Our post on the meeting to discuss moving the Madrona bus layover away from the center of the business district has drawn some great discussion so far, both from those who would like the stop to move and from those who advocate for it to stay. The Madrona Community Council is also interested in hearing thoughts from the community as they prepare any possible endorsement.
If you haven’t yet weighed in, or you’d like to expand on your feedback, you can share your thoughts in the comments section below.
You can also vote in the poll. Let us know what you think!
That Madrona business strip isn’t very big. It’s not like it covers miles of territory. There’s absolutely no reason for buses to be stopped directly in front of any of those places of business. This issue is beyond stupid. Just move the stop.
If you owned a business, would you want a bus parked in front of it?
Where the layover is now, it’s blocking the view of anyone in the outdoor seating section in front of St. Clouds. 1/2 block south, alongside the park (because of the small hill) it won’t block any views. Please move the stop.
nuff said
There is already a stop at the south end of the park so this would be a stop closure and not a move. The stop/layover is actually in front of the travel agency and if one is standing in front of St. Cloud’s when the bus begins it’s route, you won’t be on it. Sometimes there is a second bus which would be in front of St. Cloud’s but only temporarily and then it moves up once the front bus begins it’s route when the second bus arrives. I have actually seen people who appear to be waiting for the bus look at the St. Cloud’s menu so maybe this has translated into some business. Moving the layover would lead to more difficult experience for park users and could cause a hazard for those who park on the east side of 34th who won’t be seen by traffic and may have to look around a bus to cross the street. The closest intersection at the current layover is a 4-way stop. Moving the layover would essentially eliminate half of the parking on that block for park users. Buses stop in front of businesses all across the city, in every city in the country so I am not sure why this is even an issue.
i don’t think parking is a major issue for park users. there always seems to be ample parking on the streets that bound the park, so why is 34th such a cherished parking spot.
and if the current stop/layover has such a nominal impact on businesses now, wouldn’t it have a nominal impact on park users?
never a big fan of buses in front of parks, but given the trees blocked the road from the park, this seems like a no brainer.
There are no views from the patio at St Clouds but it is definitely a disincentive to eat outdoors there, with the bus idling just past the gate.
Spiffy, the bus stop needs to be as close as possible to where people want to go, otherwise fewer people will use it. It’s a simple rule in transit planning (I’m a transportation planner), and makes common sense. Watch – if they move it a block away, people will complain that they moved the bus stop away from where they’re trying to go (the library, the store, the Hi-Spot, etc). There are bus stops in front of businesses all over the world. Sure, a bus may stop for 30 sec or a minute and block the view of the business during that time, but it also brings customers. I can understand the impact of the layover, when a bus sits there for 10 or more minutes at a time.
I’d like to second or third this idea. We need the stop in the Madrona CBD, we just don’t want the buses parked there jamming things up. Make the wait up by the park. Bus drivers walk to Verite for their whiz and coffee already; this seems to be approximately the same distance.
It seems to me that there is a safety issue with buses and cars rounding the corner onto 34th coming right into one or (often) two parked buses. Buses parked by the park would provide longer safer sight lines.
If only we bought new trolley buses with batteries so we wouldn’t have to worry about diesel exhaust…
buses idling? it’s an electric trolley bus with less noise than a truck passing by… Metro runs trolleys on the Rt 3 on weekdays and only uses motor coaches on weekends if the wire has to be de-energized along the route
what will the drivers do when the coffee shop is closed, do they use the park bathroooms? how safe is it for them late at night? the park is dark, trees and bushes obscure views from the street
I don’t care if the stop moves entirely but I definitely don’t like those buses parked on 34th in the MBD. And, it is not a matter of cherished parking spots. Having buses park there is bad for business. Imagine if they were parked in front of the HiSpot/Hitchcock/Nam every day. It changes the whole ambiance of the street.