Title: North King County Transit Service Restructure, September 2003: Fulfilling Multiple Objectives with Zero Sum Budget
Abstract: This paper describes and analyzes transit service restructure in suburban area. The restructure area consisted of the northern portion of Seattle and three close-in suburban cities (Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore), that lie between Seattle and Snohomish County. The service restructure affected about a dozen fixed routes and was restricted by a zero-sum budget. Any improvements had to be balanced by reductions in the same group of routes. Metro Transit facilitated inter-governmental coordination with the cities, two transit agencies, the University of Washington, and two community colleges. The restructure sought to increase ridership, improve cross-town service, and restore coverage lost by service reductions in 2000. The service design strategies were drawn from the Metro Transit Six-Year Transit Improvement Plan, 2002. Metro Transit used public outreach and involvement, including the appointment of a sounding board that helped balance the service concepts among competing uses. Metro Transit sent two mailings to all households and businesses in the affected area and held several public meetings. Planners met with employer groups and municipalities. The restructure process took 15 months from sounding board recruitment and research in June 2002 to service change implementation in September 2003. The Metropolitan King County Council adopted the service change ordinance in April 2003. The paper also describes service area, former route structure and issues, public and political process, service change implementation, service adjustments, compromises, and ridership results. Study will analyze ridership data from 2002 and 2004. Countywide ridership will be shown as a control.
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
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