Bus services under threat

City of Sammamish councilwoman Kathy Huckabay has expressed fears that public transportation services in suburban areas will be the victim of the state's budget cuts.

Huckabay is the Vice Chair of the King County Regional Transit Committee, which makes recommendations to the King County Council on the public transport system.

She told The Reporter last week that as lawmakers hit the calculators in Olympia to find a way to solve a predicted $8 billion deficit, bus services in areas like Sammamish might be one of the areas to face trimming.

Huckabay said that the effect of the economic slow down was trickling down.

"Public transport in King County gets 60 percent of its funding from sales tax," she said.

"With that sales tax component falling, transit services in he county are facing a 20 - 30 percent reduction."

Fares make up about 25 percent of Metro funding.

Huckabay said that it had long been a concern that King County Metro was not providing enough service to suburban areas.

"With I-90 at capacity, and the problems with 520, bus services in and out of Sammamish are very important to the city," she said.

"As a councillor, I hear it all the time - 'Why can't we get a bus services to Bellevue."

According to Huckabay, the call for better bus services is coming mostly from young professionals, seeking an alternate way to commute in the face of rising gas prices and traffic holdups.

"But metro is not getting a good ear in Olympia," she said.

"And for whatever reason our legislators on the eastside are not particularly sympathetic either."

Huckabay said that the Regional Transit Committee was imploring those in Olympia to secure alternative revenue sources, adding that even federal stimulus money would not fix the predicted shortfall.

"The stimulus has earmarked about $75 million for regional transit, but we are talking about a $100 million hole," she said.

At the ground level, Huckabay said that the buses were at "standing room only" during peak times.

The 216 bus, the only one which connects Sammamish and Seattle directly, has eight services departing Sammamish in the morning, between 4.47 and 8.12, and 11 services returning in the p.m., from 3.38 to 11.36.

The trip takes 40 minutes to an hour.

To get into the city by bus outside of these times requires catching a bus to the Issaquah Transit Center and transferring to the 554 to Seattle.

There are currently no direct buses from Sammamish to either Bellevue or Redmond.

City of Sammamish Senior Transportation Program Engineer, Jeff Brauns, said this week that he hoped more residents took advantage of public transit options.

"There are lots of opportunities for drivers to utilize van pools or buses, without too much inconvenience," he said.

"Any opportunity we can take to reduce the number of trip incidences is a good thing.

"But it is often hard to get people to change their ways, and look at public transport as an option, despite the obvious benefits."

The issue of bus services, not just connecting Sammamish with other centers, but around Sammamish itself, will be something that raises its head during further planning for the town center project.

"Sammamish has talked about operating a community bus service," Huckabay said.

"That is still in the plan for the Town Center."

Huckabay said that any community bus service would have to be free for patrons, as cities were not allowed to start a service which might be seen as a competitor to King County Metro.

Contact Sammamish Reporter Editor Jake Lynch at editor@sammamish-reporter.com.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.