July 2003
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On June 26, the Regional Council's Executive Board approved the distribution of $12.2 million in Federal Transit Administration funds to 16 projects in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The money will help pay for bus replacements, bus shelters, maintenance upgrades, paratransit, and other services for transit riders around the region. The funded projects are:
| Community Transit -- | Bus Replacements: $900,000 Bus Passenger Shelters: $75,487 |
| Everett Transit -- | Paratransit Operations: $79,235 Transit Enhancement 2003: $6,595 |
| King County Metro -- | Vehicle Maint. Overhaul: $2,063,128 Transit Enhancement 2003 - $424,341 Bus Purchases: $3,035,315 |
| Kitsap Transit -- | Purchase of Small Buses: $440,517 |
| Pierce County Ferry -- | Ferry Boat Purchase #2: $69,215 |
| Pierce Transit -- | Replacement Buses: $1,801,191 |
| Seattle Monorail (Existing System) -- | Seattle Monorail Car Restoration: $69,697 Seattle Transit Enhancement: $5,801 |
| Sound Transit -- | Pedestrian Bridge at Mukilteo Station: $98,243 Commuter Rail Project Tacoma/Lakewood: $1,180,387 |
| Washington State Ferries -- | Revenue Collection System Replacement: $1,897,763 Transit Enhancement 2003: $74,720 |
As the metropolitan planning organization for central Puget Sound, the Regional Council coordinates distribution of federal transportation funds that flow to the region, evaluating the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans. More detailed information on the 16 transit projects is available on the Web at psrc.org/projects/tip/ or by calling the Regional Council's Information Center, (206) 464-7532.
Puget Sound Milestones --
Regionwide Monitoring of Transit System Performance is Underway
Total Transit Ridership - per capita   Transit ridership has increased faster than population growth since 1995. In 2000, ridership averaged about 42 transit trips per person within the four county region.
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This initial report focuses on changes in transit ridership, services and facilities in the region from 1990 to 2000. Future reports will take a more detailed look at the quality of transit service and access to services in the region's growth centers and along major travel corridors. Information in this and future reports will help to improve regional understanding of individual corridors where transit is most competitive with other travel modes. |
Muckleshoot Tribal Council Joins PSRC
| The Muckleshoot Tribal Council joined the Puget Sound Regional Council and became a voting member of the Transportation Policy Board on July 1. "We're delighted that the Muckleshoot Tribal Council has chosen to join PSRC and we look forward to their active participation in regional transportation planning," said Councilmember Richard McIver, president of the Regional Council. At its meeting on June 26, the Regional Council's Executive Board added a new category for federally recognized tribes on the Transportation and Growth Management Policy Boards. Currently, there are seven federally recognized tribes within the region. If any of these federally recognized tribes opt for membership and request policy board membership, they could expect to be voting members of the policy boards. Two federally recognized Indian Tribes, the Puyallup and Tulalip tribes, are currently associate members of the Regional Council. |
Maria Corrales and Danielle Williams
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| PSRC Welcomes Student Interns |
PSRC Welcomes State Legislators to Transportation Policy Board
(206) 464-7515.
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| Ridership Declines on All Puget Sound Ferry Routes |
Ridership on Washington State Ferries in the Puget Sound region decreased for the third straight year in 2002. For all Puget Sound ferry routes, ridership in 2002 was down by almost 932,000 from 2001, a decrease of 4.0 percent. The drop in ferry ridership is consistent with slight decreases in traffic volumes, transit ridership, and park-and-ride lot use that have been observed during the current economic downturn.
The decrease in ferry ridership in 2002 represents the largest decline since 1979, when ridership dropped by 6.3 percent. That was the year that the Hood Canal Bridge sank, triggering massive reductions in ferry users, primarily on the Edmonds-Kingston route (45 percent decline), and to a lesser degree, the Bainbridge Island-Seattle route (14 percent decline).
This 4.0 percent decrease for 2002 follows declines of 0.7 percent and 2.4 percent during the previous two years. This is the first time ridership has decreased three years in a row since Washington State Ferries formed in 1951. Rising ferry fares and a sluggish economy are two causes of the recent decline in ridership. The decrease was system-wide: every individual route (six car-ferries and two passenger-only ferries) experienced a decline in ridership.
Figure 1: Ferry Ridership
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Ferry Route | Ferry Ridership 2001 | Ferry Ridership 2002 | 2002-2001 Change | Percent Change |
| Edmonds-Kingston | 4,706,085 | 4,494,660 | -211,425 | -4.5% |
| Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth | 3,295,933 | 3,108,107 | -187,826 | -5.7% |
| Bainbridge Island-Seattle | 6,913,283 | 6,727,650 | -185,633 | -2.7% |
| Bremerton-Seattle (pass. only) | 840,079 | 681,830 | -158,249 | -18.8% |
| Bremerton-Seattle | 2,331,489 | 2,212,150 | -119,339 | -5.1% |
| Vashon-Seattle (pass. only) | 266,265 | 228,327 | -37,938 | -14.2% |
| Mukilteo-Clinton | 4,168,096 | 4,137,196 | -30,900 | -0.7% |
| Pt. Defiance-Tahlequah | 761,890 | 761,532 | -358 | -0.0% |
| Puget Sound Ferries | 23,283,120 | 22,351,452 | -931,668 | -4.0% |
Washington State Ferries increased its fares by an average of 20 percent in June 2001 (more for passenger-only service), and 12.5 percent in May of 2002. A new fare increase of 5 percent took effect in May of this year.
| Figure 2: Annual Ferry Ridership Increase |
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| 206-464-7532 - FAX 206-587-4825 - infoctr@psrc.org |
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