Hidden in the flurry of transit-related news hitting Seattle these days—everything from the closure of the bus tunnel to the bizarre death-gasps of the monorail—a minor success for sane transit was scored this week.
Word has quietly leaked out that Sound Transit’s 545 bus began its new route through Capitol Hill over the weekend, the result of a long and intensive effort by Anirudh Sahni and other transit activists. "90% of the difficulty involved overcoming pre-conceived notions, the prejudices and biases of Sound Transit," Anirudh observed, "and getting them to undertake an objective examination of the trade-offs of changing the route. We’ll see how it does."
It’s reasonable to expect that this small step for the 545 represents a giant leap for Microsoft employees and others who live on the Hill but work on the Eastside. By making the bus far more convenient than a single-occupancy vehicle, a lot more commuters are likely to be on the bus and not adding to the already-clogged Evergreen Point Bridge.
