Link to Run Until 10:00 PM? ( 8. November 2007, 16:05 by Erik) ~ Better late than never ...
We saw via the BIA blog today that Sound Transit’s plan for 2008 includes keeping the Tacoma Link service open until 10:00 pm on weeknights.
If included, the additional hours would make the Link a viable option for night students at UWT. The Link ends service before the late classes get out, slamming the street parking in the area. This should make more parking available and help UWT and the restaurants in the downtown core.
Sound Transit is taking public comment on their draft plan on December 4 in Seattle.
Link to Sound Transit
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I would think ridership numbers would’ve already pointed them in this direction — like 2 years ago. It’ll be a welcome addition nonetheless.
3 | Posted by KevinFreitas | Nov 8, 05:36 PM
I don’t think it really does much for the downtown core but this will be great for the University and Museum district. Until something exciting is available at the northern terminus of the LINK I’m not thinking the link adds much of anything to the core except a way for people to get to the free parking at the Tacoma Dome Station. When people get off the LINK at the northern station they need something to keep them downtown. I see too many got to the end only to get back on the train and head back to the University area.
5 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | Nov 8, 07:56 PM
Good call, Crenshaw. One of the points raised in the 9th and Pacific community meeting a few weeks ago is the fact that there are many people who ride the Link to the Theater District to take part in illegal activities in that neighborhood. At the moment, there is little in the Theater District that happens on a consistent enough basis to make it a true destination. Yes, there are the restaurants on Pacific and the theaters themselves, but there needs to be more. The current uses around the Theater District Link stop do not lend themselves to keeping the area secure late at night. A restaurant or some other people-dependent use right next to the stop may help deter a lot of the nightly crime in that area.
I’m all for this, more things open at night = less sketchy streets at night.
It’s really sad watching DT having to work so hard to attract people, though. I was out at Fred Meyer on Stevens last night around 10, it was full of people shopping and spending money. Same I’d guess at Target, and around the mall. There’s a lot of business to be done in this town, it’s just it’s all gobled up by chain retailers (which are not based in Tacoma, thereby they take their profits out of the community) outside of DT. I’d like to know what each of our city councilmembers think of this problem and how they might fix it.
That is still barely enough time to ride downtown and take full advantage (read: get drunk) of the array of reverse happy hours (Pac. Grill, Sea Grill, Melting Pot, Matador, etc.) downtown. I think running the link until Midnight would help the cause even more. I’m just saying…
8 | Posted by Matt | Nov 9, 02:54 PM
One thing I noticed the other day, while riding the link to survey the destruction from the NDC protests, was that advertising in the link for businesses that can be found along the link’s route. I think the advertising, even though I usually eschew spam, is a useful thing for getting out the word about what can be found once the riders get to the theater district. The station itself is really not situated in an interesting location but if the riders can be tempted to walk a block or two is not a bad thing.
I’ve noticed that a good percentage of the people that got off the link station in the theater district headed right over to the Winthrop. Another good percentage headed over to the bodega on the corner of 9th and Commerce only to continue on to the park across the street.
I have no problem what so ever with Winthrop residents riding the link, same for young people coming to downtown to hang out. I’d like to see, however, a diversity of riders getting of the link in the theater district and exploring the neighborhood. The Winthrop, bodega, and park are attractive enough for some, what about the rest?
9 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | Nov 10, 09:03 AM
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