Metro will be hosting a number of public meetings, community partner conversations, and information tables in many communities, including Burien, West Seattle, White Center, South Park, Beacon Hill, Madrona, the Central District, Southeast Seattle, the University District, South Lake Union, Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, and Green Lake.

Details about the proposed routing changes and a survey will be available online after Feb. 1 at www.kingcounty.gov/metro/haveasay.

Public meetings

Please join Metro for one of these open houses.

• February 13 – Ballard (Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February  15 – West Seattle (Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave SW, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 16 – Delridge/White Center (Chief Sealth High School, 2600 SW Thistle St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 21 – Downtown Seattle (Union Station, 401 S Jackson St, Seattle, 12-2 pm)
• February 23 – Queen Anne (Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Ave W, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 27 – Central Area/Mt Baker (Washington Middle School, 2101 S Jackson St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)

Eligible Safe Routes projects are those within two-miles of primary and middle schools (grades K-8), and that address engineering solutions, educational and encouragement programs, and law enforcement efforts. Review criteria for the applications are also based on project readiness and need or potential impact.

More detailed information about the grant program and the application process is available on WSDOT’s website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/SafeRoutes/CallForProjects. Applications for Safe Routes to School project grants are due to WSDOT on May 4, 2012.

To learn more about the program, a Safe Routes to School Overview Webinar has been scheduled for March 1st from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. To register go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/525058344. For more information, or if you do not have the capacity to participate on a webinar, please contact Charlotte Claybrooke at 360-705-7302.

Aging and Disability Services, a division of the Seattle Human Services Department, collaborated with the city’s Department of Information Technology to promote walking organizations, events, and resources for older adults. The page includes links to local walks and hikes, neighborhood walking maps, and volunteer opportunities like shelter dog walking as well as a selection of 5Ks and 10Ks by month.

“As part of Encore, Seattle’s Web portal for people age 50+, the walking campaign is meant to encourage older people to get moving and stay connected,” said Rosemary Cunningham, interim Aging and Disability Services director. “But all ages can use this site. The sooner someone gets into a walking habit, the healthier they’ll be when they get older.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33.8 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of children and youth are obese, a growing trend. In King County, 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese, 20 percent are obese, and 5.4 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes.

“The benefits of physical activity are well-documented,” said Cunningham. “You can control your weight, strengthen your bones and muscles, reduce your risk of chronic disease and some cancers, improve your mental health, prevent falls, and increase your chances of living longer. And walking is a level playing field—people can walk regardless of income and any extra walking is beneficial.”

Aging and Disability Services and the Seattle Department of Information Technology created Encore three years ago to give boomers 24/7 access to information about programs and services that interest them, both within city departments and the community at large. The portal provides older adults with access to thousands of resources, under broad headings such as Work & Money, Arts & Recreation, and Health & Fitness. For more information, visit www.seattle.gov/encore.

Aging and Disability Services is designated by the State of Washington as the Area Agency on Aging for King County. For more information, visit www.agingkingcounty.gov.

The local folks who created Walk Score have  launched a new site that helps you find apartments by commute time. Whether you prefer driving, public transit, walking, or biking, Walk Score can help you find a commute that fits your lifestyle.

Visit walkscore.com/apartments and enter your work (or school) address, select your preferred mode of transportation, and set the time slider to how long you’re willing to commute.

Apartment listings from craigslist are automatically sorted by estimated commute time and can be further filtered by Walk Score, price and size.  Walk Score is also soliciting feedback at this site: http://getsatisfaction.com/walk_score/products/walk_score_walk_score_apartment_search

Metro will be hosting a number of public meetings, community partner conversations, and information tables throughout November to get feedback on proposed system improvement concepts in Burien, Des Moines, West Seattle, White Center, South Park, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, University District, South Lake Union, Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Greenwood, Shoreline, and other neighborhoods and communities.

More detailed information and a survey will be online after October 21, at www.kingcounty.gov/metro/haveasay..

There are also a series of public meetings to discuss these changes and to solicit your input. Join Metro for an open house and stick around to share your feedback in a facilitated conversation.

Metro Open House dates and locations:

• Wednesday, November 2 – Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 12:00-2:00 pm
• Thursday, November 3 – Adams Elementary School, 6110 28th Ave. NW, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Monday, Noember 7 – Catharine Blaine Elementary, 2550 34th Ave. W, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Wednesday, November  9 – Chief Sealth High School, 2600 SW Thistle St., 6:30-8:30 pm
• Monday, November 14 – Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N 85th St., 6:30-8:30 pm
• Tuesday, November 15 – South Park Neighborhood Center, 8201 10th Ave. S, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Thursday, November 17 – Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave. SW, 6:30-8:30 pm

For more information, contact DeAnna Martin, Community Relations Planner, King County Department of Transportation, 206-684-1142 or DeAnna.Martin@kingcounty.gov.

The TMP is a 20-year vision for transit in Seattle. SDOT recently released the draft report, available online here.

Open house dates and locations:

• Oct 18 @ Seattle Vocational Institute (2120 S Jackson St)
• Oct 25 @ Aljoya at Thornton Creek (450 NE 100th St)
• Oct 26 @ West Seattle Eagles Hall (4426 California Ave SW)
• Nov 15 @ Ballard High School (1418 NW 65th St)
• Nov 17 @ New Holly Gathering Hall (7054 32nd Ave S)

All open houses will run from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and will begin with a brief presentation and overview. You’ll then have a chance to walk around and view project boards, talk to staff, ask questions, and provide comments.

Each meeting will cover the same information, so feel free to attend any or all. More details (room numbers, how to get there) can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/tmp_outreach.htm.

For more information, contact Allison Schwartz at allison.schwartz@seattle.gov or call weekdays 206-386-4654.

The Washington State Transportation Commission has created an online survey so people can tell local and state leaders what our transportation priorities should be. This is an opportunity for you to help shape the future of your local, regional, and statewide transportation system.

The survey asks what type of transportation is most important to you, how it should be paid for, how tolling revenue should be used, and similar questions.

Find the survey at www.voiceofwashingtonsurvey.org. It takes about 20-30 minutes to complete.

The Transportation Commission provides a public forum for transportation policy development. It reviews and assesses the entire transportation system and issues the state’s 20-year Transportation Plan. It also adopts tolls for state highways and bridges and fares for Washington State Ferries.

The survey is part of the Commission’s statewide outreach program; the Commission asked King County to help inform people about it. Findings will be reported to the Governor, Legislature, policy makers, and advisory groups such as the Connecting Washington Task Force.

There are between nine and 13 sites that will receive improvements that may include signs, benches, bicycle racks and minor landscaping. The first three sites to receive minor improvements to further open these spaces for public use are located in southwest Seattle at:

• SW Bronson Way – Existing large parking lot next to Salty’s Restaurant with outstanding views of Elliott Bay and the City skyline. Needed improvements include separating parking from pedestrian/view area, a hard surface for benches and bicycle racks and landscaping;
• S Fidalgo St. – Located in the Georgetown neighborhood between industrial uses, this street end is adjacent to the Duwamish River. Improvements could include clear signage from nearby streets, simple bench/table and minor landscaping; and
• Spokane St. E on the east side of East Waterway - Located under the West Seattle Bridge, the area is flat and dirt-covered. Needed improvements include clear signage, benches, minimal landscaping and a potential stairway/path to the water’s edge.

The Parks and Green Spaces Levy provides funding planning, design, permitting and construction for these projects. Seattle Parks is currently in the design phase and anticipates construction starting this fall.

Seattle voters passed the Parks and Green Spaces Levy in November 2008. The $146 million Levy provides improvements to neighborhood play areas, improved playfields, reservoir lid parks, community gardens, safety upgrades at city owned cultural facilities and funding for a healthy ecosystem for Seattle. This “green” funding has three types of projects: Forest and stream restoration, community gardens and shoreline access.

For more information, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/levy/environment.htm or contact Cheryl Eastberg at 206-386-4381 or cheryl.eastberg@seattle.gov. For more information on Levy funded projects in your neighborhood, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/Shoreline%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Parking

Whether it’s on the street or in a garage, it’s something that many people do on a regular basis. While people certainly don’t drive for the sole purpose of parking, the act of finding a spot is inevitable. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) wants to hear about your experiences.

SDOT manages the on-street parking network – all those pay stations, meters, and related signs. Right now, they’re working on a project that outlines different strategies to make paid street parking in downtown and neighborhood business districts more available. The technical term is performance-based parking pricing. Other cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. are testing out new strategies too.

SDOT would like to get a better sense for business owner needs, understand the customer parking experience, and look for ways to make it better. Take a survey! You can find the survey here - http://surveymonkey.com/s/seattleon-streetsurvey – it should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. You can also scan this barcode with your smartphone and link right to the survey.

If you are a participant, log those trips.  If you are not a participant, go to the King County Metro sign-up page and join.  The benefits are six free Metro transit passes, a card which is good for discounts at West Seattle shops, an account where you can log your savings, and the new West Seattle Trails walking and bike map.

The program is part of the mitigation for the continuing work on the Alaskan Way Replacement Project and is funded, in part, by the State of Washington and King County.  The goal is to provide West Seattle residents with more choices for transportation and to reduce the number of single-car miles driven, which helps reduce the local carbon footprint.