Following a Sound Transit presentation concerning the impacts of light rail transit coming to Shoreline, some citizens and cities of Kenmore and Bothell are pulling together to see light rail run through the Northshore area.
522 Transit Now! is a non-profit organization that was started by residents and neighbors of Kenmore and Bothell, and aims to see Sound Transit create a line through the entirety of North Lake Washington.
“[Kenmore has] rallied before when big issues come front and center… the stakes couldn’t be much higher for lifestyle, every day life is effected by traffic,” said Doug Nugent, member of the 522 Transit Now! coalition and a volunteer on the Kenmore Planning Commission. “Let’s get everybody’s attention, because it’s summer, people are on vacation – that’s our biggest challenge right now. I think when people realize what’s at stake and how little time there is to respond, they will. Kenmore’s done it before.”
One of the reasons that the cities and the 522 Transit Now! coalition are working for increased mass transit in the area are the increases in populations in the north end of Lake Washington, the increased traffic from tolling along the I-405 and the 520 bridge and the lack of mass transit that will meet the demands of citizens in the Northshore area.
While the group is currently in its infancy, established at the end of June, 522 Transit Now! is already working on some major outreach efforts.
Currently, they’re encouraging citizens to submit the Sound Transit survey to voice opinions concerning the state of Northshore’s traffic, what kind of options citizens would like to see Sound Transit bring to the area and what projects citizens would like to see move forward.
522 Transit Now! even has a guide for citizens to help bring awareness of traffic problems along the Highway 522 corridor, including information about regional or multi-corridor projects and projects which are missing that citizens believe should be included on Sound Transit’s projects list.
The Survey closes on July 8 and Sound Transit will develop a plan and release mass transit system expansion plan for voter approval in the November 2016 ballot. They will also have community input after the plan’s release and prior to ballot inclusion.
However, taking the survey is only the beginning of the battle for more mass transit connecting Kenmore and Bothell to the rest of the region; it’s also about gathering enough citizens to voice their concerns.
“It’s great! It’s important, [but] we don’t have much time, [though] people are responding promptly and with energy,” Nugent said. “Kenmore rallies around things like this. I’ve seen it before from being a volunteer, and this is another example of it.”
522 Transit Now! group is requesting citizens please spread word of the effort by sending emails to friends or linking the effort through Facebook. Citizens can also volunteer with the group and help 522 Transit Now! voice their concerns to Sound Transit’s board, committee and more. To sign up to be part of the 522 Coalition, visit http://goo.gl/forms/QhJ60Eri94.
For more information about Sound Transit 3’s projects, please visit www.Soundtransit3.org. For more information on the 522 Transit Now! coalition, please visit www.522TransitNow.org.
