July 6th 2021Dear Sound Transit Board Chair Kent Keel, Sound Transit Executive Board, CM Morales, CM Mosqueda, and CM Sara NelsonCC: Bob Svercl Beacon Hill Safe Streets, Katie Wilson Transit Riders Union, M. Angela Castañeda Director Beacon Business AllianceBCC: Rainier Valley Greenways and Safe StreetsWe, the undersigned South End residents, workers, and business owners. Representatives of Rainier Valley Greenways and Safe Streets (RVGSS), Beacon Business Alliance, Southeast Seattle Collective, the Transit Riders Union, and Beacon Hill Safe Streets are happy with the June 21st announcement that stations north of Stadium station will see ten minute headways during Future Ready service disruption to allow for platform repairs at the Columbia City station by going to a split service. We applaud the substantial improvement in service for many stations; however, twenty minute headways for all the stations south of Stadium still represents extremely poor service during this disruption. Without any offsetting mitigation, twenty minute headways do not represent appropriate or reasonable service for the many transit dependent residents of the South End. As residents of the South End, we also want to make it clear that suggestions of a bus bridge that provides a direct connection to the airport would not address our concerns because it leaves behind the many transit riders traveling between and to destinations in the South End. The inequity in mitigation planning during the Future Ready service disruption represents another failure of Sound Transit to provide levels-of-service to South End residents consistent with those seen in other parts of the Sound Transit service area.We also wish to express concerns with what we see as Sound Transit’s failure to proactively plan and communicate mitigation of service disruptions during this project. The initial plan was clearly deficient and quickly walked back after significant public outcry. This is not a healthy wayto communicate with the public. When planning service disruptions, Sound Transit needs to build trust with riders through timely and clear communication with affected communities. Presenting a plan with substantial disruptions and then walking it back following public outcry erodes trust with transit riders and should be considered unacceptable in the future. We would be happy to meet with Sound Transit representatives, but ultimately the hard work of building rider trust and creating more effective and equitable plans has to be initiated by Sound Transit ina sincere effort to coordinate outreach with organizations that have deep community relationships and established pathways of communication.Signed,Jason Rock, RVGSSM. Angela Castañeda, Director Beacon Business AllianceClara Cantor, Seattle Neighborhood GreenwaysBob Svercl, Beacon Hill Safe Streets
Katie Wilson, General Secretary Transit Riders UnionKristina Sawyckyj, Disability & Access Officer Transit Riders UnionTerry Holme, RVGSSBraeden Van Deynze, RVGSSChristina Thomas, RVGSSErin AtenPolly Thompson, RVGSSLaura Felice, RVGSSKatherine WoodMatthew Lang, Recording Secretary Transit Riders UnionDaniel Heppner Stephen DolanBeacon Business AllianceBeacon Hill Safe StreetsRainier Valley Greenways and Safe Streets