AGENDA

Proposed Ballard Mixed Use Development by Seattle Compass Center, Greg
Elkerton – Common Ground and M.J. Kiser – Program Director, Compass
Center
Compass Center plans to construct an 80-unit residential facility at
1753 NW 56 Street which will provide affordable housing for persons
transiting from homelessness.

Update on 2008 Seattle Parks Green Space Levy & Opportunity to Develop
a New Park in Ballard, Lise Ward – Seattle Parks Dept Property
Management

Market/45th Street Transit Corridor Improvements, Bill Bryant, Seattle
DOT
This recently initiated effort will address east west transit
efficiency between Ballard and U District.

2009/2010 Ballard DC Election of Officers, Mary Hurley – Chair,
Nominating Committee
A slate of four candidates will be presented. The election of officers
will occur at the October 14 council meeting. DC member organization
reps are eligible to serve in one of the four officer positions.

Executive Committee
1. Application for Ballard DC membership by Ballard Rotary Club,
Catherine Weatbrook
2. Volunteers are needed to serve on a district level committee to
review work related to the Deep Bored Tunnel/SR 99 project, Steve Cohn
3. October 5th Candidates Forum, Andy MacDonald
BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM

The Ballard District Council, Queen Anne District Council, and BINMIC Action Committee are co-sponsoring a community forum to consider how the Deep Bored Tunnel option to replace our viaduct can best serve Seattle neighborhoods. Take the opportunity to sort through the facts and make your ideas and opinions known on how to best serve the interest of our community in the face of a project we didn’t want. Panelists members include: reps from WSDOT, City of Seattle, King County, and noted experts in the field of tunnel construction, economics, and traffic engineering. Points to be covered in the forum are:

• How will we access south end destinations as well as downtown Seattle?
• What kind of access will we have to the northern entrance of the tunnel?
• Will trucks be able to use the tunnel or will they use surface streets?
• How will travel times through the corridor be affected?
• Why is an economic impact study so important to decisions affecting the Alaskan Way Viaduct?

Monday, March 23rd

7 – 9 PM

Ballard High School Auditorium

For more information on this forum contact Rob Mattson at 684-4051 or rob.mattson@seattle.gov

To brush up on information about the project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct before the meeting visit:

http://www.alaskanwayviaduct.org/

The Transit lanes run each direction down 15th avenue to accommodate bicyclists and the increased number of buses during peak hours of traffic from 4-6pm. Other drivers can only use the curb lanes for making right hand turns during restricted hours, and during non-peak hours it is available for parking and/or cruising. 

Insider tip: don’t try to continuously cruise with your right turn signal on… it doesn’t work.

The only time Ballard’s bus routes were mentioned in the article was in the following statement, “But it’s not clear if Metro can provide everything it promised voters in Transit Now, including new bus rapid transit lines serving Overlake, West Seattle, Ballard, Aurora and Federal Way by the early 2010′s.” Does this mean when I purchase something I will get a refund of the portion of my sales tax that goes to Transit Now if they will not be fulfilling the transit needs promised?

It’s interesting that this week’s Ballard District Council Meeting includes a representative of Ballard Rapid Ride, Paul Roybal, Project Manager for King County Metro, along with Jonathan Dong, Project Manager, for Seattle DOT.  The agenda states “the Ballard Rapid Ride corridor is next up for planning and design.”  Really?  After what the Seattle Times just printed?   Their talk at the meeting will also include discussion on the ‘potential benefits.’   Wow, I think anyone who rides a bus in Ballard could easily give a presentation on that.

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Please attend this week’s meeting to speak out on behalf of Ballard bus commuters.

BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM

Over the years as condos have been put up at dizzying rates the Ballard buses have gotten more and more crowded.  Then add in the increased price for gas over the past few years and the Ballard routes were already at maximum capacity.   However, last year when the Ballard School District decided to stop providing school bus service forcing students to take Metro buses to get to school, it pushed an already overburdened route to the breaking point.  People like me who use the #15 to commute to jobs were not given any warning about the impact to us by this poorly planned decision.  Last year I suddenly found myself being told that I couldn’t board the bus as there wasn’t even standing room left.  Adult riders who depend on the bus to get to their jobs were suddenly left stranded.  When I found out the cause for the sudden increase in riders, I called Ballard High School to complain.   I received a voicemail from the principal indicating that he had worked with Metro when it was decided that students would no longer have access to a school bus system.     I wonder how much ‘collaboration’ actually occurred between the school and Metro as the schedule was unchanged.  There weren’t any additional buses added to the route to account for extra capacity needed by this flood of additional riders.    It’s also obvious that the high school did not alter its start time to be slightly before or after the peak commuting hour so that workers and students would not be competing to get to where they need to go.     Also, students don’t appear to have been directed to take the local #15.  Instead they pile on the Express bus which is specifically used by commuters to get to downtown jobs. 

When the Transit Now initiative to expand Metro Transit service was approved by King County voters in 2006, the measure was supposed to enhance existing service to produce a network of core high ridership routes with all day, two-way bus service connecting residential, business and recreational centers.  The frequency goal was for service on these routes every 15 minutes as ridership studies show that when passengers can count on service being available, even commuter ridership increases.    These improvements are paid for by the people through another add on to our already high sales tax.   I of course assumed that there would be additional buses added to the #15 and #18 routes, two of the routes with Metro’s highest ridership statistics (hence the reason the Monorail was going to have its stations all along Ballard).   Instead for reasons that were not made clear, the route chosen by Metro to increase capacity was the #48 which runs from Ballard to the U District and points beyond.

The fact that both Ballard to downtown routes have long had riders standing from front to back make me wonder why Metro wouldn’t choose to use the Transit Now funds for these routes, at least from a liability standpoint.  Having so many people standing, combined with the way some drivers suddenly brake hard, it seems as if these factors create a certain amount of risk for Metro.  In case of a very hard stop, or an accident, I wonder about the effect of overcapacity on the injury rate and the potential for lawsuits. 

Today I wasn’t turned away from the bus, but I wonder whether that will last based on my experience last year.  I was, however, late to work due to the fact that boarding and unloading is a long process when the bus is packed full.  Is it too much to ask in this supposedly ‘green’ city that encourages people to get out of their cars, that those of us who actually do so, be able to board a bus, take a seat and get to where we need to be in a timely manner?   

Quick Update:  Today, Thursday August 4th, 15 adults were denied boarding on the Express #15 bus due to influx of students and lack of planning by Metro and Ballard High School. 

Chili-man, Mike Semandiris, contacted Ballardblog and asked us to inform our loyal readers that the Chili Parlor will be closed this week due to intense construction interference, but will be up and ready to cater to your chili and beer desires by Friday night (July 11th) and onward.

And to make up for the temporary closure, the Parlor will offer a “Construction Special” all next week: $1.00 Miller High Life Pints 4pm-7pm Monday through Friday.

Thanks, Mike! We will see you soon..