[Transit] Urgent: Seniors very concerned about Route 12

Sat Aug 17 07:55:19 PDT 2024

Thank you Wes for doing this! So great. I bet Debra really appreciated the
support.

On Fri, Aug 16, 2024, 8:33 PM Wes Mills <wesmills at wesmills.com> wrote:

> Following-up on this:
>
> Turns out the meeting was *today* at 2pm (it was supposed to be last week
> but a person from Metro came down with COVID).  Since I was in the
> neighborhood, I went over to the Subway on 12th to see what was going on.
> Apparently no one told Metro someone from TRU might be coming so the Metro
> staffer I first met was surprised, but I made sure to say I was just there
> to hear what the community is saying.  (Incidentally, Diana from Metro has
> been on the receiving end of both letters we’ve written!)
>
> The meeting largely focused on Metro’s outreach efforts, or Debra’s
> perceived lackthereof.  Plus, she didn’t get replies to her attempts at
> reaching out.  The two Metro staffers, Diana and a planner whose name I
> sadly forgot (but I’ve seen at various street fairs), went over all of the
> sessions they’d held, Metro’s plans for outreach on the day of the service
> change, and specifics of what’s changing.  Debra was mainly concerned
> because she’d heard the 10 and 12 were being deleted, as well as (after
> finding out they aren’t deleted) the location of the shared stops from the
> 12 and RapidRide G.  Plus, Metro folks said they will send her more details
> on the specific stops plus work on where the lines of communication broke
> down.
>
> A friend who came with Debra was concerned about the prohibitions on left
> turns and right-on-red, stating bluntly “I’m not going to follow those
> because I don’t have time to go around blocks to get places.”  I did not
> get into an argument with her on this point. :) (I did gently point out
> that those of us out walking and rolling do hope drivers will follow the
> traffic rules because it’s painful if they don’t, but that’s all.)
>
> Chatting with Diana after, Metro is going to have a party for RapidRide
> G.  They are still nailing down the final details but TRU is welcome to
> have a table if we like!  Also, she was happy that we are happy about the
> 47/3-Extension coming back and that it was something Metro was glad to be
> able to deliver in response to our (and others’) urgent feedback.
>
> Anyway, Debra left happy so it was a good chat.  It feels like she felt
> like she wasn’t being heard and now she has been.  I also wanted the Metro
> folks to know TRU is here, obviously, to advocate for transit riders but we
> also want to hear Metro and do what we can to help Metro, too.
>
> (Oh, and one of the employees at Subway asked about my TRU shirt and was
> *very* interested to hear about TRU.  I gave them our web site and the
> 30-second pitch and invited them to the meeting in September.)
>
> Wes
>
> On Thu, Aug 8, 2024, at 13:24, Wes Mills wrote:
>
> I hope it is as well. :) I just called and left Debra a voicemail with my
> number.
>
> On Thu, Aug 8, 2024, at 11:39, Katie Wilson wrote:
>
> Thanks, Wes! Hopefully it’s mostly a misunderstanding and these seniors
> aren’t about to lose their bus service. :(   Any chance you’d be able to
> give Debra a call today to chat and ask about the meeting with Metro? (I’m
> also happy to do this if you prefer, just let me know!)
>
>
> On Aug 8, 2024, at 11:34 AM, Wes Mills <wesmills at wesmills.com> wrote:
>
> I’ve not heard that the 12 is going away.  It is being changed as part of
> the RapidRide G service changes. Instead of going up and down most of
> Madison to get to 19th and Interlaken Park, it will use the Pike/Pine
> corridor and ride on Madison for a short bit.
>
> From what I’ve heard—mostly through Ryan Packer’s reporting
> <https://x.com/typewriteralley/status/1820989455580459125>—the 12 is
> getting an infrastructure upgrade to add a short bit of wire at eastbound
> Pine and Madison so the 12 can go back to being a trolley route sometime in
> 2025 or 2026.
>
> I’m on call so there is a slim chance I’ll get paged, but I am otherwise
> free at 2pm tomorrow.
>
> On Thu, Aug 8, 2024, at 11:22, Katie Wilson wrote:
>
> Hi BATS,
>
> See below— has anyone been tracking the plans to delete Route 12, and is
> anyone available to attend a meeting (I assume virtual?) with Metro and
> Debra tomorrow at 2pm?
>
> Thanks!
> Katie
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From: *Kshama Sawant <kshamavsawant at gmail.com>
> *Subject: **Urgent: Seniors very concerned about Route 12*
> *Date: *August 8, 2024 at 11:04:50 AM PDT
> *To: *Emily McArthur <emily.mcarthur206 at gmail.com>, Adam Ziemkowski <
> a.ziemkowski at gmail.com>, Katie Wilson <katie at transitriders.org>, "
> contact at transitriders.org" <contact at transitriders.org>
>
> Hello Transit Riders Union members,
>
> Hope you all are doing well.
>
> I am writing on behalf of Debra (Debbie) Green, a senior resident I've
> known for several years, and whom I ran into a couple of days ago. Debbie
> informed me that she and dozens of other working-class seniors and retirees
> are extremely concerned about the fate of the King County Metro Route 12.
> They have heard that Metro is about to end the route.
>
> Most immediately, Debra wondered if anyone from TRU could accompany her at
> a meeting she is supposed to have with KC Metro on this topic tomorrow,
> August 9th, at 2:00PM.
>
> I would greatly appreciate it if you could call Debra at 206.726.0216. I
> am not aware of the status of Route 12, and don't have details, but I
> certainly am opposed to ending the route.
>
> Thank you all so much.
>
> Sincerely,
> Kshama
>
>
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