Why an Everett man wants buses off his road

Published 10:53 pm Sunday, March 23, 2008

EVERETT — It started four years ago, after Dan Stahlberg was nearly struck by a city bus while using a leaf blower in front of his driveway.

A year later, after another bus jumped the curb and knocked down a tree on a neighbor’s front lawn, the dental technician’s resolve grew stronger.

His mission: to ban buses from Elm Street.

In the past four years, he’s made more than 100 calls to City Hall in pursuit of his quest.

“When you almost have your life ended by Everett Transit, you want explanations,” said Stahlberg, 49. The street is narrow and full of retirees, children and parked cars.

Every time he sees a bus driving too fast or rolling a stop sign, Stahlberg picks up the phone. He calls City Hall, Everett Transit, city engineers, Everett police, the City Council, and can speak for long stretches of time.

At one point, he said, the director of Everett Transit told him to stop calling because he was tying up the transit agency’s after-hours phone.

No dice. Stahlberg didn’t stop calling until his name was known in the mayor’s office.

City Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher said Stahlberg made a compelling argument in his calls to her.

“The point that resonated with me is his desire to see that the city only put buses on streets with sidewalks,” Stonecipher said. “In terms of safety, I think we ought to look at our bus routes to see if they are in areas with sidewalks. If we think it’s important enough to run a bus line, we ought to make sure there’s a sidewalk.”

Now, Stahlberg’s persistence may be paying off.

The city is reconsidering the bus route that passes through the View Ridge neighborhood along Elm Street after several residents petitioned the city to keep buses out.

Tom Hingson, the director of Everett Transit, said the stretch of Route 1 that cuts through the neighborhood has been in place for more than two decades. Elm Street is safe for buses, he said.

The route creates a short loop around Elm Street, View Ridge Drive and Olympic Boulevard off Mukilteo Boulevard.

The purpose of routing buses through the city’s residential neighborhoods was to make bus travel more convenient for people who live there. Over the years, many have been phased out, Hingson said.

Everett Transit picks up between two and eight people each day through the loop, Hingson said.

He admits asking Stahlberg last year to stop calling, because his long after-hours messages were tying up staff.

“He’s a passionate person who has a goal and I appreciate his passion,” Hingson said. “Whether he chooses to believe it or not, we take his concerns seriously.”

City officials have followed up on Stahlberg’s calls and have caught drivers speeding and running stop signs by reviewing tapes from onboard video cameras, Hingson said.

The neighborhood petition landing at City Hall prompted a visit to the neighborhood by Hingson; Pat McClain, government affairs director; Jim Iles, city administrator; and Dongho Chang, the city traffic engineer.

In June, neighbors who oppose and support the bus route will have a chance to make their plea at a public hearing before the City Council.

Debra Smith, who lives on Elm Street, backs her car into her driveway because she is afraid that she might back into the path of a bus.

People walking down the narrow street are sometimes forced to step into driveways to get out of the way of oncoming buses, she said.

Residents and visitors of a condominium complex on Elm Street near View Ridge Drive often park on both sides of the road, making it even more narrow for vehicles.

“I’m surprised that nobody’s been hit yet,” Smith said.

Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.