(The following letter from King Councilmember Julia Patterson is in response to a letter to her from Clyde Hill that was reprinted in the Highline Times.)

Thank you for reaching out to my office regarding this matter. You raise an important issue regarding transit-efficiently and effectively using public dollars, and I welcome the opportunity to address your concerns.

Let me assure you that King County Metro and Sound Transit are continually in communication regarding current transit services, as well as plans for future transit options. This ongoing communication is essential to providing quality transit service with as little redundancy as possible. In the case of Metro’s RapidRide A Line and Sound Transit’s plans to study extending Link light rail to the Federal Way Transit Center, both agencies provide unique services to riders and will operate during different periods of time.

Sound Transit’s Link light rail provides a regional service whereas Metro’s RapidRide A Line provides riders more local access. This means there are more stops for the RapidRide and will be fewer stops for light rail. Together, both services provide riders with transit options depending upon their transit needs, with riders more likely to use bus service for local purposes and light rail for fast regional access.

Additionally, while the RapidRide A Line is currently running, light rail service is still years away from operating south of SeaTac Airport. The Angle Lake Station at South 200th Street will not be complete until 2016, and if light rail is extended to Federal Way, service is not expected to begin until 2023.

While the RapidRide A Line and Link light rail may travel along a similar corridor, only RapidRide will be operating along the full corridor for the next decade. In the future, as the Link light rail system continues to grow, Metro will evaluate its services and may make changes to the RapidRide A Line to better meet the needs of the local community. That sort of flexibility is a benefit of bus service.

Finally, please know that Metro’s RapidRide A Line is a successful route in South King County. Since the A Line replaced Route 174, Metro has seen a 57% increase in ridership. This is an indication that the route is widely used.

Thanks again for contacting me regarding this issue. I believe that efficient, cost-effective, and reliable transit service is essential for our South County communities. Please feel free to contact my office if you have additional questions regarding this matter or if I can provide additional information regarding public transit in King County.

Julia Patterson
King County Councilmember, District 5