Public Transit?

Recent changes made or proposed for our public transit system reflect trends that are likely to continue as our production of fossil fuels decreases and prices rise.

As of June 11, Sound Transit Route 560 (Fauntleroy/Seatac) no longer serves the dock between 9AM and 3PM or after 6PM. You can still catch it in White Center with one bus transfer, but I don’t know the time implications of that.

Metro is considering eliminating the 116, 118EX , and the 119EX. That would leave us with on island only, less frequent, daytime only service on the 118 and119. Even if the county passes a 20% increase on our car tabs, the route eliminations are likely to go forward because they are priority one changes.

I am told that we can expect a 5% ferry fare hike before the end of the year.

Financial boondoggles and foreign wars may have played a part in this, but the main factors are these: the rising cost of fuel and our preference for private automobiles. There also appears to be some politics involved, at least as the express busses are concerned. It seems to me that those routes are heavily used, and we should fight to retain those. Aside from that, transit authorities are simply reducing or eliminating routes with low ridership. They are doing it because they can no longer afford, ie. we are unwilling to pay the additional cost for, the service that we have had up until now. This is a classic dilemma: low ridership requires higher fares, but higher fares further depress ridership.

If we want to increase our resilience in this situation, we have to do one or all of four things: A) Increase our income so we can pay more, B) decrease our need to travel, C) devise more efficient ways to get ourselves around and D) organize ourselves to provide a tighter feedback loop in perceiving community needs and finding solutions.

A) Increase our income: most people are already full tilt on that one.

B) Decrease our need to travel: Commuters could investigate telecommuting, move closer to your job (a tough one for island lovers), or take a job on the island. Taking a job on the island usually involves a substantial pay cut, but think of the great garden, alternate profession or hobby you would now have the time for. Plan for fewer trips. Reestablish neighborhood stores.

C) More efficient transport: Plan your trips around the bus schedule. This seems like a royal pain to us go-any-time-you-feel-like-it car drivers, but people actually used to do that. The more we ride our busses, the more frequently they would come. Carpooling anyone? For most of us that don’t happen to be on the bus route, certainly, we can figure out an organized and reliable way to share our vehicles. When I was in the Peace Corps in Venezuela, we had public transport cars called porpuestos that ran routes. You hailed them like a taxi, but they already had people in them, and you just piled in until the car was full. We might be happier with 2 or 3 extras rather than cramming 6 or 8 in like we did down there, but even that would reduce our miles by a half to two thirds. This could be an income opportunity if there aren’t any arcane laws that make it impossible. On the other hand, we have a “gentleman’s agreement” to gift a driver with a buck. Who’s to know or care? Then, of course, walk, ride a bike, use an alternative vehicle (electric, wind, large animal?).

D) Organize ourselves: I understand that we are a bit challenged in this area. But I really think we have a lot in common and that we could make some great decisions once we figure out the format. The prosperity of petroleum has allowed us all to be lords on our own little fiefdoms, but now our hope lies in our ability to cooperate and work closely together.

As we pass global peak oil production, there will be minor price fluctuations, but the trend is definitely ever higher. We will manage this challenge only if we remain flexible, focused, and creative. Although we will need to keep pushing our larger institutions to make appropriate decisions that could vastly mitigate the difficulties we face, it doesn’t look like they are up to it. We have to start doing for ourselves and being an asset to our community. The people in charge will not and cannot save us; only we have the possibility of doing that.

Comments? Terry@vashonloop.com