Transit talks trolleys June 22

Even though they’ve been meticulously maintained by the finest mechanics, Metro’s electric trolley buses are getting old. They have obsolete parts, cracked bodies, and are getting to the end of their useful lifecycle.

Metro may need to order replacement vehicles by the end of 2012. But, before doing that, the agency has been directed by the King County Executive and the Metropolitan King County Council to study all the alternatives.

No decisions have been made yet. All ideas are on the table, as Metro begins to explore its options as the current 159 electric trolley buses wear out.

To find out more about the study, and where Metro goes from here, come to an open house about the electric trolleys next Tuesday, June 22 from 5-7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church, 1217 Sixth Ave. in downtown Seattle.

Metro honors customers June 17 on ‘Dump the Pump’ Day

On June 17, transit agencies across the nation are participating in the “Dump the Pump” Day.

Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) since 2006, the national event encourages people to beat gas prices and help protect the environment by leaving their cars behind and using public transportation.

Locally, King County Metro Transit will be thanking its customers by hosting “customer appreciation” activities at three large transit centers with refreshments provided by Starbucks and Costco. The events will run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Northgate Park-and-Ride, Bellevue Transit Center, and Federal Way Transit Center. Sound Transit staff will be on hand at Bellevue and Federal Way.

Road-construction closures ahead

 

Culvert replacement projects can be complex and lengthy due to the depth of the excavation needed for a large culvert and the number of utility lines that have to be relocated before the project can begin.

The King County Road Services Division is starting up several construction projects in June and July. Most of them involve road closures, some lasting as long as 10 weeks.

Here’s a brief run down of the bigger projects:

155th Avenue NE: Closed June 14-Aug. 31 between Northeast 146th Place to Northeast 150th Street for culvert replacement.

May Valley Road SE: Closed June 21-Aug. 31 just east of State Route 900 while the county builds a new bridge over the North Fork of May Creek.

West Snoqualmie Valley Road NE: Closed June 21-July 15 in the 7300 block (northwest of Ames Lake-Carnation Road) for a culvert replacement.

Southwest 100th Street: Closed June 21-25 in White Center between 13th Avenue Southwest and 12th Avenue Southwest for a culvert replacement.

NE 133rd Street: Closed east of Redmond at 198th Avenue NE from July 6-Aug. 12 for the installation of a very large culvert underneath the roadway.

2010 Metro Roadeo winners

This challenge at the annual Metro Roadeo tests a driver's ability to pull close to the curb for passenger boarding, and then pull into traffic without coming in contact with other buses at the curb. Photo by Burke McMurdo.

Every year, Metro Transit tests the skills and abilities of its drivers at the annual Roadeo.

The contest challenges employees to keep their skills current, encourages continued mastery of all aspects of equipment operation, and sets an example for the best safety practices. Winners frequently advance to regional, state and international competition.

The 33rd annual competition was held last Saturday, and perennial favorite Michael Grady won the event. It was the seventh Metro championship for the East Base operator.

Grady bested about 30 other top Metro drivers. Following him in the top ten were: Tammy Klein, Atlantic Base; Tom Ponischil, South Base; Janet Palmer, Atlantic; Mel Nason, North; Daniel McKinney, Central; Dennis Caputo, Ryerson; Dustin Toms, East; David Crock, Ryerson; and Gloria Mingori, south.  Grady now advances to represent Metro in the state roadeo later this year.

Other awards went to: Paul Tefft, Atlantic, first place maverick operator; Ryan Stringfellow, East vehicle maintenance, first place maverick non-operator; Ravi Chand, Atlantic, best score first-time competitor; and Paul Tefft, Atlantic, most-improved roadeo score.

REMINDER: South Park Bridge closes June 30

Despite ongoing efforts to secure funding for a new bridge, the old South Park Bridge is set to close June 30th. Watch this video from the King County Road Services Division for more information on how the closure might affect you.

Kent gets moving with ‘In Motion’

Residents of Kent’s East Hill neighborhood are being enticed this summer to get around by walking, cycling, riding the bus or train, and sharing rides – anything that helps them drive less.

Metro’s “In Motion” program has been used successfully in neighborhoods across King County over the past several years to make it easier for people to travel healthier while saving on transportation costs.

Metro partners with local organizations and businesses to spread the word about convenient bus routes that can help residents run errands, go shopping, and just get to some fun spots without driving themselves.

Over the past six years, Metro’s grant-funded In Motion program has reached residents in more than 20 King County neighborhoods. Metro estimates the popular programs have reduced more than 1.3 million miles of driving, 66,000 gallons of gas, and 674 tons of CO2 emissions.

In Kent, Metro is teaming up with the City of Kent’s Kent4Health program and the Kent Chamber of Commerce’s East Hill Partnership. Also, the Lucy Lopez Center is offering information to Spanish-speaking participants, and ReWA (Refugee Women’s Alliance) is helping Russian speakers.

More information about the Kent “In Motion” program is available online.

Buses (and riders) say: ‘Thanks, Bob!’

   

Bob Martinsen

Earlier this spring, Bob Martinsen was honored as Metro Transit’s “Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year.”  

Bob has been a valued employee in Vehicle Maintenance since 1979. During his 31-year career with Metro, Bob has repaired monorail cars, buses, streetcars, electric trolleys.  

Currently, Bob works on the mobile repair truck stationed at Atlantic Base in downtown Seattle.   

Bus won’t start? Bob to the rescue.  Loose mirror?  Bob to the rescue.  Tangled up trolley ropes?  Bob to the rescue.  Trouble in the tunnel?  Bob to the rescue.  

His Metro supervisors can’t say enough about Bob’s diligent consistency as an unsung hero behind the scenes. So, we’ll just echo that thought by offering a simple: “Thanks, Bob!”

Countdown begins for Spokane Street transit disruptions

Spokane Street Viaduct

If you ride the bus to West Seattle, White Center, Harbor Island and Vashon Island, you should know that transit service will be disrupted for up to a year by the city of Seattle’s project to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct between Interstate 5 and the West Seattle Bridge.

For transit customers, the key part of the project is the closure of the on-ramp from 1st Avenue South westbound to the West Seattle Bridge via the Spokane Street Viaduct. Because that ramp will be closed until the fall of 2011, several bus routes will be detoured over the low-level bridge across the Duwamish Waterway.

This will primarily affect bus travel to West Seattle, but related congestion could affect traffic and transit in downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square, SODO, and even connecting routes to Ballard and North Beach.

Our tips:

• Check out the info provide by Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation to see if your regular travel patterns will be affected;
• If you are a bus rider, sign up for Metro alerts;
• Have a plan for traveling through the construction area, and have a back-up plan for those days when traffic is really congested.

Engineering review confirms need to close South Park Bridge

An independent engineering report has confirmed what King County engineers have already determined – the South Park Bridge is in such poor condition it can no longer be safely used by the public. The bridge is set to close June 30.
Read more…

Counting cars in the 21st Century

Our Road Services Divison has a new way to count vehicles on streets in unincorporated King County.

You may be used to seeing a black tube laid across a road, and that tube is attached to counter at the shoulder or sidewalk. Those are air tubes, and when a vehicle rolls over the tube squeezing the air out, it triggers the counter.

Now, our Traffic Engineering Section has the choice to use the air tube counters or magnetic vehicle classifiers. 

The new counters look like flat metal plates. They are about one-inch thick by four inches wide, and 10 inches long.  They are secured to the middle of the traffic lane using rubber sheets and four metal screws. They do not harm tires.

The magnetic counters collect data on each vehicle’s speed, length, and the spacing in between vehicles.  They are more efficient to install and more accurate than air tubes for high-volume four-lane road sections, because four magnetic counters can do the job of eight air tubes.