Take Transit to Trails This Weekend!

June 14, 2019 by Molly Wright

In case you missed it, Trailhead Direct is back and going strong in 2019!

Trailhead Direct is a seasonal transit service to popular hiking destinations in King County. During #RideTransit Month, this is an awesome opportunity to take transit not just to work or school, but to enjoy the great outdoors!

Get a lift from urban Seattle out to our amazing natural forests to the east with Trailhead Direct transit service.

Trailhead Direct now serves additional stops in Capitol Hill and downtown Seattle to take you to Mt Si. Or, if you prefer, you can still catch a ride out the Issaquah Alps from the Mount Baker Link light rail station. Either way, you will end up in a scenic (and cooler) wonderland for a day of hiking.

Not only does this program provide transit service on weekends and most holidays to popular hiking trails in the area, but it also eases vehicle congestion and reduces safety hazards.

Trailhead Direct is a pilot project in collaboration with our Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), King County Metro, and King County Parks and REI.

For more information about Trailhead Direct, please visit the website.

Calling All #Orcaheros!

June 13, 2019 by Niki Seligman

When the ORCA Card program named itself, it opened up some wonderful opportunities for puns and references. The best take? Transportation Choices Coalition and Washington Environmental Council’s new comic meant to raise awareness about protecting our waters: Be an #orcahero this #RideTransit Month.

What do orcas have to do with your morning commute?

A lot, it turns out. TheTransportation Choices Coalition and Washington Environmental Council are trying to change that.

According to the organization, transportation is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to pollution in the Puget Sound. This happens primarily through stormwater runoff from streets.

And it’s not just about the orcas.

This pollution has a wide range of negative impacts on our ecosystems.

For example, that stormwater problem we mentioned earlier? It can kill salmon in a matter of hours, according to the Puget Soundkeeper.

During #ridetransitmonth, Transportation Choices Coalition and Washington Environmental Council are encouraging folks to give transit a try. Do it for the orcas. And salmon.

This is the first page of the orca comic. Click here to see the full comic, and do your part by pledging to ride transit this month!

Visit the Stormwater + Transportation webpage for more information.

Join Us for Transit Trivia Night on Wednesday, June 12!

June 11, 2019 by Molly Wright

In celebration of Ride Transit Month, Transportation Choices Coalition is hosting Transit Trivia on June 12 from 5:30 – 8:30 PM at Gamma Ray Lounge. Transit Trivia is a wonderful opportunity to get together with your friends and coworkers to compete against other transit aficionados for prizes and bragging rights.

Here’s all the deets you need to know about Transit Trivia Night.

Win prizes, enjoy food and beverages, and meet fellow transit nerds! Trivia is $25 for a team (5 people) or $7 per person. Proceeds will support Transportation Choices Coalition connecting more people to opportunities through better transit options.

DATE & TIME

June 12, 2019, 5:30 – 8:30 PM

LOCATION

Gamma Ray Games, Seattle, Washington

TRANSIT OPTIONS

Near Metro routes 10, 11, 49, and Capitol Hill Link Light Rail station.

Register for the event here!

See you there!

Ride Transit to Transit During #RideTransit Month and Beyond!

June 10, 2019 by Molly Wright

#SeattleDidYouKnow: In West Seattle and SE Seattle, you have the option to take transit to transit!

If you’re taking transit to live, work, or play in West Seattle and southeast Seattle, you can now plan your commute with on-demand transit options tailored to your needs.

On-demand shuttle services, including Via to Transit and Ride 2, can connect you to and from transit hubs just using your ORCA Card!

Chau Dang, a driver with the Via to Transit shuttle service, parks a van. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Times.

These services are provided with funding from the Seattle Transportation Benefit District in partnership with King County Metro and Sound Transit. Check out your options below!

Ride2 in West Seattle

Ride2 provides on-demand rides to and from Metro buses at the Alaska Junction and the Water Taxi at Seacrest Park! Standard Metro fares will apply for a one-way ride on Ride2 — meaning, if using an ORCA card, you will pay one fare and transfer to a Metro bus without any additional fare.

Book a ride on-demand with the Ride2 Transit app or by calling 855-233-1880.

Via to Transit

Via to Transit is a convenient shuttle service to & from light rail stations in SE Seattle & Tukwila. Via to Transit lets you request on-demand shuttle vans to and from five Sound Transit Link stations: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila International Boulevard. The service costs and works the same as transferring to or from a Metro bus with an ORCA card.

Download the Via app or call 206-258-7739 to request a ride.

🚍 It’s Rider Celebration Week for #RideTransit Month! 🚍

June 10, 2019 by Molly Wright

We’re celebrating those who keep our transit system moving: YOU!

This week, for #RideTransit Month, we’re celebrating YOU, the riders who keep our transit system moving. This week, transit agencies across the state will be surprising riders with pop-up appreciation stations and you may just be lucky enough to find one! If you do, make sure you take a pic with one and post it online using the hashtag #RideTransit.

Snap a selfie on transit and win!

Snap a selfie, share your transit stories, and win prizes! Just tag #RideTransit on Twitter to be entered to win.

Here’s what you need to do:

📷 Snap a selfie on transit.

🚍 Where does transit take you? Share your favorite destination!

🌱 Do you ride transit to reduce pollution? Read on the ride? Save money? Share why you #RideTransit.

❤️ Share a connection you’ve made on transit! Maybe it was a conversation with a stranger or meeting your soul mate.

This week's #RideTransit winner! 🎉🚍
We will select Ride Transit Month social media weekly winners. Just snap a selfie, share your fave destination, or share why you ride and tag #RideTransit to be entered to win!https://t.co/tRIaAniQPo

— Transportation Choices Coalition (@TranspoChoices) June 7, 2019

Don’t miss out on more fun events!

Check out the Ride Transit Month events page! Find a transit event near you.

Let’s Celebrate! Commute Trip Reduction Champions Gather Under “Rapid Change, Great Opportunity”

June 6, 2019 by Molly Wright

Sarah Spicer, CTR Program Lead, congratulates Kelly Essmeier and Alex Mathison from the Allen Institute on their award for Outstanding Employee Transportation Coordinators.

On June 5, together with Commute Seattle, we celebrated the efforts of employers participating in the city’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program during the fifth annual Champions Celebration breakfast. This CTR program awards ceremony honors employers who demonstrate high engagement and innovative tactics in their transportation programs for employees.

We recognized six platinum-level employers – Fred Hutchinson, Seattle Children’s, Swedish Medical Center, The Polyclinic, University of Washington, and Washington State Ferries – whose programs exemplified best practices and provide a wide range of commute tools and resources to employees.

This year’s event was themed “Rapid Change, Great Opportunity” to celebrate Seattle employers who have made significant investments in commuter benefits and programming during the Seattle Squeeze, a time of monumental transportation challenges to reduce single occupancy trips.

Ann Sutphin, SDOT’s Transportation Options team lead, chats with an event guest.

Attendees at this year’s CTR Champions breakfast network and share ideas before the event.

An Employee Transportation Coordinator talks to a representative from Commute Seattle. Thank you to Commute Seattle for its support in the City’s CTR program administration, and for organizing this event!

CTR Champions go above and beyond to reduce the number of drive-alone trips taken by their employees.

Commute Seattle’s Executive Director, Kevin Futhey, speaks with Employee Transportation Coordinators Melanie Truhn, Jennifer Poole, Jamie Cheney, and Robin Blacksmith as part of an employer showcase panel discussion.

They create work environments and offer accompanying benefits that make it easier for their employees to reshape their commutes, such as joining an ORCA Business program, offering tax benefits and transit subsidies, providing employees telework or compressed work week options, and encouraging and facilitating walk and bike commutes. This year, we recognized 89 out of the nearly 300 CTR-affected employers in Seattle for their efforts to provide their employees with great transportation options.

“Rapid Change, Great Opportunity”: making the most of the #SeattleSqueeze.

Our Director, Sam Zimbabwe, giving the keynote address at the CTR Champions Breakfast on June 5.

As part of the Seattle Squeeze, 2019 has so far brought us a historic 3-week SR-99 closure; a new tunnel spanning the length of downtown; changing traffic patterns; and a major transit service change with buses ceasing operations in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel … and it’s only June!

With rapid change comes great opportunity. Seattle’s CTR companies have been leading the way to encourage informed and flexible travel choices that adapt to the ongoing changes in our transportation network. We recognize and appreciate this partnership and commitment, and we ask our employers to continue the great work.

“There are so many different travel choices and ways to give employees flexibility to reduce the impact of drive-alone traffic and keep our transportation system running smoothly for everyone.”

Sam Zimbabwe, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation

Your company could be a Champion next year – get in touch with Commute Seattle to learn more!

This year’s CTR Champions event was a full house! Attendees enjoyed breakfast at the Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown Seattle.

Seattle’s CTR program is a public-private partnership connecting large employers to resources and tools that support the use of commute options that keep businesses moving. The CTR law requires large employers (100+ employees who travel at peak hours) to mitigate the traffic impacts of their business by working to reduce driving while reporting their results each year.

Through education, advocacy, training, and consulting, Commute Seattle is helping create a transit-supportive business culture to ensure that commuters enjoy world-class commuter benefits and amenities. SDOT is proud to partner with the hard-working team at Commute Seattle, who engage with employers citywide to help them meet and exceed their CTR program goals. During the Seattle Squeeze, Commute Seattle continues to offer free consultations to businesses of any size. Learn more at commuteseattle.com!

2.4 Million Transit Trips and Counting Using ORCA Opportunity Cards!

June 5, 2019 by Molly Wright

#SeattleDidYouKnow: we provide ORCA cards to high school and middle school students in Seattle’s public schools!

The program, called ORCA Opportunity, launched in August 2018 to provide ORCA cards to high school students at Seattle Public Schools, income-qualified middle school students at Seattle Public Schools, and Seattle Promise Scholars. All participating students receive a free, unlimited 12-month ORCA card. The ORCA Opportunity program is funded through the Seattle Transportation Benefit District.

Students enrolled in ORCA Opportunity have taken more than 2.4 million trips and saved more than $255 on transit this school year!

More than 14,000 middle and high school students have an ORCA card this school year, allowing students to commute safely to school, participate in activities, and gain secure employment. We’ve seen students use their ORCA cards to ride buses, trains, light rail, water taxis, streetcars, and fast ferries to get to school, jobs, after school activities, and social events, proving that access to transit provides lots of important opportunities to students!

For students who haven’t picked up their ORCA card this school year, there’s still time to get an ORCA card for the summer!

The ORCA cards distributed at the beginning of the school year are valid through August 31st. ORCA cards will be available at schools through June 20, so don’t delay. Students can check with the main office or attendance office to pick up an ORCA card.

Take the #RideTransit Month Pledge and Win Prizes in June!

June 3, 2019 by Molly Wright

Take the pledge, ride transit at least three times in June, and win prizes. It’s that easy.

June is #RideTransit Month, and we’re partnering with Transportation Choices Coalition to celebrate transit – bus, light rail, train, ferry, vanpool, water taxi, and streetcar – throughout the month. Go to ridetransitmonth.org and take the ride transit pledge to commit to ride transit this month.

Here’s how you take the pledge.

Just enter your contact information, what transit you ride, and how many times you plan to ride transit this month, and you’ll be entered into weekly drawings for prizes such as Visa Gift Cards, Storm Game tickets, and more. Take the pledge here!

You can also submit a story about an awesome experience riding transit to receive an additional entry and it may be featured in the weekly newsletter!

Then get on the ferry, hop on the bus, or catch the train any time in June!

Still have questions about Ride Transit Month? We’ve got them answered.

Q: How can I participate in Ride Transit Month?

A: It’s easy and takes less than a minute to take the pledge.

Q: Who can participate?

A: Anyone! Even if you’ve never taken transit it’s not too late to start. It only takes one trip to discover the benefits.

Q: What modes are included?

A: Bus, train, light rail, vanpool, passenger ferry, water taxi, and streetcar.

Thanks for riding! Share your story on social media using #ridetransit!

Travel Alert: Seattle Blvd S Signal & Lane Changes

May 20, 2019 by Molly Wright

To improve traffic flow into downtown during the morning commute, we’re making changes to the traffic signal and middle lane on Seattle Blvd S approaching 4^th Ave.

During the morning commute hours (6-9 AM), the middle travel lane will be right turn-only.

We’re installing a new signal at this location that will indicate that this lane is northbound (NB) only in the morning. After 9 AM, the middle lane may be used to turn left or right to head either NB or SB on 4^th Ave S.

Heads up: If you are turning left to go south on 4^th Ave S during the morning commute, be sure to stay in the left lane! If you travel into downtown in the morning using I-90, exit at Rainier, and turn onto Dearborn, this change will feel different.

Here’s what you can expect:

SCHEDULE

These changes are permanent and are expected to be installed in summer 2019.

TRANSIT

During the morning commute hours (6 – 9 AM), buses will travel in the middle lane and turn right to head northbound on 4^th Ave S.

PROJECT OUTCOME

Our goal is to improve traffic flow into downtown during the morning commute, reducing travel times for transit and other modes of transportation.

After noticing that northbound traffic into downtown during the AM peak commute was getting delayed, we are implementing these changes to keep traffic moving through the area during the #SeattleSqueeze and beyond.

Want more information about this project?

Thanks for your patience as we install our new signal and lane markings. Plan ahead, give yourself extra time, and be patient as we all adjust to new ways of getting around. Email us at 684-ROAD@seattle.gov or call us at 684-ROAD with further questions.

HEY, YOU! — YEA, YOU! SEATTLE’S SAFEST DRIVER 2.0 (launches 5/13)

May 10, 2019 by SDOT Blog

Think you’re Seattle’s safest driver? Prove it & win.

When it comes to traffic safety & moving toward Vision Zero, it’s about a culture change. It’s a shift from accepting accidents, to preventing crashes and making streets safer for everyone. This shift is going to take some big and small changes from public and private partners and from individuals like you – yea, you!

Seattle’s Safest Driver 2.0 launches on May 13, an app-based 8-week safe driving competition.

Get ready to download, play, and win in support of our Vision Zero efforts to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. All you have to do is head to the App Store or Google Play, download the free Seattle’s Safest Driver app, and drive (safely). Then invite everyone you know to compete.

We’re supportive of friendly smack talk in the name of safer streets, FYI.

Heads up! If you competed in our 2017/2018 competition (we heart you) and still have the app, you’ll need to get the latest version to be eligible for prizes. Once you download it, you can sign in as a returning user, or start fresh (with a different email address).

Using GPS and extensive math, the app tracks:

speeding,
harsh acceleration and braking, turning, and
phone distraction.

Be the best driver & you could win $5,000 – made possible by our partnership w/PEMCO Insurance.

You’ll compete for bi-weekly prizes, and if you join within the first four weeks of the competition (by June 9), you’ll be eligible to win the $5,000 grand prize, made possible by a continued partnership with PEMCO Insurance.

Yes, you read that right. $5,000 in cash money. Well, technically, we’ll hand you a giant fake check, then you’ll get a real check.

Exhibit A: here we are handing off a check to last year’s grand prize winner, Seattle resident Russell Lebert. Note last year’s grand prize amount. That’s right, this year’s grand prize is bigger (2.5 times bigger, to be exact). Sorry, Russell.

2018 Safest Driver winner being presented a giant check.

SDOT’s Allison Schwartz, Seattle’s Safest Driver 2018 Russell Lebert, and PEMCO’s Derek Wing are all smiles wrapping up a successful competition

It’s a regional competition! You don’t have to live in Seattle to compete!

This is a regional competition, open to residents of King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties, ages 17 and up. To be eligible for prizes, a portion of your drive trips must occur within the City of Seattle.

Don’t drive? This is a multi-modal competition!

The app also tracks transit and bike trips, and we’ll be offering bi-weekly prizes for folks in those categories as well. So, encourage your friends, family members, and co-workers to download the free app. You’ll be able to set up your own leaderboard to settle the age-old debate of who’s the better driver.

Turns out, the same technology that some folks are glued to (even while driving), when harnessed for good, can steer behavior the right direction.

We ran an initial contest in 2017/2018, engaging 4,000+ people in + behavior change.

Across the top 50% of users, we saw phone distraction drop 20% and speeding drop 16%. Distraction and speeding are two of the top contributing factors to crashes in most cities (up there with impairment and failure to yield to pedestrians), so we were excited to see these results.

Perhaps even more exciting and impressive was what we saw with participants who began the app with a score of less than 90 (ahem, folks who had the most to gain in terms of behavior change). This group saw a 26% reduction in phone distraction and a 32% reduction in speeding, not just during the competition, but for 3 months after it as well. So, there were no prizes dangling in front of them, but they kept up the good work. Faith in humanity beginning to be restored.

With these positive results, we’re aiming to engage even more residents across the region in this safe driving competition.

Seattle may be one of the safest cities in the country but people are still driving distracted & speeding.

Seattle is one of the safest cities in the country. In fact, the company behind this app, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, has a city by city comparison and folks in the Seattle area beat out most of the other cities. But people are still driving distracted and speeding (among other things) – so there’s more we can and should do, and with your help, we can get there.

So, download, drive better & win.

Learn more at www.seattle.gov/safestdriver.

Special thank you to our primary sponsor, PEMCO Insurance, and our bi-weekly prize partners: car2go, Lyft, Uber, Lime, Zipcar, AAA Washington, Pacific Science Center, and Rachel’s Ginger Beer! Together, we’re making streets safer.

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SDOT Blog Department of Transportation