On Monday, my wife took the “new” Metro 26 to her office in Lower Queen Anne. Prior to Metro’s March 26 reroutes and reschedules, that particular bus was usually half-full by the time it hit her stop on Thackeray Pl NE. On Monday it was standing room only, and by the time it arrived at Durn Good Grocery, the bus was completely filled and the driver had to bypass the rest of the scheduled stops in Wallingford, stranding dozens of commuters.
My wife overheard a few commuters discussing if they should begin a carpool, rather than being packed like sardines in a giant metal can or running the risk of not getting on the bus at all. I don’t think adding another car to the morning commute is what Metro had in mind when they altered their routes in conjunction with the opening of the new light rail station at Husky Stadium, so it would be a shame if that was a result.
A single day (especially the first day) of new bus schedules and routes is an anecdote, not a trend, but folks in Wallingford should be aware that Metro’s changes could have a major impact on their morning commute. The deletion of the 16 and the 72, along with the reroute of the 71 and 73, put big burdens on the 26 and the new 62. Only time will tell if these routes have enough capacity to handle our population, which will grow significantly in the next year or two with the Stone Way housing boom. For now, feel free to share your observations in the comment section here.
I had no problem, I rode the 26X that hits the Denny stop at about 8:45, and it was less crowded than the week before the change. There might also be some “ghost buses” (buses that are no-shows) contributing to crowding on some runs. That seems to happen after a Metro shake up.
Just wondering: Since some of these Metro routes have been closed because of the two new light rail stations that have opened, are there any credible estimates as to how much per year (for 27 years) the average Seattle household can expect to pay for ST3’s $50 BILLION price tag?
I read a serious discussion about this with transparent numbers penciling out to $200 a year per household. Sorry, I don’t have the link at the tip of my fingertips. ….
I ride the 62, and used to ride its predecessor, the 16. Both times I’ve ridden the 62, the first bus to come by was too full, and left without picking anyone up. Even after boarding, both rides took almost twice as long as the 16 would have.
Which is what the 26 used to be like. Slow as molasses to get downtown, unless you appreciated the tour of Fremont and taking Dexter and seeing all the Amazon new hires get on and off again before you even got downtown.
It’s barely been a week, but the loss of the 26 local has been tough for south Wallingford.
I didn’t mind the time the 26 local took to get downtown, and it really wasn’t my concern who my fellow commuters were nor where they worked.
What I appreciated was that it was pretty reliable, the bus stop was close to where I live, and I always got a seat. So far, standing room only on the 62, or a transfer at Fremont and 34th, which is also dicey. We’ll see how it goes….
I rode the 62 yesterday morning and it was fine. It took a little longer to get to downtown, but wasn’t overcrowded as the 16 sometimes was.
This morning, bus scheduled 62 didn’t come, so I had to wait 20 or so minutes for the next one. It was packed!!! Not a good way to start a new route.
The 62 takes MUCH longer to get downtown. And there seems no way to reasonably get to Northgate from Wallingford/Fremont/Green Lake.
I think the 26 goes there now, via North Seattle Community College.
I have gone to the University Book Store three times to get schedules but they’re always out
I have yet to see a 62 schedule, at a kiosk or on the bus. And the 26 goes within spitting distance of NSC, not wheelchair or handicapped distance.
It could be worse. You could be trying to get to the UDistrict from the north or south.
26x turns on 92nd. Doesn’t go up College Way and Meridian as the 16 did.
The 26x turns on 92nd, leaving those of us (and there are many apartment and condo dwellers) north of the college pretty high and dry with the loss of #16. I took the E-line today. 11 minutes on the bus and 24 minutes of walking! With a heavy stuff to carry, I wouldn’t do it – I’d take Car2Go. Also not what Metro had in mind, I’m sure.
On Monday, I took the 62 from downtown to Wallingford at around 5 PM, and it took about 20 minutes longer as compared to my daily commute on the 16. I don’t mind the added time as much as the continuous stop and go on Dexter. Yesterday I took the link from the University Street Station (which is conveniently located across the street from my office) to the UW Station. It only took NINE minutes. From there I transferred to the 44 westbound into Wallingford. Since I stopped to run errands, I don’t know what the overall time comparison is with the 62, but if Metro’s goal was to move bus riders to the new link stations, I guess it’s working, at least for me.
I have been taking either the 16 or 26X for the last 15 years. This week has been a challenge as the 26X that I have been trying to take has been at least 12 minutes late or never showed up at all. Why would Metro put a brand new driver on a route that has to navigate residential streets with a double bus at the same time they have changed all the schedules. Today I gave up and took the 62 which by the time I walked from the stop downtown I finally saw the 26X arriving so agreed it is very slow but at least a choice for those of us near 40th and Stone Way.
Living on Stone Way, the 62 is an excellent alternative to the balkanized bus system that we had before. There’s now an option to take a bus all the way from the bottom of Stone Way to 45th, and into Wallingford. That’s a connection that hasn’t existed before. Going further, it provides a connection to the fast-growing retail district around Roosevelt and 65th, which the 16 missed by about 1/2 mile.
I think Metro does have to work out capacity issues. It’s clear they either have to run more buses, or bigger buses, at peak, but it’ll be good in the long-term.
Much of this rerouting would make sense if the Roosevelt and Northgate light rail stations were open. As they won’t be for another five years or so, there are a lot of buses not connecting with useful targets, like the Seattle Center or the Public Health clinic or North Seattle College. You know, places where people in wheelchairs might go.
Well, it’s been a couple months, and although the #62 is working reasonably well, it’s still a longer walk, or a transfer, for us former #26 local folks in South Wallingford that need to get downtown to work and back home again. That’s not so bad in this lovely spring weather, but stands to be tough in the fall and winter.
The #62 buses are quite crowded, and looking from 35th north up Stone Way, and also along 34th east and west, my guess is all the new construction will mean increased ridership, and much greater demand. (Haven’t we all heard how lots of those new residents will use mass transit?) Even running fairly frequently, that’s a lot of pressure on the #62. Any chance of getting the #26 local back during commuter hours so that it can support east/west through Wallingford and Fremont?