It's no secret that City of Seattle officials and Mayor Greg Nickels are urging citizens to ditch their cars for alternative modes of travel, so begs the question; "are there viable transportation options and infrastructure in place for Ballard and its future growth?"

But is riding a bike safe, or is riding a bus sexy enough? Are buses there when you want them?

Seattle Department of Transportation officials don't look at it as "forcing people out of their cars." It's more of a response to what neighborhoods are asking for, said Kathy Anderson, who works with the departments' commute trip reduction program.

The city is responding to residents and business owners who say their communities are too congested with cars, she said.

"This is a shared responsibility," Anderson said. "You can't have it both ways."

But with hundreds of people expected to fill new condominium and town home developments in Ballard, just getting in and out of the neighborhood will be an issue, said Beth Miller, director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. In hopes of minimizing that impact, the chamber plans on putting together brochures for new residents to help them navigate Ballard by public transit, bike or foot.

However, there's worry that people won't opt for the bus or bike in place of the car for reasons of inconvenience or fear. Many are hesitant to use the bus because they're afraid they'll take the wrong route and end up lost, said Miller.

Others don't feel safe navigating city streets on a bicycle.

If the city wants people to use the bus, they should start by making it more attractive and convenient, said Miller.

"Rather than bribing or shaming people into taking the bus, change the public transportation experience to make it enjoyable," she said.

Perhaps wireless Internet should be offered on more routes, Miller suggested. Or how about cup holders? Would more people ride the bus if it were free?

"It seems to me that there are some opportunities that we are missing," Miller said. "If bus riding were sexier, people would do it more. It's a behavioral change and it does take time."

Also, people just like the privacy of the personal car.

"When you get on the bus you have to share with other people," said Miller. "It's a hard mentality to switch."

Another issue is frequency. Many people would rather drive than wait 30 to 40 minutes for the bus.

But the city does have plans to ante up bus service in Seattle, and Ballard is first in line.

There are "significant changes" on the way for Ballard's major routes and most congested corridors like 15th Avenue Northwest, said Marty McOmber, mayor Nickels' aide.

City and county officials are working together to speed up Metro routes with in-lane bus stops and possibly more bus-only lanes in Ballard, West Seattle and other neighborhoods. The program, called "Rapid Ride," is part of the "Transit Now" initiative voters approved last fall.

"That should really improve services in the neighborhood," said McOmber. "It's going to mean major improvements."

Ballard will start seeing the effects of the increased transit over the next few years. That's about the same time the neighborhood will begin to feel the impact from an influx of people moving into new residential developments here.

"We've made it very clear that as the city grows one of the most important things to do is improve bus transit services," McOmber said. "It's one of the most effective ways to deal with traffic and growth in this city."

Instead of stopping every half hour, Rapid Ride buses would arrive every 15 minutes. Some of the busiest routes could roll by every eight minutes. More rush hour trips are planned for Route 44 to accommodate the large amount of people who commute from Ballard to the University District.

Voters also approved "Bridging the Gap," a $365 million property-tax levy that provides money to improve streets, bridges and other transportation infrastructure in the city. About $27 million is going towards a bicycle master plan that includes funds for trails, bike lanes and safety projects.

Nickels' hopes it will triple the number of residents who bike to work, which is about 6,000 city-wide.

In the next two years more than 50 miles of pavement markings, thirty-seven miles of new bike lanes and two miles of trails will be built. The city is hoping that bikes will help counteract traffic congestion when the Alaskan Way Viaduct is replaced.

And with associated costs of owning and caring for a car, such as interest, insurance, maintenance, parking fees and rising gas prices, it will likely become more cost effective to use alternative transportation, said Gregg Hirakawa, a spokesperson for the city's department of transportation

The AAA insurance company estimates the ownership and operating costs for a medium sized vehicle driven 15,000 miles a year costs the owners about $8,000 annually, or 53 cents per mile.

"There's a cost benefit analysis that every individual is going to be faced with," Hirakawa said.

But the city isn't saying don't drive at all.

"If it takes two hours everyday to get where you need to go, it might be more practical to drive, " Hirakawa said. "No one is opposed to people driving. We just want to encourage drivers to use other forms when it makes sense."

An estimated 1.6 million people are expected to move to the area in the next 35 years, and Seattle has no plans to build more streets to accommodate them, said Hirakawa.

"We're left with the street grid we have so we have to maximize its use," he said.

Miller said Ballard business owners could take a tip from some downtown Seattle companies that give their employees access to Flexcars, a car-sharing company that allows members to reserve and drive a car whenever they want.

The company announced last week it plans to nearly double its fleet of local cars to 200 by the end of the year.

While it may not make much sense to bike from Ballard to Redmond, there's still a substantial amount of people that commute daily to nearby neighborhoods who could be taking the bus or biking instead of driving, said Kevin Carrabine, president of the Friends of the Burke Gilman Trail.

Seattle may tout green living, but it's still a car friendly city, he said.

"We've made it too easy to just hop in your car and go to the grocery store," Carrabine said. "We've made it so there's a parking lot everywhere."

But pressuring and "brow-beating" won't get people to leave their car at home. It's about giving them alternatives that are convenient, he said.

"We need to do everything we can to make it easy for people to not use single occupancy vehicles," Carrabine said. "There are all sorts of barriers for people to make that change but plenty of people have done it."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com