Easing congestion on Washington's highways means clearing accidents more quickly and effectively using all available tools to move people from place to place, especially during peak hours.

Making better use of existing roads and building critical new infrastructure to keep up with growth are key strategies to keep Washington state competitive and economically vital.

Those were among the points raised by state Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald in a presentation to the Regional Council's Executive Board in November. MacDonald outlined strategies to improve the state's transportation system, and noted that the state's plan is in sync with central Puget Sound's plan, Destination 2030.

The charts shown here are just a few of those included in MacDonald's presentation to the Executive Board. More information on performance of the state's transportation system is available in WSDOT's quarterly performance report Measures, Markers and Mileposts, known as the "Gray Book." It's available on the Web at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/GrayBook/.

SHIFT DEMAND FROM CAPACITY-CHOKED PEAK PERIODS

Typical Traffic on I-5 - North Seattle

USE ALL THE TRANSPORTATION MODES
Southbound Interstate 5 Morning Peak at Northgate	Interstate 405 Morning Peak at Newcastle
All modes contribute to transportation efficiency. During the morning rush on I-405, about half of the people traveling are sharing a ride.
	CLEAR HIGHWAY INCIDENTS MORE QUICKLY
	More than half of Puget Sound area congestion is from roadway incidents.

More Federal Funding Headed To State President Bush signed a federal transportation bill in December that will send an additional $190 million to specific transportation projects in Washington state in 2002, an increase of nearly $130 million over federal funding earmarks in 2001. Senator Patty Murray, who led the state's congressional delegation effort for transportation funding, said the additional funds will help ease congestion by investing in highways, public transportation and other infrastructure. Murray ascended to the chairmanship of the Senate's transportation appropriations subcommittee last year. Even as Congress and the President wrapped up the 2002 appropriation, work was underway to better prepare the region and the state to compete for additional federal transportation funding in 2003 and beyond. King County and other jurisdictions are working with cities to better coordinate federal funding decisions slated for 2003. And Governor Gary Locke has convened an effort to help shape the re-write of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21), which expires in 2004. The goal: better assure that federal funding policies match the needs identified in state and local improvement plans so that the state will be in a better position to compete for federal gas tax funds through 2010. The broadly based statewide committee hopes to reach agreement on a shared agenda by spring 2002. Back to top Policy Boards to Meet February 14: Focus on Centers The Growth Management and Transportation policy boards will meet jointly on February 14 to learn more about the 21 designated urban centers in the region. These centers have been designated by each county in the region to be walkable places where new housing, jobs and amenities will locate. Topics will include: the new centers-oriented funding criteria for the regional Transportation Improvement Program, reports on progress and future plans for centers, population and employment data updates, and regional design guidelines for centers adopted in Destination 2030. The meeting will be held February 14, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Jackson Federal Building. For more information, contact Norman Abbott at (206) 464-7134. Back to top Increase in Fares Sparks Decline in Ferry Ridership Ridership on Washington State Ferries declined for the second year in a row, reflecting new fare increases and the effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In June the ferry system increased fares by approximately 20 percent and added additional surcharges on passenger-only ferries that increased round-trip travel costs on those routes by 76 to 98 percent. The result of these fare increases on ferry ridership was a noticeable overall decline, and a more pronounced decline for the passenger-only boats. From March to May of 2001, the three months before the fare increases, Puget Sound ferry ridership increased from 5,826,000 to 5,836,000 - a 0.2 percent increase over the same period in 2000. For the three months after the fare increases, June to August of 2001 (typically the busiest months of the year), ferry ridership in the region decreased from 7,052,000 to 6,875,000 - a decline of 2.6 percent from the summer of 2000. Figure 1 shows that average daily ridership for the ferry system was fairly constant, compared to the previous year, up until June. After that, average ridership drops significantly due to the higher fares. The decline is especially dramatic in September (7.5 percent), most likely exacerbated by the terrorist attacks that month. Passenger-only ferries experienced the steepest decline in ridership, reflecting higher fare increases. Summer volumes for the Bremerton-Seattle passenger-only ferry decreased by 5.9 percent while the Seattle-Vashon passenger-only ridership decreased by 14.8 percent from the previous summer. Bremerton-Seattle passenger-only volumes may show more of a decline after October, when the boats began reducing speed through Rich Passage, resulting in a 10-minute increase in travel time. Many of the Bremerton passenger-only riders may have shifted to the Bremerton-Seattle auto-ferry, but even that route's ridership decreased by 3 percent from the summer before. In fact, all of the six auto-ferry routes in the central Puget Sound region experienced a ridership decline between 1 to 4 percent from the previous summer, except the Mukilteo-Clinton route (0.7 percent increase). Historically, Puget Sound ferry ridership has increased at an annual average rate of 3 percent since the Washington State Ferry system came into existence in 1951 (2.3 percent per year since 1990). Decreases in system-wide ridership are rare, especially in the last two decades (see Figure 2). The 2 percent decrease for 2001 through September, if maintained for the remainder of the year, would represent the sharpest decline in ferry ridership since 1982. The two consecutive years of ridership decreases in 2000 and 2001 would also mark the first time that has happened since 1981-82. Back in the early 1980s, ferry ridership - particularly on the Kingston and Bainbridge routes - was affected by the rebuilding of the Hood Canal Bridge (the bridge sank in 1979), which prevented access to the Olympic peninsula from Kitsap County. For information on data presented in this Trend, contact Kris Overby at (206) 464-6661, e-mail koverby@psrc.org. Figure 1. Average Daily Ridership Difference: 2000 - 2001, by Month Figure 2. Annual Ferry Ridership Increase: Puget Sound Region

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