I just learned that there is a shuttle to and from Harborview around 15th and Yesler. I work in this area and have always had a difficult time finding parking in the morning. I didn’t know it was allowable to pick a street in Seattle to allow off-campus parking and shuttle workers to and from it. Can any company pick a street like this for their shuttles?
Are you sure this isn’t the UW Health Science Shuttle? This is a free bus that goes to all of the hospitals and the UW. My friend was a grad student working on a study at Harborview and made regular use of this bus. Apparently anyone can ride it for free.
I’ve seen that bus. It goes down Yesler regularly. But this was a white van with a paper in the window that said “shuttle”. I thought it was picking up those who had appointments with their doctors until I saw several people in their scrubs park and wait for the shuttle. They even asked my coworker if she was waiting for the shuttle to Harborview.
I am outraged by this! It’s been going on for a while and is getting worse. I know exactly the van you are talking about. I’ve watched tons of commuters dump their cars in our neighborhood for the day, phone Harborview from their cell, and this shuttle picks them up. There is never anywhere for me and my neighbors to park.
and cut deals with neighborhoods, madrona, leschi, others, to allow them to drop off folks.
I saw the shuttle this morning and the driver turned around to ask me if I needed a ride. Told him no, I already work here :)
Where are they picking up Microsoft employees? I thought they only used P&R’s. If they’re using neighborhoods, that really upsets me.
All so-called “Major Institutions” — Hospitals and Universities — as part of the arrangements that allow them to locate and expand in residential neighborhoods have Transportation Management Plans with mandatory requirements to limit the number of workers who arrive at campus by single occupancy vehicle (SOV). The purpose is to reduce the number of cars that fill the streets by getting people into other modes like public transporation, carpools, bikes, walking.
The number of parking spaces that institutions are allowed to provide on campus is, by City policy, limited. The City Department of Planning and Development is supposed to monitor the institutions’ compliance with the law and to help them develop plans for getting cars off the street. It’d be surprising if parking cars in a different residential neighborhood and shuttling them to the hospital is an approved method. Another neighborhood hospital, Swedish, has consistently failed to comply with the requirement to reduce to less than 50% the number of workers who arrive by SOV. If you’re in the mood for calling, call DPD to ask if they are planning on doing anything about this.
Thank you for the feedback. I’ve sent in the request to DPD to see if this is a violation or not.
If Elvis is referring to the Microsoft Connector service, they’re everywhere – but as he indicates, they actually worked with the neighborhoods to figure out pick-up and drop-off points.
And to Bill’s point – unless and until we provide additional transit service to these major institutions, we’ll keep having this problem. DPD et. al. need to be informed, but the “hide and ride” phenomenon isn’t going to be easy to solve without more frequent transit service.
This seems to be getting even worse. So frustrating for people who live in the neighborhood.