Top Apps Emerge from Seattle’s Commute Hackathon

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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Candace Faber of Whoa Strategies emceed the event. Photo by the author.

At the end of Seattle’s Hack the Commute on Sunday night the judges selected three potentially game-changing software applications for further development. Over the weekend 14 volunteer teams of data scientists, transportation experts, designers, and software developers created prototypes of smartphone tools that could improve the travel experience across all modes in the city. While nearly all of the teams’ work was innovative,  the top three discussed here will get additional support and will refine their presentations during a championship round next month.

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Seattle to Ask Voters for $900 Million in Transportation Funding

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Photo by the author.

In November the City of Seattle will ask voters for a property tax levy to put money where their mouth is on the Move Seattle transportation vision (PDF). Approval would supplant the expiring $365 million Bridging the Gap funding with an ambitious nine-year $900 million levy. Earlier this month Mayor Ed Murray unveiled the list of priority projects this money would go to, with a little something for everybody. Half of the Bicycle Master Plan network would be built out, 16 bridges would be reinforced, 250 lane-miles would be repaired, and 100 blocks of new sidewalks would be built, for starters. In conjunction with the City’s new Vision Zero target, Move Seattle has the potential to radically transform Seattle streets for the better.

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Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Parking, Rail, Roads, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

CascadiaCast Episode 2: Cory Crocker

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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This week I’m joined by Cory Crocker, an active University District resident who helps head up U District Square. The group is working to secure parks and open space amenities as the cory-crockerneighborhood rapidly grows and faces a population boom with the arrival of a light rail station in only six short years. The U-District has a dearth of open space that the city is trying to address, and Cory is passionate about the option of a large central plaza. He’s also been working on a streetscape project with a new parklet and possible sidewalk cafes. We also discussed the medley of transportation and housing options in the neighborhood and recent trends in the design and management of public space.

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Posted in CascadiaCast, Density, Housing, Land Use, Parks, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Open Letter: Build a Green Lake Supertrail

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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Members of Seattle City Council and Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams,

I write to you with sincere concern for the well being of my fellow citizens using the three mile long trail around Green Lake Park. It is consistently overcrowded, and slow ground-walkers often spill over into the area intended for those on wheels. This letter is sparked by several incidents during an afternoon leisure tour last Sunday, when clear skies drew residents out of the Craftsman-style woodwork and I nearly destroyed several small children and excited dogs while riding my bike.

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Posted in Biking, Editorial, Parks, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Metro Proposes Bus Restructures Around New Light Rail Stations

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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UPDATE:  Metro released formal alternatives on Thursday. The new information and maps have been updated throughout this post. Check the Metro website for full details.

This week King County Metro and Sound Transit will jointly release two alternatives for bus service restructures to happen in 2016. The effort is intended to better connect riders with two new Link light rail stations opening one year from now, nine months ahead of schedule, in Capitol Hill and the University District. I’m a member of the citizen ‘sounding board’ on the project but the opinions here are my own.

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Mayor Leads Scripted U-District Community Walk

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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On Saturday Seattle mayor Ed Murray continued his series of “Find It, Fix It” walks with residents of the University District. The event drew a large crowd and media presence, and wound through the neighborhood’s core with a police escort. Though named after a smartphone application that lets citizens quickly report problems like potholes, graffiti, and broken streetlights, the event focused more on projects and important figures in the neighborhood rather than infrastructure. This left little opportunity for citizens to directly engage with the mayor.

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Posted in Editorial, Event Writeup, Government, Housing, Policy, Public Art, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Murray Remarks on Seattle’s Achievements and Challenges

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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Mayor Murray addresses a large crowd at City Hall on Tuesday. Photo by the author.

In his annual address Seattle Mayor Ed Murray remarked on the city’s significant progress towards some of its goals and made a number of announcements about initiatives to pick up the pace on others. He also spoke at length about city planning, including the ongoing comprehensive plan update, the need for an integrated transportation policy, and funding infrastructure and affordable housing more equitably across neighborhoods. He plans to host a number of summits on social and economic issues with community leaders while increasing government transparency through new performance and budget tracking tools.

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Posted in Event Writeup, Government, Housing, Parks, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CascadiaCast Episode 1: Ben Schiendelman

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

Podcast Logo_extended-01-01I’m excited to announce the start of a new podcast series for fellow urbanists in the Pacific Northwest, titled CascadiaCast. I’ll be sitting down with fellow planners, activists, government officials, and other interesting people to discuss the issues that matter to those who aspire for greater and greener cities. The details are still a work in progress and sometimes I’m awkward as hell in person, so bear with me as the series develops with your feedback! I’m also open to suggestions on people you would like to hear from or topics you want covered in depth.

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Posted in Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Seattle Adopts Aggressive Vision for Zero Traffic Deaths

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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Seattle mayor Ed Murray, alongside his police chief and transportation director, announced last week the goal of eliminating all citywide traffic deaths and serious injuries by the year 2030. This formally enters Seattle into the worldwide Vision Zero movement, an idea originating in Sweden that recognizes traffic collisions can be reduced through better engineering, extensive public education, and coordinated law enforcement. Supporters of Vision Zero question why deaths on streets are acceptable, and tell local leaders and traffic engineers to accept that they aren’t. Local strategies will include lowering speed limits, redesigning streets, upgrading electronic traffic controls, emphasis on traffic police patrols, and ongoing community outreach about traffic laws and street safety.

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Posted in Biking, Policy, Roads, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Seattle Invites Tech Community to ‘Hack’ Transportation

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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The City of Seattle and Commute Seattle launched a “Hack the Commute” project on Tuesday, bringing together partner agencies and local technology companies to develop tools for improving and navigating the city’s transportation network. The coalition is interested in innovations for existing apps like Pronto’s or Google Maps, entirely new commuter tools, and improving the communication and visualization of transportation data. The main event will be a weekend “hackathon” in March, with participants including everyone from local programmers and software developers to writers and project managers. The effort has the potential to revolutionize transportation in the nation’s fastest growing city.

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