During the RBCA board meeting this week, a group of Ravenna-Bryant neighbors requested RBCA’s assistance with advocating with Metro for better service to the UW Link light rail station. Since their concerns echo concerns RBCA shared with Metro before the station opened and those concerns appear to have now been realized, below is information from the neighborhood group about what they are seeking.
We are a neighborhood approximately 2 miles from the LINK Light Rail station at UW/Husky Stadium. We are concerned about the lack of a direct connection from transit to LINK light rail for our neighborhood.
The Route 372 bus that serves our neighborhood along 25th Ave NE has a five- to ten-minute walk to the station from the UW campus bus stop. This is a significant problem for residents with luggage, strollers, walkers, or other mobility impairments. The walk is also of concern for those traveling at night or in the rain.
The Route 71 bus serves NE 65th Street, but because its route goes through the University District, it takes longer to reach the light rail than directly from our neighborhood. It runs only every 30 minutes, and it does not run on weekends or before 7 am or after 10 pm, greatly reducing access for early-morning or late-night airport flights.
While the Routes 62 and 76 serve downtown Seattle, we need to commute not only to downtown Seattle, but to SeaTac Airport, Beacon Hill and Columbia Center, and to the SODO stadium area, areas that are well-served by light rail.
We are requesting that Metro Transit provide more direct connection to the LINK light rail service from the Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood.
WHAT CAN RESIDENTS DO?
Please contact your King County Council Member to express your opinion:
- NORTH of NE 65th St: Rod Dembowski, rod.dembowski@kingcounty.gov, 206-477-1001
- SOUTH of NE 65th St: Larry Gossett, larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov, 206-477-1002
Please consider complaining to Metro Transit: phone 206-553-3000 or online complaint form.
Add your name to a neighborhood letter by emailing barkertj02@gmail.com with your name and any comments. We will use this letter in a neighborhood meeting with Metro and the King County Council staff.
We have already been successful in bringing back a deleted bus stop at 25th NE and NE 60th St. and adding it to the Route 372. For more information on this effort, please contact:
Theresa Barker
barkertj02@gmail.com