SEATTLE — About 120,000 commuters could be impacted by proposed changes to Metro early next year.
The rerouting would mainly impact northeast Seattle and the following lines: 8, 11, 26X, 28X, 31, 32, 38, 45, 48, 62, 65, 67, 73, 78, 372X.
The changes are to accommodate the opening of two more Link light rail stations at the University of Washington and on Capitol Hill. Metro is striving to push more people headed downtown onto the light rail, as opposed to buses going all the way downtown.
Hundreds packed a meeting Tuesday night frustrated their bus lines could be changing.
“Metro has given the short end of the stick to the riders of northeast Seattle,” one man exclaimed at the meeting.
King County Council Transportation Committee chair Rod Dembowski was at the meeting taking notes. He said the new bus plan is not final; however, people do need to prepare for some adjustments.
“We’re asking folk to give up the convenience of a one seat ride to downtown in exchange for the convenience of more frequent and reliable light rail,” Dembowski said. “Some folks are excited about the one seat bus ride, some are excited about the trade-off.”
There were some who supported the proposed restructuring at the meeting. However, most expressed concern about losing a local line, or dealing with a long walk or a long wait to transfer.
For more information about the recommended Metro changes click here: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/programs-projects/link-connections/recommendation.html
KIRO
