Improving traffic flow along the C Line

After construction of bus bulbs along the C Line route began in March 2012, motorists noticed increased traffic congestion in the area—particularly at the intersection of Fauntleroy Way SW and California Avenue SW in the Morgan Junction.

This congestion increases as ferry traffic leaves the Fauntleroy dock. The construction work itself, which continued through June, contributed to this delay. In July and August, Seattle Public Utilities was doing a separate construction project at this same intersection, further disrupting traffic flow.

The City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation and Metro have been monitoring traffic conditions at this intersection, and have responded to the concerns we’ve heard in several ways.

To reduce backups caused when two or more buses are at the westbound bus stop on Fauntleroy Way SW, we’re establishing a second bus stop a few feet to the west of the intersection to serve routes 116, 118, and 119, which provide express service to the Fauntleroy ferry dock.

Metro bus drivers have received special instructions and additional training to help keep multiple buses from using the bus stop at the same time. Lane markings at the intersection have been refreshed to increase visibility and clarity for motorists.

We’re asking for continued patience as we complete our preparations to launch the C Line. Several elements of this new RapidRide service will help with traffic flow. These include all-door boarding at stops and off-board fare payment at stations, which will shorten the time buses spend at each stop. Also, the C Line will have transit signal priority at certain traffic lights along the corridor, which will keep buses moving through the intersections. (This technology is currently being tested and activated along the C Line route.)

We also remind drivers to obey traffic laws by not crossing the center line to pass a bus. Remember that buses now stop in the travel lane at these bus bulbs—so don’t enter the intersection behind a bus until there’s enough room.

In particular, drivers heading south on California Avenue SW and turning right toward the Fauntleroy ferry dock should keep in mind that a bus may be at the stop on Fauntleroy Way SW when they make the westbound turn.

Metro and the City of Seattle will continue to monitor traffic flow at this intersection and all along the new RapidRide routes. The city is prepared to make more traffic control or operational changes if needed after all of the RapidRide service features are up and running.

Planting Bulbs for RapidRide

Bus bulbs are going in at several RapidRide stops along the new C and D lines.

A bus bulb extends the sidewalk at a bus stop out into the parking lane of the street. The bus simply stops in the travel lane instead of pulling out of traffic and back in again after serving the stop. This makes bus service faster.

Yes, vehicles behind the bus have to wait while the bus pauses to pick up and/or drop off passengers. But traffic studies by the City of Seattle show minimal delays to traffic flow from bus bulbs. In Ballard along the D Line, morning peak-period congestion is expected to remain mostly unchanged at all 10 intersections between NW 85th Street and Leary Avenue NW since the morning peak-hour travel lane was converted to bus bulbs and parking.

Cars wait behind a bus serving a new bus bulb at the northbound stop in front of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal.

Travel time is expected to be a bit longer for general-purpose vehicles, with a southbound increase of about 50 seconds during the morning peak between NW 85th Street and NW Market Street.

But travel times for buses are expected to improve by 1.5 to 2 minutes, depending on the time of day, along the same section of road. This benefit comes partly from the bus bulbs, and also partly from other transit priority improvements that have been made as part of the RapidRide program, including transit signal priority at each intersection with a traffic signal.

Bus bulbs have additional benefits, including increased parking and wider lanes for general-purpose travel. D Line bus bulbs on 15th Avenue NW between NW 80th Street and NW 67th Street will bring back 24-hour on-street parking, for an estimated net increase of 105 parking spaces in morning peak hours.

The outside travel lane will also be widened slightly, providing more room for the larger freight vehicles that use the corridor. In Ballard, D Line bus bulbs will create a southbound two-lane roadway at all hours, like the street profile on 15th Avenue NW between NW 65th Street and NW Market Street.

And stops with bus bulbs have more space for passenger amenities — like shelters, benches, and real-time bus arrival signs — and their added waiting space helps keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians.

NOTE: This post was updated on 9/13 to reflect that the City of Seattle’s traffic studies were completed before bus bulbs were installed, so they measured expected rather than actual effects on traffic flow.

D Line stops are under construction

Metro began construction for bus stop improvements on the RapidRide D Line route in March. We’ve completed work and installed new RapidRide shelters at several stops, in Belltown and elsewhere along the route. We’ll start work on the largest stations in July. This work will include installing new bus bulbs in the Uptown area and along 15th Avenue NW in Ballard.

The photos below were taken this morning as a crew worked on new concrete at 15th Avenue NW and W Dravus Street in Interbay.

Workers smooth the surface of new concrete for a RapidRide D Line stop in Interbay. (view larger)

A Route 15 bus approaches as workers finish concrete for a new RapidRide D Line stop at 15th Avenue NW and W Dravus Street. (view larger)

The whys of Metro’s RapidRide shelter design

RapidRide shelters offer multiple waiting areas.

Some people have raised questions about Metro’s design choices for RapidRide shelters, including how much seating they have and how much protection they provide from the elements.

We’ve also been asked why, in this time of scarce resources, Metro is spending money to replace perfectly good shelters with new RapidRide ones.

First, let’s address the questions about design elements. Metro chose an open design for RapidRide shelters in response to input from both passengers and Metro bus drivers, who told us increased visibility is important to them for personal security.

Narrow side walls allow the shelters to fit within the public right-of-way and still accommodate pedestrian travel on sidewalks. The open lower side panels make it easier for both bus drivers and passengers to tell from a distance whether the shelter is occupied.

Passengers have told us they sometimes feel uncomfortable entering a shelter that’s already occupied. For this reason, RapidRide shelters have places to stand under cover without entering the area enclosed by the windscreens.

All RapidRide shelters provide at least one seat under cover, plus leaning rails and space for at least one wheelchair. There aren’t as many seats as in regular shelters, but RapidRide buses come more often than regular buses, so wait times are shorter. More seating is provided outside the shelter, so riders have more choices about where to wait, in both good weather and bad.

RapidRide shelter

RapidRide shelters come in several different sizes, designed to meet different ridership demand levels at the various RapidRide stops, and also to respond to a variety of site constraints. The smaller RapidRide shelters provide about one-third more roof cover than the standard Metro shelters they replace. The largest RapidRide shelters, which are being installed at the more heavily used stops or stations, provide almost three times more cover than the smallest ones.

In response to the financial question, RapidRide shelters and other capital elements of the RapidRide program are mostly grant-funded.  Metro has been very successful in nationwide competitions for funding because its bus rapid transit program is robust and includes the elements that funding agencies look for when making their awards—including improved passenger waiting areas.

As for the old Metro shelters that we remove from RapidRide stops, rest assured that they’re not going to waste. We refurbish them and reuse them elsewhere in the system.

C Line construction starting at Fauntleroy ferry dock

As early as this Friday (May 11), Metro will begin a month-long project to install C Line improvements at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal.

Improvements will include two new RapidRide stations, lighting, information kiosks with real-time bus arrival signs, and five electric charging stations for vanpool and public use. A bus bulb will be added at the northbound station to create a larger boarding platform.

Construction will happen on weekdays between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., and may cause periodic traffic disruptions. During especially intensive work, especially in peak travel hours, flaggers or police officers will help keep traffic moving.

Southbound bus riders will be directed to a temporary stop on SW Wildwood Place. The northbound stop will be less affected, but during some closures riders will need to use the next stop to the north, on Fauntleroy Way SW at SW Trenton Street.

New shelters, benches, and lighting will be available for immediate use when construction is finished. Other improvements, such as electric vehicle plug-ins and real-time bus arrival signs, will be phased in over the next several months.

The RapidRide C Line, serving West Seattle, SODO, and downtown Seattle, will be launched on Saturday, Sept. 29 along with the D Line serving Uptown, Queen Anne, and Ballard. Learn more: C Line » | D Line »

Update on C Line construction

"Liquid sunshine" accompanies workers installing a RapidRide shelter in March 2012. (view larger)

Construction has been completed at 12 C Line stops, though site amenities are still to be installed at seven of these. None of the RapidRide stations have been installed yet—riders won’t be seeing the larger station shelters until mid-April.

Work is now underway on the following stops:

• California Avenue SW and SW Findlay St – Northbound
• California Avenue SW just north of Fauntleroy Way SW – Northbound
• Fauntleroy Way SW just west of California Avenue SW – Westbound
• 35th Avenue SW and SW Avalon Way – Northbound
• SW Alaska Street and 44th Avenue SW (Alaska Junction Bay 4) – Westbound
• SW Wildwood Place and 45th Avenue SW – Westbound

C Line construction begins

Metro is about to begin making bus stop improvements to get ready for the start of the C Line in September. This work will include passenger amenities at each C Line stop, plus roadway changes to improve bus operations.

Work on the C Line north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal (except Alaska Junction) is being done by the City of Seattle. They’ll break ground as early as today at three stops on Fauntleroy Way SW and work their way up the corridor, a few stops at a time, through April.

Work on the rest of the stops on the southern end of the route (toward Westwood Village) will be done by Metro starting later this week. Metro will also manage the construction of C Line improvements at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal and Alaska Junction beginning in March.

Existing bus stops will be closed while this work is done, but Metro will provide alternative stops nearby and buses will continue normal operations. We’ll work on only a few bus stops at a time and do everything we can to minimize disruptions.

Look for rider alerts at the affected stops with details about where to catch your bus during construction. As work progresses along the corridor, we’ll also post updates about key construction activities here, and send out notices via Transit Alerts to those who have signed up for messages about affected bus routes. The City of Seattle will also be providing updates about their work on their project website.