The Roundup: Bringing Your Voices On Board for Our Bus Coverage

What's up, South End?

We've been talking about the potential changes to bus Route 7 for a few weeks now.

In The Roundup, we've heard from Emerald contributing reporter Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero, who's been following this story for months. Last week, we heard from King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, who supports the proposed plan to replace Route 7 with a RapidRide line.

Jacquelyn reported earlier this week that King County's Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee could vote on the proposal at the Nov. 17 committee meeting.

After hearing about this issue from so many angles, here's my take: I'm against the transition to RapidRide. There are too many people in the community using the 7 to get to school, church, the pharmacy, the grocery store, a friend's house — this route serves more people than downtown commuters.

I understand that RapidRide routes open the door to federal funding. But the 7 is the second-most-used route in the county. That alone should lead to local government funding crucial infrastructure improvements. 

I agree with Executive Zahilay that the 7 should connect to the Link. And I love that the new plan would connect the bus running along Rainier Avenue to the Rainier Beach Station. But I don't agree with sacrificing so many bus stops along Rainier to make it happen.

People in our community have been asking for upgrades to bus stops, sidewalks, and bus frequency for Route 7 for many years. What no one has asked for is fewer stops.

The South End is not a pass-through neighborhood for downtown workers. It's a community where people study, work, shop, and live. Why must we be asked to sacrifice bus stops for infrastructure improvements?

Now that we've heard from our reporter, an elected official, and myself, there's another voice that I think is important to add before the upcoming vote: yours.

A lot of y'all have reached out during this reporting, so I want to bring you into the debate.

Here are some of the responses sent to the Emerald by readers and community members.

These responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

"RapidRide is great in some areas where many residents are going to jobs, Seattle Center, et al.; but that's not the case with the Rainier corridor. Since I ride the #7 all the time, I have some observations about the proposed changes:

1. Too much distance between stops.

2. Many elderly and disabled use the route.

3. Uses more space on Rainier Avenue.

Bottom line, one size doesn't fit all, and there's no consideration for the differences. I'm guessing Rainier Avenue riders care more about timely service and more wheelchair slots (during rainy days, the bus has to often pass up wheelchair riders because there's already two wheelchair riders on board and there's no more room to lock them in place), rather than speed in getting downtown."

—Sharon M.

"It's a lifeline for people, and the infrequent stops typical of RapidRide would be really difficult for a lot of people, myself included."

—Gwen D.

"I live near the 'loop' around Rainier/Seward Park Avenue that would be lopped off by the new alignment, so I was pretty disappointed to see the details of the proposed line — what good is a faster bus if you have to walk 10 to 20 minutes or transfer to use it?"

—Chris B.

"Eight years ago, I moved from downtown Washington, D.C., to Spinnaker Bay condos at 9500 Rainier Ave. S. I got along fine in downtown D.C. without a car, and selected this location for its proximity to three vital sites:

1. The 7 bus stop at nearby Seward Park Market, to take me downtown, as well as several useful stops along the way.

2. Safeway supermarket, where I can easily shop for my food and other needs, including my prescriptions.

3. The wonderful Rainier Beach Library.

Eliminating my nearby 7 bus stop takes away my easy access to Safeway and the Rainier Beach Library. Sometimes Metro Flex is available to take me to and from the Rainier Beach light rail station, but I can't depend upon this service.

Rather than eliminating the vital #7 bus, provide more frequent #7 Prentice that brings me closer to home, especially necessary when it gets dark early. Help me and the many others south of Henderson Avenue who depend upon the 7 bus. I am now an active 81 year old with incurable cancer. I depend upon access to these vital resources."

—Diane F.

"Rainier is no place for high-speed bus service. Rainier connects to light rail at multiple locations. But Metro never wanted poor people or people of color on Metro. I was very involved in getting light rail to Rainier Valley. Metro did everything possible to locate the first light rail line anywhere but Rainier Valley.

RapidRide on Rainier is an effort to keep poor people off Metro, not an effort to improve service. Metro should be connecting people to light rail, not proposing high-speed buses that skip 50-year-old stops on narrow street right-of-ways that parallel light rail.

We MADE Metro serve Rainier Valley. Four decades later I'm shocked Metro thinks they can get away with treating Rainier Valley as a slum population to be disrespected rather than a neighborhood of citizens like any other."

—David S.

The Roundup Rundown

🚨 The Big Ones

It's election season, y'all. We know it's hard to be informed on all the races and candidates. We've got your back. Connor Nash sat down with candidates from two races to help y'all prepare to vote.

👀 Word on the Streets

Starbucks didn't last long in Rainier Beach. But what does the coffee giant's quick exit mean for the community?

🏛️ Need-to-Know Politics

The proposed changes to Route 7 are the talk of the town. Here's an update.

🍏 Community News

When you put food scraps in the compost bin, you ever wonder where it goes? This family-owned business has the answer.

🎃 Today’s the Day: T'Challaween is from 1–4 p.m. at the Jefferson Community Center!

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This is an abbreviated version of The Roundup newsletter. To get the entire newsletter, including a weekly list of events to check out and my shout-out to South End Gems, subscribe here. See you next week!

Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.