8/19/2023 0 Comments Tacoma transfer station![]() ![]() ![]() There is a clear corridor that will be served by Link, but on its way, Link goes WAY out of the way to serve this other corridor on the way to downtown where most people are going. It’s like ST never really thought about whether anyone would take a trip that looks like THAT to connect to Link. Going that out of the way if you’re going to TDS (which is the only connection to TDLE, and that will open well before the TCC extension) is downright crazy. “I can’t help but wince a little bit that the Tacoma Dome station isn’t served on the TCC extension without this time-consuming Stadium area jog.” Sound Transit should shift the money into those. I agree with AJ, that Pierce Transit already has a plan, and it is a solid one (replacing the most popular routes with “BRT”). The BRT version of the 2 replaces the 2, which allows Pierce transit to shift a significant amount of money to other routes. Meanwhile (assuming that it included service) would relieve Pierce Transit from that responsibility. ![]() In contrast, money for BRT is very much in keeping with what they’ve done in the past, and would likely qualify for some matching by the feds. Meanwhile, Sound Transit could simply grant Pierce Transit the money, but that is out of character. Under normal times, the government doesn’t pay for extra service, but will chip in with capital investments, or service as part of a big project (someone can correct me if I’m wrong). My guess is that there is no other way of getting that money, other than a one-time grant from the federal government, as part of an infrastructure bill. But Pierce County voters aren’t interested in that. It is probably a moot point, as it is unlikely it will ever get that far.Īs I wrote down below, what Pierce Transit needs is more service hours for their bus system. If there is TOD, it is way more likely to occur downtown than in a mall surrounded by parking lots and freeways. Yes, it is crazy that the main Link line won’t serve downtown Tacoma, and they are instead thinking about sending it to a freakin’ mall. Once TDLE opens, the all-day transfers to King County become super compelling, while right now if you are going to transfer to a bus in Tacoma Dome, might as well just run an express bus from west Pierce straight to King with a stop (rather than a transfer) in TD. I like all day TD-DuPont rail service I don’t know why the western Pierce cities haven’t latched on to the idea. ![]() In theory a Bellevue-esque urban cluster at the mall would merit upgrading BRT-2 to light rail, but Tacoma should simply launch BRT-2 this decade and reserve some ROW for Link to be added later if/when capacity was needed. The Tacoma mall extension is 100% about TOD, so that all comes down to if Tacoma wants just one main urban center or try to create a secondary urban center. I think it’s less about PT needing a rethink as ST funding the needs PT has already identified.īRT-2 covers the light rail extension to the mall, and BRT-3 covers the streetcar extension to the TCC, so the 5 line network appears to fully cover the spirit of ST3. PT’s most recent study identified 5 BRT corridors, including the Pacific Ave, so I think that’s the best starting point for a reimagined ST+PT network. The potential Pierce “mutiny” of ST3 may however necessitate a new systems plan sooner rather than later. However, the area transit ideas have been studied so much in recent years that it may be best if that waits a few more years. Politically, I believe ST and PT would be better served by a new visionary systems study. Another issue is whether the DuPont Sounder extension can evolve into a TD-DuPont day-long two-way service since ST has put so much money on those new tracks. The cost increases for TDLE appear to mostly be to build more aerial track sections within Pierce County and that may wildly delay the TCC extension. Taking a larger view, the Pierce transit interests will need to better discern and likely revisit how to spend their subarea ST3 money on the future. It even seems a more useful project than the Phase 3 extension to TCC to me - but I defer to those that understand transit in a Tacoma better. It would seem that Link 1 should instead get a short extension to UW-Tacoma and St Joe’s rather than merely its early planning to a potentially dead Tacoma Mall with plenty of free parking if the Phase 3 extension is ever to get many riders. I can’t help but wince a little bit that the Tacoma Dome station isn’t served on the TCC extension without this time-consuming Stadium area jog. Pierce County transit needs are pretty decentralized given that the county has mostly unrestricted parking and very little high density. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |