Emerald City Trolley launched its hop-on hop-off trolley service today, including a major stop at the Woodland Park Zoo in Phinney Ridge. The new trolley system is designed for tourists and residents to easily access Seattle’s main attractions.

Photo courtesy Emerald City Trolley.

Emerald City Trolley will operate three distinct lines from today through Sept. 29. Each line starts at the Experience Music Project. The lines include a waterfront tour, an express route to the Museum of Flight south of downtown, and the North Line to Fremont, Phinney and Ballard. That line includes The Ballard Locks, Woodland Park Zoo, Fremont, The Fremont Troll, South Lake Union, Kenmore Air and MOHAI.

Customers can purchase a two- or three-day pass, good for access on all three lines. Two-day passes costs $45 and a three-day pass costs $60. Additional days are $15 each. Family passes for two adults and up to three children (12 and under) are $110.

Tickets for the narrated tours can be purchased on the trolley at any stop, at the retail location at the intersection of 2nd and Pike in downtown Seattle, online, or by calling toll free 855-313-3456.

Seattle Department of Transportation will hold an open house on March 20 about planning for the Aurora RapidRide E Line. It will connect Shoreline’s Aurora Village Transit Center and downtown Seattle along Aurora Avenue North.

Come to the open house to see the plans for bus stop improvements and pedestrian amenities and ask questions of planners.

The open house is from 5-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, at the Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave. N.

The King County Council today approved the route and station and stop locations for Metro’s new RapidRide E Line, which will connect Shoreline to downtown Seattle starting early next year. It will replace Metro bus route 358.

The E Line will travel on Aurora Avenue North, except for one northbound station at North 66th Street and Linden Avenue North.

At the highest ridership stops, RapidRide stations will be installed, which feature a shelter, benches, bicycle racks, electronic signs indicating how soon the next bus will arrive, and an ORCA card reader so riders can “tap on” before the bus arrives and enter through any of the RapidRide bus’ three doors.

RapidRide distinctive red-and-yellow buses are energy efficient, low-emission hybrid vehicles with low floors and three doors for easier, faster boarding.

Click here for links to the E Line description and map.

King County is hosting a public meeting Tuesday morning on routing and station locations for its new RapidRide E Line, which will travel along Aurora Avenue North from Shoreline to downtown Seattle. The RapidRide E Line should start in Fall 2013.

RapidRide is intended to run 19 hours a day, seven days a week, with special buses arriving at least every 10 minutes during the weekday morning and evening commute. RapidRide buses have low floors and three doors, so people can get on and off quicker.

The meeting by the County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environmental Committee begins at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in King County Council Chambers, on the 10th floor of the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave. If you can’t make the meeting, you can email comments to testimony@kingcounty.gov. You can also watch committee proceedings online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/kctv.aspx.

The full County Council is expected to make its final decision in late July or mid-August.

Seattle Department of Transportation will close the intersection of NW 85th Street and 1st Avenue NW starting at 7 p.m. Friday to rebuild the outside lanes. The intersection will open by 6 a.m. Monday.

Local access will be provided for residences and businesses. Detour routes will be posted. SDOT says some noisy work will happen tonight between 7-10 p.m., but no concrete breaking will happen between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.

SDOT crews finished the final asphalt paving on NW 85th Street between 8th Avenue NW and Mary Avenue NW today. The new roadway will be restriped next week.

Metro Bus Routes 48 and 81 Night Owl will travel on NW 80th Street this weekend, instead of 85th Street.

Seattle Department of Transportation continues the nearly year-long paving project of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5. This week, crews will be replacing concrete roadways panels from 15th to 8th Avenue NW, replacing curbs and sidewalks, and installing storm drain pipes.

Here’s the latest from SDOT:

Phase 1 – 15th Ave NW to 8th Ave NW

• Demolition, excavation and replacement of concrete roadway panels throughout the project area (north and south sides of the street).
• Removal and replacement of curbs, curb ramps and sidewalk at the Mary Ave NW, 12th Ave NW, 11th Ave NW, and 10th Ave NW intersections.
• Installation of storm drain pipes and inlets on NW 85th St at 13th Ave NW, 11th Ave NW and 9th Ave NW.

Access to/from NW 85th St at Mary Ave NW (north side) and 13th Ave NW (south side) will be closed. Side-streets can be closed for up to 30 days; closure days are not required to be consecutive.

Phase 2 – 8th Ave NW to Greenwood Ave. N.

• Begin roadway demolition and excavation on the south side of NW 85th St between 8th Ave NW and 3rd Ave NW.

Residents and businesses will be notified in advance of impacts to driveways.

Note: construction activities are weather dependent and are subject to change.

SDOT recently completed installing new sidewalks and curbs near 14th Avenue NW, and curbs near 13th Avenue NW, on the north side. Crews also installed new drainage facilities on the north side of 13th Avenue NW, 10th Avenue NW and Dibble Avenue NW. And new concrete roadway panels were installed on the south side between 10th Avenue NW and 9th Avenue NW, between 11th Avenue NW and Dibble Avenue NW, and on the north side near 8th Avenue NW.

Metro Transit is proposing to change bus Route 5 service north of North 105th Street, but will keep the current routing south of 105th when it implements changes this fall.

According to Metro, all Route 5 trips would begin and end at Shoreline Community College. Riders wishing to get to Northgate would need to transfer to a revised Route 18. The Route 5 Express service will not change.

Last fall, Metro had proposed revising the route to use Fremont Avenue North and Dexter Avenue North instead of Aurora Avenue North, but decided against it after receiving community input. However, Metro will consider those changes again after the RapidRide E Line launches in 2013.

Metro estimates the time between Route 5 buses as 15 minutes during both peak and off-peak hours during weekdays, between 15-30 minutes at night, 15 minutes on Saturdays, and 30 minutes on Sundays.

You can weigh in on the proposed changes at another public forum from 6-8 p.m. Monday at Ballard High School.

Metro Transit had recently proposed drastically changing Route 28 bus service through Greenwood and Broadview, but those plans changed after Metro received feedback from the community.

The latest from Metro:

Now, Metro is seeking a second round of input to shape the final September plan that will be submitted to the King County Council later this spring.

During public outreach in November, Metro suggested replacing Route 28 and revising Route 28 Express as part of a package of related changes in Fremont and North Seattle. Metro has decided not to move forward with these changes now, but will consider making changes in this area with the launch of RapidRide E Line in 2013.

“Last fall, we received comments from more than 5,000 people, and that feedback was invaluable in helping us review and revise these proposals,” said Victor Obeso, Metro’s manager of Service Development. “Now, we want the community’s help again to continue moving forward with our vision for a transit system that is efficient, cost-effective, and best serves the entire county.”

The latest changes now being considered for this area include:

• New Routes: RapidRide D Line*
• Routes proposed for routing or frequency changes: 5*, 28*, 75, 16*, and 18*
• Routes proposed for replacement or deletion: None
• Routes with no change: 28X, 48, 48X, 355, and 358

* Route change proposal revised from November 2011

Most of the proposals support the launch of the RapidRide C and D lines that will connect downtown Seattle to Ballard and West Seattle starting on Sept. 29. For that reason, the changes primarily affect service in Seattle and adjacent communities. Some of the revisions, such as the proposed changes to the 2 (south), 10, 11, 12, 14, 123, and 125 will also improve the flow of buses through downtown Seattle, which will produce significant efficiencies for Metro’s overall system.

The introduction of the RapidRide lines and associated service adjustments will allow Metro to improve bus connections to jobs, shopping and other destinations – places in and around Seattle that have grown and changed over the years. Many bus routes serving these areas have not been adjusted for more than a decade.
People will have an opportunity to comment on the newly revised September service proposals during the second round of public review that is now underway. You can submit comments by attending one of several meetings and information tables Metro is hosting, or filling out an online survey.

To learn more about the proposals and ways to speak up about the changes, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/haveasay.

Metro is hosting another six open houses to get more feedback on final proposals. The closest public meeting to our neighborhood is in Ballard, from 6-8 p.m. next Monday, Feb. 13, at Ballard High School.

During this round of open-house meetings, customers will have an opportunity to review the revised proposals and share their comments. That feedback will help shape final September service recommendations that will be forwarded to the King County Council for action this spring (probably in May). Those unable to attend one of these forums can give us their comments via an online survey on Metro’s website.

And Metro is also testing a new version of its home page, and they’re asking for feedback through an online survey. The redesign is supposed to make it easier to find the most requested information, and should display better on mobile devices.

Seattle Department of Transportation will close the intersection of 8th Avenue NW and NW 85th Street to all traffic this weekend and next weekend, so it can rebuild the roadway as part of its year-long repaving of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5.

Here’s the latest from SDOT:

Work dates (weather dependent):

• Friday, February 3 to Monday, February 6*
• Friday, February 10 to Monday, February 13*
• These dates are tentative based on weather; visit our website, or sign up for email alerts to receive updates on schedule

Work hours:

• 6:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Monday (24-hour continuous work)
• Noisy work activities will be limited between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Traffic:

• The intersection will be completely closed to traffic for two weekends
• Detour routes will be clearly posted; please follow signed detours and avoid cutting through neighborhood streets
• Eastbound detours will remain in place on NW 85th St between 15th Ave NW and 8th Ave NW

Transit, bicycles and pedestrians:

• Metro bus routes #28 and #48 will be affected by this work; sign up for Metro rider alerts for the latest information on route changes
• Bicycles should detour around the intersection during this work
• Pedestrian crossings will be maintained; flaggers and uniformed police officers will be present during this work to assist pedestrians

Next year, Metro Transit will begin a new bus system from Shoreline to downtown Seattle. The RapidRide E Line will replace Route 358 with buses stopping every 10-15 minutes most of the day, seven days a week.

RapidRide is a different type of Metro service that includes newly designed buses, shelters and signs. The distinctive red-and-yellow buses are energy efficient, low-emission hybrid vehicles with low floors and three doors for easier, faster boarding. Metro’s A Line between Tukwila and Federal Way debuted in 2010, and the B Line connecting Bellevue and Redmond rolled out in 2011. The C and D lines – serving Ballard and West Seattle – will begin this coming September.

The E Line will travel along Aurora Avenue N between Shoreline and Seattle, replacing Route 358. We’re considering two alternative paths in the Green Lake area between N 64th Street and Winona Avenue N, and want to know which option people prefer. We’d also like comments about overall route design and proposed stop locations.

Metro is hosting an open house about the options from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Greenlake Presbyterian Church, 6318 Linden Ave. N.

You can also complete an online survey, email your comments, or call 206-263-9768 (English) and 206-263-9988 (Spanish).

The city wants to know how you feel about the safety of Seattle streets. You can tell them from 6-8 p.m. tonight at the Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave. NE, as part of its Road Safety Summit. This is the second of three public forums on road safety.

The City of Seattle envisions a transportation system with no traffic fatalities or serious injuries, where all users share responsibility for their safety and that of others they encounter in their travels.

The Road Safety Summit, through…public forums, an online survey, and in-person outreach, is providing a chance for the public to give their input on three questions:

1. What do you think are the highest priority safety problems to solve on Seattle roads?
2. What do you think are the most important things to do to make Seattle roads safer?
3. We often talk about what government can do to promote safety. What are the ways that non-governmental groups and individuals can promote safety?

We have asked a broad cross section of stakeholders — elected officials, experts, roadway users, major employers, advocates, business leaders, and community leaders—to listen to the public and to come up with action items that will address the public’s top road safety concerns.

Working together, we will develop a shared citywide commitment to safety and an action plan that will help us work toward our goal of no traffic fatalities or serious injuries.

The third public forum is next Monday at the Southwest Community Center, and a final Road Safety Summit Meeting is on Dec. 12 at City Hall.

Metro is hosting a series of public meetings – including one in Greenwood – about how it will change existing bus service once the new RapidRide C and D lines are launched in September 2012. RapidRide will provide more connections throughout Seattle as well as Shoreline, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac and Des Moines.

Learn more about the changes and share your comments by attending a public meeting, or filling out an online survey.

According to the survey, Metro is considering making changes to Phinney-Greenwood routes 5, 28 and 48.

The Monday, Nov. 14, meeting is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.