Bus shelter maintenance and safety, in partnership with communities

Of the 8,000 bus stops King County Metro maintains across the county, 51 are in the Rainier Beach area of South Seattle, and of those, 16 have shelters. Thanks to the 30 residents who came to a Sept. 22 town hall hosted  by the Rainier Beach Action Coalition to share their thoughts on bus shelter maintenance and safety with DOT Director Harold Taniguchi and Interim Metro GM Rob Gannon. You can watch the archived Periscope video of the entire meeting here.

One goal of the meeting was to put a human face on Metro by enabling the community to get to know its staff. David Cantey, a Metro supervisor, reported that over the past half year crews have increased the frequency of shelter cleaning and trash pickup to five times a week, up from three. The improvement has been noticed, with people giving positive feedback to Metro.

Students at Rainier Beach High School put together a Neighborhood Report Card, and small group discussions led to ongoing collaboration to improve bus stops and shelters. One specific suggestion was made for Metro to promote its “Safe Place” program, whereby young people in crisis with no place to turn can always seek out a nearby Metro bus and find an operator who is ready to help. Our coaches are out at all hours of the day in all parts of the county, and knowing each one is a potential Safe Place should bring a little peace of mind to families. We look forward to continuing the community conversation.