Why not just cut all underutilized bus lines?

...

of course, that would force the eastside to realize they're massive polluters who need to get out of their cars ...

@1, How, exactly, would cutting bus service to the east side get east side people out of their cars? Easy answer: IT WON'T. Pitching SE Seattle against the Eastside isn't going to help anyone, anywhere.

Besides, some of us have to work over there (lord knows I'd rather work downtown or near my apartment, but it's damn near impossible to find a job there for me, so there you go), and would like to take the freaking bus instead of driving every day, OK?

Not to mention the hundreds (thousands?) of people who make use of the express buses on from Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond... so please, back the fuck off.

The 60 also goes to the VA front entrance, but it does not go to/from downtown.

Can you give more details about the pressure from the VA? I work there and the VA was completely impartial about telling employees about the changes. I wrote comments to Metro as a citizen concerned about the implications of this change for old and disabled veterans, but there was no VA encouragement for this position.

Yeah, we can pay for it with magical rainbow money that comes out of unicorns' butts.

Remember how Metro is going to be cutting existing service by 20%? Seems like a stretch to ask for a new bus line in that climate.

A better place to work is to reduce the cuts to all of Seattle and make sure that what get cut is first to be restored.

You getting LR and you expect to keep your buses? How about cutting SE the most and keep service in the other 3/4 of the city.

ECB is a spent force. all used up. Her wad is shot. She's like a porn star who has been in the business too long.

ECB,

Having the 39 and the 50 was never on the table. If you look at all the Metro tabloids the 50 would have replaced the 39. It's completely outside the realm of possibility for Metro to run both routes.

I would have liked to have seen better connections to LR too, but as a practical matter you're going to have to take some hours out of the 7 to do that, and if you tried to do that now you'd have a riot on your hands.

Erica is spot on here. The #50 was going to be added with 15 minute headways using money saved from killing the #42 which totally makes sense (duplicates light rail route). And they're also cutting 7E and 34E.

But now they've decided to kill the 50 and are actually reducing headways on the 39. That's coo-coo for coconuts. Resulting transit connections from Lakewood Seward Park will be way worse that prior to light rail.

Resulting transit connections from Lakewood Seward Park will be way worse that prior to light rail.

Some people tried to warn the light rail fanatics that putting 3 billion into a 14 mile system with very few stops would make transit worst but they were made fun of as against progress.

Last vote even Sims told you all that the too much money was going to LR rather than buses.

I don't think it decreases access from route 7. It is really only a couple of blocks from Rainier to MLK at the Alaska station (less than a five minute walk with a toddler). That is where the 39/50 would be. It is a flat route on Edmunds. A new side walk was put in to facilitate walking to the station from Columbia City. I believe most people would prefer to walk from route 7 to light rail rather than wait any time (15 to 20 minutes for the 50 or 30 minutes for the 39).

I had accepted the demise of the the 39, and the creation of the new route 50. However, it was going to add time to my commute AND cost more. Light rail is going to have a base rate of $2 plus 5 cents per mile. This put my commute up from the nonpeak 1.75 fare to approximately 2.15 each way. My commute would have been broken up, so instead of 15 minutes on the bus + 3 minutes walking, I would have 7 minutes on the 50 + 5 to 10 minutes waiting for light rail + approximately 5 to 10 minutes to my new stop on Lander + 10 minute walk to my old stop/my job. On the plus side, I was going to get a nice little walk in the industrial district.

I know this does not sound like a big increase, but it is in a part of the city least able to support rate increases. I am disappointed because I actually supported light rail.

@ 11: The 39 serves folks east of Rainier that 7 can't reasonably serve.

If you live near the PCC on 50th or anywhere along that stretch north and south, here's what your commute will feel like:
walk to Rainier (10 minutes at least),
+ wait for the 7 local (assume 5 minutes for giggles but really longer),
+ take the 7 to Alaska & rainier (5 minutes),
+ walk from Rainier to MLK (5 minutes),
+ wait for the train (5 min),
+ ride the train to downtown (10 min)
Total 40 minutes plus a gazillion transitions. In the rain. In the dark. And up hill on way back.

Compare against taking the existing #34 - one seat ride to downtown: 25 minutes once you're on the bus.

10 years of Light rail construction was supposed to have a pay off, no?

Don't worry Sloggers, some day you'll move beyond your jobs as baristas/Kinkos rejects and get real jobs and be able to afford a car.

Actual Commuter, here's what the commute will looks like:

+walk to Rainier, pray you don't get caught in the cross fire (10 minutes at least. Bullet proof vest required),
+ wait for the 7 local while high school kids eyeball your iPhone (assume 5 minutes for if you also have an iPod),
+ take the 7 to Alaska & rainier standing because homey wants to put his legs on 2 seats and since you're white, you feel guilty he can't afford 2 seats at home (5 minutes),
+ walk from Rainier to MLK. Actually run like the wind, especially if it's dark out. (5 minutes),
+ Pray for the train while watching local youth spray paint everything that's bolted down and steal anything that isn't (5 min),
+ ride the train to downtown with all the other high schoolers skipping class to hang out at the West Lake Center (10 min)
Total 40 minutes plus a gazillion transitions, one mugging, two threats and some sexual innuendo. In the rain. In the dark. And up hill on way back.

@1: Once again, your idiocy knows no bounds.

Syd @ 11,

The base fare is $1.75, not $2.

erica, don't you live in columbia city? as a "journalist," you should mention this before you urge people to get all up in arms about a specific bus route that serves your interests. Why not protest every route change/cancellation? Oh that's right, because you only care about what affects you.

Cool. I had seen a 2.00 base fare a couple of weeks ago, but the Sound Transit site does list the 1.75 + .05 per mile fare now. It is still more than a bus ride at non-peak, but would be comparable to peak fare.