On June 1st, the public comment period on King County Metro’s Draft Long Range Plan (LPR) ended. The LPR acts as a roadmap for the agency as the system grows and changes.

Earlier this year, TCC hosted a Transit Talk to gather early public feedback on the plan. Our policy staff worked with our partners at Puget Sound Sage, Feet First, Futurewise, OneAmerica and Cascade Bicycle club, to draft and submit a joint comment letter. 

Below is an excerpt of the letter. You can download the full letter here.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on King County Metro’s Draft Long Range Plan (LRP). We are a  group of organizations that strongly supports connecting the Puget Sound region through affordable,  reliable, and sustainable transit. Together, we represent environmental, land use, active transportation,  social justice, and transit stakeholders, with thousands of members in the central Puget Sound region.

We commend the agency for their hard work developing such an extensive and ambitious plan that aims to  bring frequent and reliable service to a large swath of King County. We support the expansion of express,  frequent, and local service, using exclusive right­ of­ way wherever possible. We support the creation of  dense, walking transit­ oriented communities that serve all neighborhoods, but especially households that  rely on transit to get to work, school, services, and to visit friends or family.

The draft plan is a great start, and we look forward to working with King County Metro to make it even better. 

We offer the following comments on the Long Range Plan:    

  • General comments
    • Be ambitious
      • Metro’s LRP is designed to be aspirational. And yet, only 50% of all RapidRide  service (the service type with the highest investment levels) is slated to run in  dedicated transit lanes, with only five lines targeted to meet international BRT  certification standards. While it is understandable that not every mile of every  RapidRide line justifies exclusive right ­of­ way, Metro should aim for the highest  standards of BRT, which can be one of the most reliable, safe, and intuitive ways to  move a large number of people throughout the county. Including information on  how transit priority is determined would be helpful. Metro could alternatively set  adjacent land use and activity thresholds for transit exclusivity.
    • Be clear
      • The LRP details a lot of great improvements to the system. It is important for the  user to understand how and when these investments will be made. How will  additional service hours, routes, and capital infrastructure be allocated and  prioritized?
    • Plan for community engagement
      • Metro should create a robust community engagement strategy to solicit input from transit riders, community­ based organizations, and community members on the  Long Range Plan as it is updated and implemented. Engaging communities early  and fine­ tuning the plan to meet their needs will build popular support throughout  the county.
    • Prioritize user experience
      • While reliability, speed, and ease of use are paramount for a popular and efficient  transit system, a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable ride are just as important. Metro  should commit to continuously improving the experience of users riding and waiting  for the bus.
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