M E M O R A N D U M To: Jim Stanton, Microsoft From: Steve Crosley and Sonja Burseth, Nelson\Nygaard Date: June 14, 2017 Subject: Route 269 Service Change Memo This memo analyzes a potential service change to re-route the southern segment of King County Metro (KCM) Route 269, from its existing path to a new path between South Sammamish Park and Ride and Issaquah Transit Center. Route 269 Profile Route 269 has a weekday average of 1,123 daily riders (boardings+alightings), see Figure 5. The route serves six park and rides on the north and east side of Lake Sammamish: Overlake Park and Ride, Overlake Transit Center, Bear Creek Park and Ride, South Sammamish Park and Ride, Issaquah Highland Park and Ride, and Issaquah Transit Center, and the majority of ridership occurs during commute hours. Much of the average weekday ridership is centered on these park and rides (see Figure 3 and Figure 4). The max load location for both inbound (to Issaquah) and outbound (to Overlake) is near Bear Creek Park and Ride in Redmond, at 180th Ave NE/NE 76th St with 162 average daily riders, and 180th Ave NE/NE 68th St with 181 average daily riders respectively (see Figure 6 and Figure 7). The most productive segment on the route is SE 56th St/East Lake Sammamish Pkwy to Issaquah Transit Center with 24.9 boardings per service hour. The two least productive segments on the route are S Sammamish Park and Ride to Issaquah Highlands (11.0 boardings per service hour), and Issaquah Highlands to SE 56th ST/East Lake Sammamish Pkwy (12.0 boardings per service hour), (see Figure 5). City of Sammamish Service Proposal The proposed service change is to move the southern segment of KCM Route 269, from South Sammamish Park and Ride to Issaquah Transit Center, from its current path using Issaquah-Pine lake Road SE and SE Black Nugget Road to 228th Ave SE and E Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE (see Figure 8). The change would affect the two least productive segments on the route. Along the proposed segment change, Route 269 averages 77 daily boardings (14%), out of a total of 560 daily boardings. Benefits The benefits to aligning Route 269 service onto 228th Ave SE and E Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE includes a more direct route to Issaquah Transit Center, in addition to travel time savings. Based on Google map driving direction estimates, the proposed routing is 17% (1 mile) shorter, and 30% Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 1 Route 269 Analysis Microsoft (5 minutes) faster (see Figure 1). This estimate does not take into account any stop activity or dwell time, but is a comparison of length of route and posted speed limit, for each route path. Figure 1 Distance and Travel Time Comparison Current Routing Proposed Routing Proposed Savings Distance 6 miles 5 miles 17% shorter Travel Time 16 minutes 11 minutes 30% faster This would also add service to the 228th Ave SE corridor, which currently does not have bus service, and includes destinations such as the King County District Courthouse, Siemens/Microsoft Commercial Center, two senior living campuses, and a multi-family development. See places of interest on Figure 8. Impacts Eliminated Segment – General The main impact associated with this proposed service change would be the elimination of northbound AM peak and southbound PM peak service along the affected segment. KCM Routes 216/219 provide service along the same corridor as Route 269 between South Sammamish Park and Ride and Issaquah Transit Center; however they only operate in the southbound direction in the AM peak and northbound during the PM peak while Route 269 is bidirectional. Even if KCM Routes 216/219 had bidirectional service they would need to be extended to Overlake Transit Center to match the extent of service provided by Route 269. In the AM Peak (towards Overlake/Microsoft) 20 average weekday boardings would not have an alternate transit option. In the PM Peak (towards Issaquah Transit Center) 5 average weekday boardings would not have an alternate transit option. See Figure 2 for a table of average daily boardings affected by time period and direction. Between 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. there is no service operated by KCM 216/219 and ST 554 on the eliminated segment. Figure 2 Total Average Weekday Boardings Affected Outbound Inbound Alternative Alternative Period KCM/ST Transit (to Overlake/ KCM/ST Transit (to Issaquah) Option? Microsoft) Option? AM Peak 9 216, 219, 554 20 No Midday 3 No 6 No PM Peak 5 No 27 216, 219, 554 Evening 3 No 4 216, 219, 554 Total Boardings 20 n/a 57 n/a A potential mitigation for these riders would be the introduction of a demand-response service through Metro Alternative Services, which could provide first/last mile accessibility to/from Issaquah Highland Park and Ride and South Sammamish Park and Ride. From a commuter Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 2 Route 269 Analysis Microsoft perspective, this solution would add another leg to their trip and increase travel time and is likely likely an attractive option for choice riders. Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride – General For travel to/from downtown Seattle or to/from Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, the impacts would be less pronounced. Services connecting South Sammamish Park and Ride and Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride to Downtown Seattle include KCM Routes 216/219 and Sound Transit Route 554. ST Routes 555 and 556 operate bi-directional peak service between Issaquah Highlands and Issaquah Transit Center. KCM Route 200 offers local service between Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, Issaquah Transit Center, and Downtown Issaquah, but outside of peak commute hours (service operates from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). Eliminated Segment – Microsoft Employees An estimate of 223 Microsoft full-time employees (FTE) live within a ¼ mile buffer of the affected stops, see Figure 9. It is unclear how many of the estimated 223 FTEs use Route 269 to commute to Microsoft. Service to the Microsoft Main Campus is provided via the Snoqualmie Ridge- Issaquah Highlands Connector, which stops at Issaquah Highlands (see Figure 10). The FTE going to Redmond in the morning who is currently using Route 269 between South Sammamish Park and Ride and Issaquah Highlands, could board the Connector at Issaquah Highlands. However, this would likely increase travel time, and parking for Microsoft FTEs at Issaquah Highlands is currently very limited in capacity. Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 3 Route 269 Analysis Microsoft Figure 3 Average Daily Ridership Inbound - To Issaquah Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 4 Route 269 Analysis Microsoft Figure 4 Average Daily Ridership Outbound - To Overlake Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 5 Route 269 Analysis Microsoft Figure 5 Route Profile for Route 269 Weekday Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc./ TMS | 6 Figure Boarding/Alighting Passengers 6 100 150 200 -50 50 0 Weekday Boardings and Alightings by Stop Overlake P&R AcRd/152nd Ave NE Microsoft Way/156th Ave NE Microsoft Way/Microsoft AcRd Microsoft Way/NE 36th St NE 36th St/NE 36th Way 159th Ave NE/NE 39th St NE 40th St/156th Ave NE NE 40th St/152nd Ave NE Boardings NE 40th St/150th Ave NE 148th Ave NE/NE 40th St 148th Ave NE/NE 46th St NE 51st St/148th Ave NE SR 520 Ramp/NE 51st St NE Union Hill Rd/178th Pl NE Bear Creek P&R AcRd/178th Pl NE 180th Ave NE/NE 76th St NE 68th St/180th Ave NE Nelson Alightings 185th Ave NE/NE 68th St - NE 65th St/185th Ave NE Inbound (to Issaquah) NE 65th St/188th Ave NE \ Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. NE Redmond Fall City/188th Ave NE Sahalee Way NE/Redmond Fall City Rd Sahalee Way NE/NE 37th Way Sahalee Way NE/NE 36th St Route 269 Analysis Sahalee Way NE/Sahalee Dr E Sahalee Way NE/NE 28th Pl Microsoft 228th Ave NE/NE 25th Way On-Board Load On-Board 228th Ave NE/NE 22nd St 228th Ave NE/18th Pl NE 228th Ave NE/NE 14th St 228th Ave NE/NE 8th St 228th Ave NE/NE 4th St 228th Ave SE/E Main St 228th Ave SE/SE 4th St / TMS 228th Ave SE/SE 8th St 228th Ave SE/SE 10th St | 228th Ave SE/SE 16th St 7 228th Ave SE/SE 20th St 228th Ave SE/SE 24th St S Sammamish P&R AcRd/SE Pine Lake Rd Issaquah Pine Lake R/228th Ave SE Issaquah Pine Lake R/231st Ln SE Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 37th Pl Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 40th Pl Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE Klahanie Blvd Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 47th Way Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE Issaquah Fall Cit Issaquah Highlands P/9th Ave NE SE Black Nugget Rd/SE Issaquah-Fall Cit SE Black Nugget Rd/SE Issaquah Fall Cit SE Black Nugget Rd/SE 62nd St SE Black Nugget Rd/Home Depot Pkg AcRd SE 56th St/East Lake Sammamish NW Sammamish Rd/11th Ave NW Issaquah TC AcRd/Newport Way NW -50 0 50 100 150 200 On-Board Load Figure Boarding/Alighting Passengers 7 100 150 200 -50 50 0 Weekday Boardings and Alightings by Stop Issaquah TC AcRd/Newport Way NW NW Sammamish Rd/11th Ave NW SE 56th St/221st Pl SE SE 56th St/East Lake Sammamish SE Black Nugget Rd/East Lake Sammamish SE Black Nugget Rd/SE 62nd St SE Black Nugget Rd/SE 62nd St SE Black Nugget Rd/SE Issaquah-Fall Cit Issaquah Highlands P/9th Ave NE Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE Issaquah-Fall Cit Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 47th Way Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE Klahanie Blvd Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 40th Pl Issaquah Pine Lake R/SE 37th Pl Issaquah Pine Lake R/230th Ln SE S Sammamish P&R AcRd/SE Pine Lake Rd 228th Ave SE/Issaquah Pine Lake R Nelson 228th Ave SE/SE 24th St - 228th Ave SE/SE 20th St 228th Ave SE/SE 16th St Outbound (To Overlake) \ Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc.