Meeting Notes 03/14/2023

South Rose Hill/Bridle Trails Neighborhood Associatio General Meeting Minutes Tuesday, March 14, 2023 on ZOOM

24 attendees including 5 guests

President Chris Kagen called us to order shortly after 7:00 pm

Elections: Clarissa Jarem

Per by-laws, elections for Board and officers will take place at the Tuesday, May 9 meeting on zoom. If you are interested in running or wish to nominate someone, please email Clarissa: clarissa.jarem@gmail.com or text 404-861-5883. Residents, business licensees, property owners, and nonprofit organizations located within the Neighborhood Association boundaries are eligible.

There were no public comments.

King County Metro Transit: Meredith Sampson, Transportation Planner, Service Planning; Brian Henry, Service Planner; and Luke Distelhorst, Future Transit Planner

The SRH/BT NA Board asked Metro staff the following questions in advance of our March 14 meeting. Answers are below in blue.

1.       Future of the Houghton Park and Ride lot: is any consideration being given to using this strategically located property to connect commuters and others to the BRT station? We just saw the notice of its closing, and we know the city is considering the site for an aquatic center.

Houghton Park-and-Ride is a WSDOT-owned property that King County Metro has historically operated and maintained through a lease agreement. Due to consistently low utilization, Metro will be terminating the lease agreement and closing the Park-and-Ride on March 18th, 2023. After its closure, Metro will continue to monitor and lightly maintain the lot for no more than 90 days after closure. Afterwards, operating and maintenance will transition to WSDOT as WSDOT and Kirkland continue negotiations regarding the future of the site. 

Consideration was given to connections to the future 85th St BRT station as part of the North Eastside Mobility Project which was implemented in March 2020. This future station will be served by Routes, 239 and 250. Prior to implementation we can consider changes to better serve the 85th St Station. As the lease agreement between Metro and WSDOT for operating at the Houghton Park & Ride is being terminated, consideration is not being given to use of this property to connect commuters to the future BRT station. Route 342 will continue to stop at the I-405 & NE 70th Pl freeway stop, and Route 245 will serve stops along NE 70th Pl adjacent to the Park & Ride.  

2.       Metro Bus service to Kirkland is deteriorating, in [our]  opinion. Three years ago, the number of stops Route 245 makes along N.E. 70th was reduced. The current stops do not align with the safest pedestrian crossings of  N.E. 70th. And adding a block or two of walking to reach the remaining bus stops is a disincentive to use transit.

Metro’s Service Guidelines state that the desired stop spacing for non-RapidRide bus service is every ¼ mile (every 1,320 feet). This standard aims to balance a reasonable distance for customers to travel to reach transit service, the speed and reliability of the service, and the consistency of arrival times. Greater stop spacing also concentrates ridership at fewer stops, decreases the cost of improving stop amenities for more riders, and minimizes maintenance costs. 

Previously some of the stops along this stretch of roadway were much closer together than the standard, some of them about 500 feet. Today, many of the stops along NE 70th Pl are still closer together than ¼ mile.  

If there are specific stops that are unsafe for pedestrians to access, or if there are locations that are better suited for a bus stop, both King County Metro and the City of Kirkland should be made aware. If a stop were to be relocated to better align with a pedestrian crossing, it would need to be a joint effort between the City of Kirkland and King County Metro. All new stops have specific size and slope ADA requirements and not all locations are suitable for a bus stop.  

3.       Light rail service to the Eastside, specifically the Overlake station, is delayed. Claudia Balducci is working to add service to Route 540, is my understanding. But what about Route 255?

Per the Service Guidelines, Metro adds service based on 3 priorities (in order): 

1.      Crowding – Routes with overcrowded trips or with standing passenger loads for more than 20 minutes are candidates for investment.  If funding is not available to address all crowding needs, investments that address where crowding is most severe and advance equity will be given priority.  

2.      Reliability – Routes that operate late more than 20% of the time are candidates for investment.  

 If funding is not available to address all reliability needs, investments that impact the most riders, address where lateness is most severe, and advance equity will be given priority.  

3.      Service Growth – Metro Connects envisions service growth throughout King County, which is captured in a 2050 interim network. The Service Guidelines identify candidate routes for investment in the interim network as well as the existing transit network 

Based on recent ridership data, Route 255 does not have overcrowded trips or standing passenger loads for more than 20 minutes and therefore is not a candidate for investment for Priority 1.  

The 12-month rolling average of late trips for Route 255 is 7.9%. This is below the 20% lateness threshold and is therefore not a candidate for investment for Priority 2. At this time, additional service on Route 255 remains suspended.  

The Northeast Mobility Project increased the frequency of Route 255, but unfortunately since it was implemented in March 2020, Metro service was reduced system-wide due to the covid-19 pandemic and this was an impacted route. At this time Metro is working toward avoiding cancellations on routes first, and then on restoring currently suspended service. When Metro service is recovered, Route 255 will operate more frequently than it did pre-pandemic.
  

4.       Route 255 trips during morning and evening commute routes are cancelled day/of almost daily.     Service is so unreliable we don’t see how students, workers or anyone needing to get to their destination by a specific time can use public transit.[I] inquired about this situation over a year ago, and the answer was short staffing at Metro. Is this still the case? Why are the commuter trips impacted and not those in the middle of the day?

In early December, after two operators identified a manufacturing issue in the steering system of some vehicles, Metro proactively removed 126 coaches from service for safety inspection and repair. We are working with the bus manufacturer to source replacement parts, however supply chain challenges have introduced more delays and we do not yet have a timeline for when this issue will be resolved. In addition to the temporarily-suspended routes and canceled trips due to the manufacturing issue, there are other trips that may be canceled due to the ongoing workforce shortage experienced by Metro and transit agencies around the country. Metro continues with its aggressive recruitment campaign to hire and train new operators and vehicle maintenance staff. 

In light of this, Metro is working to better align bus schedules with the reality of what is happening on the ground. We know that this has been a challenging time for riders and our aim is to improve the reliability of our service. 

With the aforementioned circumstances, Metro is not looking into adding service to Route 255 at this time. 

Ms. Sampson recommended signing up for tracking alerts to receive notification of trip cancellations.

Route 245 will increase the number of trips and extend service hours to run 5:00 a.m. to midnight weekdays.

Questions from the audience:

1.  Is there a goal to provide transit service within a certain metric? For example, within a quarter mile of starting point? 

Answer: The Long Range strategic plan sets goals.

2.  Several people stated that having to make more than one transfer is unacceptable. For example, taking two transfers to get from SRH/BT neighborhood to the 85th Street BRT station, which is only half a mile from our neighborhood. One person stated they “refuse to take more than one transfer” and will not use transit for that reason. Another attendee stated that it is not possible to catch a bus to Seattle from our neighborhood and that there is no parking at the Kirkland Transit Center, where Metro is offering Route 250 as an option to reach the 85th Street Station. There was general agreement on this position. A complaint that Light Rail escalators are non-operable often and older people cannot climb all the stairs. Someone stated they will not ride Metro anymore.

3.  What is the Houghton Park & Ride lot’s future and who will maintain it post-closure?

Answer: Future use is still under discussion. Metro will monitor the lot for 90 days post-closure. Security teams will visit the site twice a week. After 90 days, WSDOT is responsible for monitoring. Unsure if or who will provide security then.

4.  Who to call to report issues or illegal activity at the Park & Ride lot post-closure?
   
   

Metro staff agreed this is an issue. Unclear whom to call. Metro will block entrances with concrete barriers. There are tentative plans to install fencing.

5. It’s difficult for buses to pull out onto N.E.85th after stopping to load or unload riders. Consequently drivers sometimes stop in the traffic lane to load or unload, blocking traffic.
   
   

Answer: Drivers are supposed to pull to the curb to load and unload. If this is not happening and causing problems, contact Metro.

6. What bus routes will serve the N.E.. 85th BRT Station?
   
   

Answer: Two routes will serve the Station: 250 and one other route. In the long-range plan, the Rapid K Line will also serve the Station. That route won’t come online for years.

Brian Henry commented that Metro definitely wants to hear from the public as route implementation gets closer.

7. There is no route planned that will connect the SRH/BT neighborhood to the 85th Street Station.. How is Metro planning to serve our neighborhood?
   
   

Answer: Take Route 245 to the Kirkland Transfer Station. Transfer there to Route 250 to the 85th Street Station.

The questioner replied “Nobody is going to do that. Route 265 went directly to Seattle. Metro’s plans to connect SRH/BT to the 85th Street Station are very inadequate.”

8. Comment from the audience: In future, think about the 85th Street BRT Station and how our neighborhood is going to get there. Metro’s planning is short-sighted.

Answer: Metro “Flex”, a grant-funded service is just launching. (“Flex” won’t serve our neighborhood.)

9. Comment: The Houghton Park-and-Ride is underutilized because Metro eliminated routes that served it.
   
   

Northeast Transfer/Recycling Station (NERTS)Update: Paula Goelzer (Friends of Taylor Field):

The comment period on mitigation and environmental impact concluded. Shortly after, the Houghton Park & Ride site was removed from the list of sites under consideration, leaving two sites going forward (the current Houghton Transfer Station site plus a portion of the adjacent closed landfill and the Woodinville site, a portion of which is wetland.)

An additional comment period will open for 21 days, dates to be announced. 

The City of Woodinville has submitted formal opposition to the Woodinville site.

King County Solid Waste has resumed storing trailers over the weekend,

The Washington State Department of Ecology just released their report on the closed landfill. Building on the landfill would require removal of all the soil or driving pilings into the soil. The landfill is still settling. Arsenic and vinyl chloride, among other toxic waste, is still being released from the closed landfill. 

Friends of Taylor Fields position is that the Houghton site must be opposed as a public health issue.

Contact Kirkland City Council and the King County Council to oppose. 

Kirkland Parks: Kathy Kearny and Phil Allen

Kathy Kearny Introduced herself. Newly appointed to the Parks Board she is the SRH/BT Liaison between the Parks Board to City Council. Contact her with your concerns and comments at parkboard@kirklandwa.gov. 

Parks News in Rose Hill: a new drinking fountain is installed at North Rose Hill Park and blackberry removal at Rose Hill Meadows.

Phil Allen is a SRH/BT resident serving on Kirkland’s Park Funding Exploratory Committee.

The PFEC is exploring funding options and Parks improvements to put to voters later this year, including one or two Community Centers, acquiring land to complete the Juanita Green Loop; three new bathrooms at parks currently lacking these facilities and winterizing an additional twelve bathrooms; additional sports courts and re-striping some existing sports courts; and  adding lifeguards and extending lifeguard hours at City beaches. One of two sites under consideration for a Community Center is the Houghton 

Park and Ride site.

Questions:

When would the measure be on the ballot?

Answer: Decision to be made by City Council. November 2023 is under discussion. Council will also decide what improvements to place on the ballot and the amount requested.

Comment from the audience: Snyder’s Corner pop-up dog park is popular. Users are eager to work with neighbors on making it a success. How long the pop-up will remain is unknown at this time.

Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm

Respectfully submitted,

Betsy Lewis

Secretary