 plan and the proposed two-way Mercer. One is a concession to the single occupant commuter, the other is a benefit to the city.

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.

Why Flex Scooter when you can Bike Share?

Fresh off the heels of the Flex Scooter pilot comes the Bike Share Symposium. As long as a group of cyclist protesters doesn't storm the Group Health Cooperative, South Lake Union will become a pilot for a city- and county-wide bike share program.

King County is holding the symposium to help decide if a bike share program is needed and/or wanted in our neighborhood. It will be the pilot for Seattle and King County.

Your input is needed!

This Symposium will bring together leaders in the transportation, urban planning and business communities to discuss what is being done today in other US cities and how best to tailor a bike share program for Seattle and King County.

Over the past few years, bike share programs have swept through Europe, becoming a critical part of the local transportation network. Today, cities throughout the United States are adapting the bike share concept to meet their growing mobility needs.

Space is limited, so please RSVP by July 3rd to beverly.nitz (at) kingcounty.gov. If you cannot participate, feel free to forward this invitation to another appropriate colleague in your organization.

Learn more about the Bike Share Initiative here

Questions? Contact Eileen Kadesh (King County Metro Transit) at 206-684-1600 or Pearson Cummings (King County Parks) at 206-263-6230.

DATE: Thursday, July 10th

TIME: 2:00-5:00pm

LOCATION: Group Health Cooperative, 320 Westlake (Map)

Would you make use of a Bike Share program? How about the flex scooter? Let us know on the South Lake Union Community site.

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
  

Mercer Street Study Released Following Vote

The city just released a study on the proposed Mercer fix that says the project would do little to help traffic flow and may even be of harm, shortly after the City Council voted 8-1 to proceed with caution.

Trips westbound from Interstate 5 to Seattle Center would improve by 2-½ to 4 minutes in the morning, because drivers won't have to make a pair of turns to reach Valley Street. Eastbound trips would be about the same. But in the afternoon, most trips in both directions would be slower, the study says.

The study confirms a similar study conducted years ago, and council members were presumably well aware of the findings — but weighed against the potential benefits to the community, the City Council voted almost unanimously for the project, albeit with a funding caveat (except for Nick Licata, who is also against the streetcar expansion and co-chair of the pedestrian safety committee - wtf?).

The Seattle Times also summarized some of the other findings from the study:

• Valley Street, to be narrowed from five street lanes to two, plus bike lanes, would "promote a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly atmosphere" next to Lake Union Park.

• The junction of Mercer with Fairview Avenue North would improve, but it would still be sluggish.

• "High delays" would occur where Mercer, Broad Street and Ninth Avenue converge at the west end of the rebuilt corridor.

• On-street parking would be provided on stretches of Mercer and Valley streets. One option would reduce Mercer by one lane — and boost a 10-minute eastbound peak trip to 18 minutes. The report says there's also a benefit: separating sidewalks from busy traffic.

Know your SLU Detours/Closures/Parking/Transportation/Development

SLUFAN came up with a new widget on their website that's pretty cool - it's called the South Lake Union Construction Activities Map. It plots all the new development and associated detours on a map and let's you click for more detail. As an added bonus, public transportation routes and parking lots (future development sites) are also on the map.

This complements Discover SLU's Amenities map quite nicely, and as if that weren't enough—there's a SLU Green map that we've mentioned before. Looks like someone's getting some mileage on this mapping app.

BioTour Bus Outside of Alcyone

This blue bio-diesel beast was spotted outside of Alcyone this afternoon. Not only does it run on vegetable oil, but four photovoltaic panels power onboard electronic devices such as laptops, cell phones, cameras and stereo – and what's more – the interior has bamboo hardwood flooring!

What's it doing in South Lake Union? According to their website, they just made a stop at the University of Washington yesterday and plan on being in Iowa by Wednesday, May 14.

What's BioTour all about? You may have already guessed at it, but here's the mission:

BioTour is a journey that aims to enliven the Sustainability Movement while exploring the depths of America—the people, land and cultures. BioTour addresses the vital issues of climate change, environmental degradation and peak oil while presenting pathways toward sustainability in renewable energy and active democracy.

Check out biotour.org for more information. And guess what? They have a social network just like us! Join both to win extra points.

I couldn't locate the crew for an interview, but they were likely here to check out the p-patch and SLU's other green features.

Hope you enjoyed your time here and good luck on the rest of your tour. Come back and see us soon!

Only in South Lake Union

Seen on Thomas and Pontius from right to left: a Scooter, a Smart Car and a G-wagon.

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.

Your South Lake Union Critical Crossings

Seattle City Council member Nick Licata is looking to Seattle citizens to help identify the city's most treacherous intersections in order to improve pedestrian safety.

Licata is accepting your photos and depictions of 'critical crossings' and will post them here monthly. Licata says that the information provided by citizens will be used, together with other sources of information and engineering judgments, to develop priorities in improving pedestrian safety.

South Lake Union certainly is not without its problematic crosswalks. The one that first comes to mind is Stewart & Yale in front of 24 Hour Fitness, one I walk across everyday on the way home from work. Those coming down the hill on Denny rip around the corner to get on I-5, rarely looking for pedestrians who have right of way.

View Larger Map

Have a perilous intersection of your own? Let us know about them here, or follow these instructions to submit your entries to Mr. Licata:

• Email your digital photos to my legislative assistant at frank.video@seattle.gov. In the subject line type: "Critical Crossings".
• Name the cross streets of each intersection you submit, i.e. "Slowpoke Avenue North and Busy Boulevard Southwest".
• Include any comments you wish to make about each intersection you submit.
• Let me know if you want to post your email address next to your photo so others can contact you.
• Submit images in JPG or GIF format. The image should be 640 x 480 pixels or larger. To insure quality, images smaller then 640 x 480 pixels will not be posted on this site.

May is Bike to Work Month

Cascade Bicycle Club is organizing Bike to Work/School Month:

BTW/S helps the Puget Sound Region meet its goals of encouraging more bicycling for transportation. Specifically the city of Seattle’s new Bicycle Master Plan specifies a goal of tripling the use of bicycling in Seattle for all trip purposes by 2017. Cascade works towards that goal by providing commute programs for individuals and businesses.

Check out the Bike to Work Month Schedule of Events which includes the Vulcan Bike to Work Breakfast May 7, Starbucks Bike to Work Day May 16, and the thirty day Group Health Commute Challenge.

Another great reason to hop on those new bike lanes on 9th ave.

Bike lanes added on 9th

Freshly painted bike lanes have shown up on 9th Ave stretching from Mercer to Denny, making the ride into downtown easier for the future residents of Veer Lofts.

Of course, there are already bike lanes already 2 blocks west on Dexter, but the more the merrier.

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.