I also recognize that at the time of posting, the official design is only at the 30% stage, meaning that the design that I am currently critiquing is not necessarily what the final design will be.
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The suggestions below are ordered from the southwestern tip of the route to the northeastern terminus. There are some more minor issues with the project that I either do not feel I can contribute to, or that I deem unimportant in comparison to the issues discussed below.
Refer to this to see the planned stop locations that I comment on below.
Colman Dock Connectivity
This issue is addressed in the first part of this post. It’s the only part of this post where no alternative to the current plan is established, as the configuration of Alaskan Way and surrounding streets will radically change between now and 2019, when the Madison BRT is currently planned to be completed.
Even with massive changes in the Alaskan Way road configuration, constructing a terminus within the Colman Dock area would be difficult, and it is probably too late in the process of the Alaskan Way redesign to incorporate such a space-intensive consideration. The current layover zone on First Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets could be used, but this would create redundancy in service as well as confusing passengers boarding at Colman Dock.
Simply put, officials working on this project either did not think connectivity to Colman Dock was important, or figured the Alaskan Way redesign was too complex to incorporate into this project.
Spring & 3rd/Spring & 4th
Both stops have their individual errors, but that’s ignoring their redundancy and the inconsistency in stop spacing that they create on the entire Spring Street section of the proposed route. Removing both in favor of a stop on the far side of the intersection at 3rd Avenue would solve both of the above issues and remove the common problems associated with near-side bus stop locations.
This, however, would be an awkward redesign, requiring a left-sided bus stop because of the garage on the right side of the street. Additionally, the bus would have to cross back over to the right lane, making this alteration difficult. However, this modification has its benefits as well: the existing bike lane would not have to be altered and TSP at Fourth Avenue could solve the issue of a crossover between left and right lanes. This same crossover tactic is used in other places on the route itself, so it should not be out of the question.
Madison & 5th
This is just a minor case of laziness. The planned stop for the BRT is located where the current one for Route 12 is; however, it would make much more sense to move the stop to the far side of 5th Avenue. On top of having the classic advantages of far-side bus stops, this would allow for better use of TSP. In this case, no existing driveways or garages make this a difficult prospect; the only thing standing in the way are one or two young, flimsy, and sad-looking trees.
Spring & 6th–9th
This section is riddled with issues. A lack of a bus priority lane for three consecutive blocks creates the potential for this to be a choke point, especially at rush hour. Although this might not be in local stakeholders’ interests, removing the left-sided planned parking could provide for a right-sided bus priority lane that would mean both more reliable bus service as well as a safer corridor for bikers, provided left-sided bike boxes are provided at intersections.
The bus stop location at 8th Avenue also poses a problem. On top of being on the near side of the intersection, the queue of cars making a right turn would surely block access to the stop, preventing the bus from missing one or two light cycles here. As previously mentioned, it’s also part of a series of inconsistently spaced bus stops on the Spring Street section of the planned route.
Adding a far-sided stop at 5th Avenue and moving the currently planned 8th Avenue stop to the far side would even out stop spacing, should the 4th Avenue stop be deleted. A 5th Avenue stop would also provide better connections to the Courthouse and Library, two important establishments in the area. Alternatively, a simpler but less comprehensive proposition would be moving the currently planned 8th Avenue stop to the far side of the intersection at 7th Avenue. This, however, would not solve issues of inconsistent stop location.
Madison & 22nd/23rd
Connectivity to Route 48 is something that planners for this route would assumedly not have taken lightly, given that it, too, is identified as a potential BRT corridor. Yet the current stop design for the route absolutely obliterates any logical connection to the route, favoring a stop at Denny Way/22nd Avenue instead of one at 23rd.
On top of providing better connectivity to route 48, far-sided stops at 23rd Avenue also provide much better accessibility to the senior living establishment on the northwest side of the intersection. There are simply no reasons why stops on either side would be problematic, bar potential issues with parking. Parking, however, is not underprovided in this area, and should be of minimal concern here.
Madison & MLK
The current stop location for the last stop on this route is troubling at best. It worsens the problem of the acute right turn at the intersection, giving the bus an even worse angle. Although the location of the stop before the intersection would normally be problematic, the lack of alternative locations that are suitable for this stop make this the best option.
A potential option is implementing an island bus stop, in conjunction with moving the Seattle Center-bound Route 8 and westbound BRT stop further west along Madison Street. The westbound flow on Madison would be one-lane for a small distance to allow space for the island, which would be the stop for both the Mount Baker-bound Route 8 and the planned BRT. On top of maintaining connectivity to Route 8, this allows two full lane widths more of space for the articulated buses to make a right turn.
Madison Park and Interlaken Park Connectivity
This remains an important issue associated with this project. As the sections unique to Routes 11 and 12 are logically not covered by the BRT, the options for replacing or maintaining service there are unclear. It’s a difficult question, one that will require a hard look at ridership statistics and, more importantly, strong community engagement.