Sound Move Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region The Ten-Year Regional Transit System Plan RTA 1996 0003 v.l c.4 Sound Move Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region RTA Chair RTA Boardmembers Bob Drewel, County Executive Martha Choe, Councilmember Snohomish County City of Seattle RTA Vice Chairs Ann Kirk Davis, Councilmember City of Lakewood Paul Miller, Councilmember City of Tacoma Dave Earling, Councilmember City of Edmonds Greg Nickels, Councilmember KingCow1ty Mary Gates, Councilmember City of Federal Way Jane Hague, Councilmember The Ten-Year Regional ~il.. ~n KingCotmty Transit System Plan Ed Hansen, Mayor City of Everett Gary Locke, Cow1ty Executive King County Rob McKenna, Cow1cilmember King County Sid Morrison, Secretary Washington State Dept. of Transportation Norm Rice, Mayor City of Seattle Dave Russell, Councilmember City of Kirkland Cynthia Sullivan, Councilmember King County Bill Stoner, Councilmember Pierce Cow1ty Doug Sutherland, County Executive Pierce Cow1ty Jim White, Mayor SOUND TRANSIT City of Kent INFORMATION CENTE­ LIBRARY As adopted May 31, 1996 Sound Move Sound Move Contents Why regional transit? Putting the system in place Sound Move- the ten-year system plan 1 Implementing the plan in stages 26 One piece of the puzzle 2 HOV Expressway . 26 Growing and growing and growing . 2 Regional express buses 27 The benefits 3 Commuter rail 27 Investing in mobility 3 Electric light rail 29 Investing in regional connections 3 Community connections 30 Investing in our economy . 4 Park-and-ride lots . 31 Investing in our environment 5 Keeping on track and within budget 31 Principles and commitments 5 A community effort . 31 The Regional Transit District Public involvement principles 32 The environmental process 32 Annexing new areas and extending RTA services 7 Annexations 7 Paying for the system The Regional Transit Authority District map 8 RT A taxing and bonding authority 33 Extending RTA services beyond district boundaries 9 Financial plan framework 33 Move- the Ten- Year Regional Transit Costs and schedule 34 Funding . 35 A system of high-capacity corridors and new community connections 10 Risk assessment 35 High-capacity travel corridors 11 Financial policies 35 High-occupancy-vehicle Expressway with regional express buses 11 Commuter rail 13 Appendices Electric light rail 14 A. Detailed description of facilities and costs The ten-year regional transit system plan map 16 B. Financial Policies Innovation fund . 19 C. Benefits, system use and transportation impacts of Sound Move Working together-a coordinated system of services 19 D. Sound Move impacts, system performance and framework for integration Gateways to the region - community connections 20 with land-use planning the system Easy system access A ride . Move Move Why regional transit? Just building more roads won't There's an old saying that advises SPEED "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But if solve the problem. There isn't enough LIMIT you are one of thousands of people space or money to build enough traveling on our region's roads to keep up with growing overburdened and clogged highways 14 transportation needs. Southern each day you can probably relate to a California learned a costly lesson that modified version of that proverb- investing billions in more roads and it's broke, let's fix it. freeways doesn't eliminate congestion. The problem is traffic congestion. Our The answer is to take a cost-effective and region rates some of the worst traffic in the balanced approach to increase the capacity of country (ranking behind only such major the existing system by offering a package of cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago transportation options- including improving and New York). We've outgrown our transit and increasing road capacity in some transportation system. In the time it took to areas. Collectively that system of options build our current freeway system, the region's could actually slow congestion growth, population grew by two-thirds. At the same reduce the growing strain on our roads and time, the number of miles people travel each provide a reliable, efficient and congestion- day grew by a whopping 450 percent. Today's free alternative for those that use it. increased number of two-worker households, more frequent job changes and longer work Sound Move -the ten-year system plan commutes are putting more demand on our Sound Move- the Ten-Year Regional transportation system than it can handle. Transit System Plan being proposed by the No one likes traffic. It takes a frustrating Central Puget Sound Regional Transit toll on our time and our nerves. But much Authority- takes just such an approach to more sobering and far reaching is the impact begin "fixing" our transportation system. It's congestion has on our jobs, economy and the first, ten-year step toward a long-range environment. Congestion reduces productivity Regional Transit Vision. That vision is to by making it harder for employees to get to expand the capacity of our region's major work on time. Those same traffic jams also transportation corridors by adding new high- make it more difficult to get goods to market. capacity transportation services Such impacts can cause existing companies to and facilities. relocate and potential businesses to look elsewhere for places to expand and build factories. And as companies leave they take vital jobs with them. Sound Move Sound Move Sound Move includes a mix of transportation Sound Move can make public improvements - High-occupancy-vehicle transportation a viable and attractive Expressway, regional express bus routes, alternative to driving alone by offering fast, commuter rail and light rail. The plan frequent service and a wide array of includes new community "gateways" - transportation options with regionwide connections in urban and suburban areas for connections. And Sound Move includes a communities to connect to the rest of the single-fare system allowing people to travel region. around the region using a variety of transit services with a single ticket or pass. Sound Move is an opportunity for the region to test drive a regional transit system coordinated with services provided by local Investing in regional connections before deciding how much more of the vision transit and transportation agencies, offering a to commit to. regionwide integrated system of routes, Sound Move creates more and better schedules and fares. regionwide connections providing access to job sites, schools, shops, museums, parks, Growing and growing and growing ... theaters and sports arenas to everyone regardless of whether they have access to an Growth in any area is desirable and is the automobile. Sound Move can help attract by-product of a strong, healthy and large special events to the region. Atlanta was competitive economy. In another 25 years selected to host the 1996 Summer Olympics in there will be 1.4 million more people living part because it here. In addition to being part of the The benefits had a rapid comprehensive Metropolitan Transportation transit system Plan, Sound Move fits in with the region's Investing in mobility capable of One piece of the puzzle adopted vision for guiding future growth in Transit today carries 40 percent of the trips handling large ways that maintain our region's high quality of Sound Move isn't the only thing planned to through our region's most congested areas at numbers of life and preserve its environment. The high- fix our regional transportation system, nor has the most congested times. If all of the people people. it been prepared in a vacuum without capacity transit system's purpose is to improve currently using transit switched to driving coordination with other regional efforts and mobility within the urban areas by providing alone they would create a line of bumper-to- Sound Move agencies. The plan was developed to fit within travel alternatives so they may grow bumper cars almost 700 miles long (enough can provide direct connections to the the region's comprehensive Metropolitan comfortably while preserving rural areas for cars to completely fill all the lanes of the Kingdome, the new baseball stadium, Husky Transportation Plan. That plan includes all future generations. Interstate 5 and Interstate 90 within the region). Stadium, the Tacoma Dome, Meydenbauer forms of transportation- high-capacity transit, Center and the Washington State Convention Sound Move will expand on existing local and Trade Center. Those connections will local transit, HOV lanes, ferries, airports, transit services with a convenient, reliable, automobiles, freight traffic, bicycles, and provide the capacity to handle large crowds easy-to-use regional system that is less and ridership surges. pedestrians. susceptible to congestion than current services. Sound Move also fits with the plans of By year 2010, Sound Move will increase local transit agencies who have been partners transit system ridership to a level that equals a in regional transit planning. The RTA has line of cars more than 950 miles long (a line of designed new regional services that are cars that could easily stretch to San Francisco, and then some). 2 3 Sound Move Sound Move Investing in our economy Investing in reliable, easy-to-use transit to Investing in our environment Principles and commitments keep pace with our growing population will An investment in transit is an investment Transit already accounts for 75 million By adopting this ten-year plan, the RT A enhance economic stability and actually add in our region's long-term mobility and trips a year regionwide, or about 258,000 trips commits to the following principles: economic stability. The alternative to to the tax base of the region, thus enabling us daily 365 days a year. Imagine the effects on to address other needs, including other • Regional scope - the RTA's plan is a investing in our transportation system is our air and water quality if those trips were regional system designed to recognize worse congestion.