Heraldnet.com
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009 2:20 pm
LocalNorthwestNation & WorldPoliticsSpecial ReportsPhotosColumnistsMultimedia 
Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Tuesday


Father guilty of manslaughter in girl's death
Snohomish County budget passes, with a caveat
Soldier with ties to Marysville killed in Afgha...
Monday


Economy may silence Everett Symphony's season
Inmates with mental illness bring extra costs t...
Help with heating bills late to arrive this year
Sunday


Nurse seeks help healing hidden wounds of wars
Count drags on long after the election's over
Groups work to help those in uniform
Saturday


Nearly 30 kids adopted during annual event in S...
Gold Bar couple admit animal cruelty in puppy m...
Arlington area man's arrest in alleged burglar'...
Friday


Nearly 2,000 turn out for Stevens Pass opening day
Victim of alleged burglary now a suspect in kil...
Shelter asks for diaper donations during holida...
Thursday


Safety long a concern for road involved in fata...
State budget's $2 billion hole will require dee...
County considers building for disaster response...
Wednesday


Jury will decide accident or murder in girl's s...
Marysville rejects idea of a much later start f...
Flu’s full force shocks an Edmonds man an...
 

ADVERTISEMENT

Editorials   Print This Article  Email This Page  Subscribe Now! facebook digg reddit del.icio.us fark stumble

 
ADVERTISEMENT

 
HAVE YOUR SAY
Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor.
You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another.
Send it to:
E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com
Mail: Letters section
The Herald
P.O. Box 930
Everett, WA 98206
Fax: 425-339-3458
Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).
 
Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Commuters are voting with their bus fares

Whether it's rising gas prices, worsening traffic or a growing green ethic -- or perhaps all three -- more and more commuters are getting on the bus.

Community Transit reports that its annual ridership grew by 10 percent last year, to a record 10.9 million riders. Similar increases are being seen this year, too. Ridership between Snohomish County and Seattle was up 7.6 percent last year over 2006, but the biggest gains were on routes within Snohomish County -- 11.4 percent. And given that local service accounts for about 70 percent of CT's total ridership, that's some significant congestion relief on local roads.

It's also a nice return on the investment we all make in CT. The 0.9 percent sales tax in CT's service area -- essentially all of Snohomish County except Everett, where a 0.6 percent sales tax supports Everett Transit -- is yielding benefits for all commuters, even those who never take a bus.

While market forces are surely boosting ridership, CT has done its part to make transit a more attractive option and to keep up with increased demand.

Monday's announcement that CT will order 23 new double-decker buses for its commuter routes to King County is the latest example. Besides the obvious cool factor, the "Double Tall" coaches will seat more riders than the 60-foot articulated buses they'll replace, while using less freeway and parking space. And because of their superior stability and handling, they'll keep running on snow days, unlike the 60-footers.

Meanwhile, work continues toward a 2009 launch of CT's Bus Rapid Transit service along Highway 99 between Everett and Aurora Village. Comfortable new diesel/electric hybrid buses will stop every few minutes along the corridor, just as light rail would -- at a fraction of the cost.

CT spokesman Martin Munguia reports that the new Mountlake Terrace Park & Ride garage is scheduled to open in February 2009, tripling the number of parking spaces there, and that a new Marysville Park & Ride with 200 spaces should open by summer 2009. Since those facilities are expensive to build, CT is also looking to expand its Park & Pool program, Munguia said, where the agency leases parking spaces that go unused during the week -- like at churches -- for vanpool riders.

If light rail ever connects Snohomish County and Seattle, it's likely decades away. Sound Transit commuter rail is a good option for some, but won't run more than four round trips per day during peak commutes.

For the foreseeable future, bus service will be the county's primary form of transit. For a growing number of Snohomish County commuters, that seems quite agreeable.

1. Early morning gunfire wounds 2 in Everett
2. Father guilty of manslaughter in girl's death
3. ZZ Top fans get Everett buzzing
4. Crash devastating for toddler
5. Snohomish County budget passes, with a caveat
6. Fall 2009 Wesco All-League Teams
7. Laundry fire sparks concerns over smoke detectors
8. Two people injured in Highway 9 collision
9. Northrop: Boeing's 767 ‘no longer commercially viable'
10. Lynnwood police seek hit-and-run driver
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings
Ruling in the pool
Archbishop Murphy takes title
A season of performing arts
Budget numbers have official fuming
Wildcats move on to 2A semifinals
Holiday Bazaars & Fairs Calendar
Edmonds’ Westgate Chapel serves up hospitality for holiday
Mavericks fall
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


75% OFF
Many Items. Hurry!

$1 off French Dip
$4.99 Burger Basket

Holiday Getaway
$99 dbl Occupancy

Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
Lube Oil Filter

25% off Bath & Groom
New Customers

Buy 1 Dinner Entree
Get 2nd 50% Off

15% Off
All Repairs!

Lube, Oil & Filter
Buy 1 - Get 1 FREE

Holiday Specials
up to 25% off!

FREE 6 lb. Pad w/
30yd Carpet Purchase

$2 OFF
at Box Office

Nutcracker
Family Packs Available

20% Off Dinner
Up to $75 Value!

$5 Off
Stylecut

Oil - Snohomish County
Low Prices - Fill Now!

$5 OFF
Lunch or Dinner

Over 1 Million Lights
Lights of Christmas

Always Free
Transmission Diagnostic
TODAY'S TOP JOBS
 View All Top Jobs 
Top Cars
Top Homes

ADVERTISEMENT