Last week, I joined other regional and transit leaders for the King County Regional Transit Safety Task Force’s Solutions Summit. This initiative, instituted after the tragic murder of Metro operator Shawn Yim last year, includes elected officials, leadership from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, Metro leadership, and law enforcement, bringing us together to explore and implement ideas for how to improve safety for transit riders and operators. The Solutions Summit shared work that has been completed, via surveys, focus groups, and planning sessions that generated hundreds of suggestions for how to make transit safer for all.
As a regular transit rider myself, I understand the challenges and concerns on our transit system and am fully committed to addressing them quickly and effectively. I have been proud to support recent requests from ATU Local 587 to increase transit security officers and install protective barriers around operators on our buses. Everyone deserves to be and feel safe on our busses and trains and I will continue to work with our operators, riders, and law enforcement to make our public transit safe and comfortable for all.
At the last Sound Transit meeting, I supported the board’s adoption of the systemwide At-Grade Crossings Program Master Plan and the approximately $70 million down payment to begin the work. The plan and its funding establishes priorities and processes to continuously identify, evaluate, prioritize, and implement potential safety enhancements. I appreciate my fellow board members supporting my amendment to the program that ensures we are emphasizing our commitment to safety for at-grade crossings where cars, people, trains, and other modes of transportation can come into conflict.
Traffic safety has been a top priority of mine for a long time, from passing a Vision Zero policy as Mayor of Bellevue to elevating safety in the regional transportation work of Puget Sound Regional Council to recently introducing a Safe System approach motion at the King County Council.
Sound Transit’s at-grade crossings systemwide comprise a critical component of reaching our goal of reducing the risk of serious injury and deaths in all aspects of our transportation system. They require strong partnerships with our city and agency partners, and I look forward to continuing this work with my colleagues from across the region to ensure we are making our transit system not only fast, frequent, and reliable, but also as safe as possible.
Starting on Thursday, July 10, several cities and towns, including the City of Bellevue, the Points Communities, and parts of unincorporated King County, experienced disruptions in garbage, recycling, and yard waste pickup services due to a labor dispute between Republic Services and their employees’ union. Because King County is not involved in Republic Services’ labor negotiation, we are not able to provide a timeline for service resumption.
However, if your service has been interrupted, here are some options:
- King County and the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill. Transfer stations and drop boxes are open to the public and are accepting garbage, recycling, and yard waste. King County residents may self-haul to these facilities. Please be aware that these facilities charge a disposal fee based on weight and type of materials. You can find more information on the Solid Waste Division website.
- For Points Communities residents, Republic Services is providing a drop-off location on Friday, July 18 from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM at Clyde Hill Elementary parking lot (9601 NE 24th St, Clyde Hill). Please have material in bags.
- Once the strike is resolved, they will collect double your regular amount of recycling, trash and organics on your next scheduled service day at no additional charge.
- Affected Bellevue customers will receive a service credit on your upcoming bill.
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