Your shuttle bus idea is a good one. Excess capacity exists along that bus route at times of peak parking use, a round trip between Union and Sprague can be made within ten minutes (including stops and loading), and the funding mechanism would be more or less there via paid parking.

However, perhaps there’s another solution. If people are willing to walk longer in environments that are conducive to walking, then perhaps it would be more successful to improve walking conditions on the 6th Ave. corridor between the two parking endpoints. You could do this in various ways: improving pedestrian amenities, resurfacing the sidewalks, adding awnings to buildings to protect people from the rain, enforcing a zero-setback rule for buildings, ensuring that buildings are not dilapidated and are well lit, and perhaps putting the utility poles underground. I think that in the end such a capital investment in the district would yield more business and safer streets without the need for more fossil fuel consumption. I’m not disparaging the idea of a shuttle bus; I just think that a bus is a band-aid for the larger problem of having a corridor that many feel is not worth the couple minute walk.

A high frequency streetcar running on 6th Ave (like it used to before April 1938) would be the best solution for transportation. Demand for parking in general would be reduced along the route and increases in business around the stops would lead to further investment in those districts etc. According to the plans from Sound Transit and murmurings from Executive Ladenburg (who sits on Pierce Transit’s planning committee in addition to ST) 6th Ave. is the preferred corridor for LRT expansion. Hopefully we’ll hear more about this as Sound Transit crafts a plan to send to the voters this November.

The thing about a subsidized shuttle is that you’d have to take over the parking lots via eminent domain (and no one likes that) and residents in the area would likely switch to the shuttle (free) instead of using the regular bus system. That would hurt the bus system and create a shuttle that is very expensive to run due to increased ridership.

I think you have to look at the transit system holistically – how can we improve the current bus system so it better serves the needs of shoppers in the area instead of creating a new transit system?

It will be interesting to see if light rail actually makes it down 6th. I don’t know whether or not business owners would be in support of that – it would take away the parking on 6th and would likely negatively impact business while being built. Long-term, it might be a really good thing.

I say that from the perspective of a homeowner on 6th, whose housing value is likely to plunge dramatically if Sound Transit is running in front of it every 7.5 (peak) or 15 (off-peak) minutes.

What is it about West Coast people that they can’t imagine life without a car?! When you build for people, you get people. When you build for cars, you get cars.

The most successful cities in the world have demonstrated that as you increase density and build effective mass transportation systems, you produce healthier citizens and prosperous economies.

The “problem” with 6th Ave is that it is not dense and not very walkable – it’s long and narrow, the crosswalk lights are slow to respond, and there has been no new large mixed-use project to take advantage of the mixed-use zoning. This needs to happen in other neighborhoods too. As soon as other neighborhoods get it together and create their own “nightlife destination” businesses, the pressure on 6th Ave will be relieved.

I should mention too that the Tacoma Streetcar would cost much than and should be the preferred alternative to Sound Transit’s light rail. Also, Sound Transit light rail runs in its own right-of-way. This means that 50%-100% of ALL parking would be lost on 6th Ave with light rail. With Tacoma Streetcar you can have your cake and it it too!

Here is where I comment on all the above.

Unfortunately, free ride zones are not yet feasible in Pierce County, low rider ship already places a strain on a already subsidized system. Seeing a bus with 2 people on it cost just as much to run as when it’s full. The perception in Tacoma and Pierce County is that only those that have to ride ie the poor do. Unlike Seattle where it is a hassle/expensive to park and drive downtown thus you get a mix of economic classes riding the bus. The big question is do we make parking expensive or exclusive just to stimulate mass transit.

The absolutely last thing we need is multilevel parking in a community that has the ability to become very pedestrian friendly and dense. Just look at Park Plaza N/S aside from quite possibly being the ugliest structures in the free world they occupy prime downtown real estate. Genevieve’s argument “People with cars will prefer to use their cars because it doesn’t require additional expense and it’s more convenient” is really not true. It is only more convienent because as a nation we have made mass transit inconvienent. And unfortunately, the additional expense is paid through increased pollution, road maintenance, accidents, congestion, and unsitely freeways blasted through neighborhoods.

Personally, I would prefer not to see light rail up 6th no need. What is really needed is a Tacoma Seattle linkage the fact that I cannot get back to Tacoma from SeaTac via mass transit after 1030pm is absurd. Heavy rail for city to city ex Bellingham to Vancouver-Light rail for city to city cores Tacoma to Seattle, bus for transit into city core from districts-streetcar for district linkage-sidewalks for neighborhoods traffic.

In the end what is not convenient is 5-dollar gas, what will happen to areas and business wholly reliant autos?

Genevieve,

Planning is what we are here to talk about. I want to plan for a community and city that is not solely dependant on cars while the current ethos in the U.S (and you?) want to keep building for single use automobiles. I checked out the 3rd Street Promenade via their web site and Google Earth. It is still reliant on people getting into their cars and driving to the promenade then getting out and walking. I think we tried that style of planning once before they are called malls and as our web manager noted the other day they (malls) sucked the life from downtown commerce. Only this mall is outside, and I find it amusing that it is anchored by an indoor mall. From what I could see the rest of the area was littered with large surface parking and box stores. I did not see much in the way of any sort of community? I am only guessing based on what saw from Google Earth.

What I am talking about is businesses supporting the local community and the local community supporting business. 6th 12th and 21st in addition to other cross streets all have the ability to serve the surrounding neighborhoods (Proctor, 6th Ave Business, North Slope, Hilltop, and North Tacoma) with the daily necessities of life. I only mention these neighborhoods because I am familiar with them I am not intentionally leaving out S. or E. Tacoma. This is what makes us different than the suburbs. I live off 6th I see the cars and people who show up to go to Chopstix. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that most come from the suburbs with their oversized SUV’s and no I am not exaggerating. Why? The suburbs have no culture, entertainment, restaurants (unless you fancy chain food) etc….Friday and Saturday night the street I live on is polluted with gargantuan trucks taking up space that 3 cars could probably fit in, but I digress.

I will layout my point about mass transit more simply, but first “pairing parking with a pedestrian friendly mentality” seems like a bit of an oxymoron. While the 3rd St Promenade might be “pedestrian friendly” it is a completely false built environment, that gives the appearance of what used to be the Main Streets of very walk able neighborhoods. There is evidence of these neighborhoods all over Tacoma. Admittedly maybe the neighborhood alone cannot supports all the businesses on 6th, unfortunately without conducting an empirical study one will never know. I know that I live in the city so that I can have the amenities of the city…density, community, entertainment, and culture. Currently there is no dedicated surface parking on 6th on which to build one of these “architectural parking garages”, not to mention it would be so out of place with the current neighborhood anyway. A better solution is multiuse buildings like Poole’s Corner, except incorporate some with housing-minimal surface and underground parking for employees and patrons, yet can serve the needs of the neighborhood.

I was unable to address your arguments because no argument was present Genevieve your statement was an opinion because it was unsupported by any factual data. Your first statement is asking me to think about someone having just gone shopping and how inconvenient it is. In my opinion I find driving inconvenient and a hassle second I can’t imagine what people in NY, Boston, London, Tokyo, Singapore, most of Europe you get the idea do when they go shopping, I dun no know maybe they buy less. Next, I could jump in my car if I were running 5 minutes late to an appointment……and sit in traffic. Seriously getting on and off the bus with families and shopping bags is awkward come on now that is seriously a straw man (woman) argument. You are however correct with you 4th point, but this goes back to my original argument of economies of scale. If more people rode the bus Pierce Transit could effectively lower their fares while still covering operating expenses in addition to adding routes and frequency based on increase demand. American’s currently do not pay the true cost of car ownership this way of life has been and continues to be highly subsidized; in turn, this created our massive problem of sprawl and whole sale reliance on cars.

On more than one occasion I have engaged with Gig Harbor or NE Tacoma residents about the subsidies that go toward the downtown Link they argue about how wrong, unfair, blah blah blah it is yet there is paper after paper that proves core cities float the suburban way of life. And now I see that Gig Harbor residents are probably going to get a tax break on the toll bridge…the people who need a tax break the least are going to get it. Unbelievable! How does that promote mass transit use or ride sharing and how is it any different that subsidies going toward the Link, except the more people that use the Link the cheaper it becomes not so with tax breaks.

The only speculation about $5 gas is when not if. I ask why wait for gas to go up? It is a diminishing resource whose peak is rapidly approaching why not prepare and mitigate now by implementing a viable mass transit system. Say we do nothing and gas goes to $100 a barrel (which is not unrealistic) then what? No current combination of alternative fuels will allow us to maintain our current modes of consumption. Great biodiesel is more popular do you own a diesel I don’t when was the last time you saw an auto manufacture making diesel cars besides VW? Is it feasible to replace the 200+million cars in the US most of which can not run biodiesel. Even if they do find more fields it would be like putting a band aid on an amputation China and India are coming online as major consumers of oil they want to be 1st world consumers too. There are no more super giant oil fields left to find. Demand is outstripping discovery. Even ANWAR when fully online would at best give the US two years worth of oil. Hydrogen is not energy it is form of energy storage you get by “splitting” it from water an incredible energy intensive process. Using a nuclear reactor is the only efficient way to make hydrogen on large scale, but who wants one of those in their backyard. Hydrogen is really explosive as well I am not sure if I would ride around in a car loaded with Hydrogen. The Hydrogen economy is utopian our best bet is a mass transit system that runs on a combination of fossil fuels, biodiesel, and electricity. Cars will still be needed in the future what I want are viable choices that do not rely only on single use automobiles only.

I am unsure of where you are taking the argument with NY? Are you suggesting that the mass transit system is congested or the traffic system is congested. Your right we should plan, discuss, and design viable option, but all we ever seem to do is revert back to our auto worshiping lifestyles, as soon as a political figure with enough sand left under their shoes to stand up and say-enough look what dependence on oil has done to us we need a better way that’s when change will occur. The US public needs to be made aware that we are really going down the wrong path with automobile reliance.

1. True costs of driving should be implemented

2. This will spur mass transit use in turn this will allow trans. Engineers to add routes, frequency, and options for users. ie look at the Sounder they have only been adding trains since it inception if you build it they will use it.

3. How much longer are we going to discount the future for short term preferences?

My question based on your sentence. “to the customers I assume Sixth Avenue is trying to attract” what kind of customers is 6th Ave trying to attract?

Regards,
Patrick

Genevieve I would like to continue this next week. I am in the middle of finals this week in addition to working a 30hr a week job, maintaining a home, cooking for myself and trying to get a jog in here and there all while taking the bus as often as I can;)

Patrick

Patrick – No prob. I just finished my midterms myself. Though this comment line might shut down. I might link to a new one in my blog if everyone’s interested in talking about it still.

I was just throwing biodiesel out as an option. My point was, there are lots of alternatives to regular fuel being developed right now. Some may be more or less practical, but you never know, someone could hit the jackpot. I admit I find the idea of driving a big diesel van from greasy diner to greasy diner appealing.

Plus, the idea was to have a shuttle from Proctor to 6th, right? Am I wrong in thinking that even if people did use the shuttle, it would just shift the parking burden to Proctor and irritate the business owners there. Or is the idea with that that Proctor residents would walk to the shuttle and take it to Sixth? I guess I need a little clarification on that point.

Personally, right now I can walk to a grocery store and some good restaurants, and I’m a happy camper in that. I hate taking the bus, but that’s because I’ve never failed to be approached and/or hit on by a creepy guy and I’ve had a couple of other colorful unsafe experiences. Now, I doubt a Proctor-6th shuttle would have the same problems, so I won’t drag that in. But in real life, the metro bus is out for me unless they develop a better system for keeping us lone-travelin’ females safe.