Metro is streamlining Route 7

In order to provide more reliable and efficient service, Metro is reducing the number of stops made by Route 7 buses in the Rainier Valley.

As part of the Route 7 Bus Stop Spacing Project, 18 bus stops will close on September 19, 2009, and another 9 stops will close in 2010. Ten stops originally proposed for closure will now remain open, and two additional stops are now proposed for closure in October of 2009.

The comment period ended Sept. 11, 2009

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• Why is this being done?
• Additional bus stops proposed for closure
• Background and public involvement
• Which stops will be closed?

Click in the appropriate part of the map to the right to see a larger map showing all bus stops, including those proposed for closure.

Why is this being done?

• To streamline Route 7 and shorten your ride
• To improve schedule reliability
• So that when Metro adds amenities like bus shelters, benches, and lighting at the remaining bus stops they are serving more people

Streamlining Route 7 service will also support changes that Metro is making to bus service in southeast Seattle in 2009. The main factors driving these changes are the need to connect neighborhoods to Link light rail stations, to avoid duplication of service between Metro Transit bus service and Sound Transit's Link light rail service, and to improve bus service in southeast Seattle.

Many stops along Route 7 are only one or two blocks apart, and the average distance between stops is around 800 feet. Metro aims for bus stops spaced about every quarter mile or 1,320 feet. This project will space Route 7 stops three to four blocks apart-about 1,100 feet.

Bus riders whose stops are closed may have to walk farther to their new bus stops. However, in most cases the extra distance will be relatively short-an average of one block, or about 500 feet.

In a 2004 Metro Transit survey of 60,000 Rainier Valley residents, most respondents supported fewer bus stops and quicker bus trips in the Rainier Valley. When asked what they thought of changing the stop spacing from every 1-2 blocks to every 3-4 blocks, 93 percent said they liked that proposed change or could live with it.

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Additional bus stops proposed for closure

• 64th Ave S & S Waters St (northbound)
• Rainier Ave S & S Weller St (northbound)

The comment period ended Sept. 11, 2009

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Background and public involvement

Metro planners came up with an initial list of stops for proposed closure and posted Rider Alert signs soliciting public comment at those stops in June 2009. After receiving comments, Metro made some revisions to its plan. Ten stops originally proposed for closure will remain open, and two different stops are now being proposed for closure (see details below).

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Which stops are closing?

The following tables show northbound and southbound bus stops that Metro plans to close. Stops will close on September 19, 2009, unless indicated with '2010', in which case the stop will close next year, after other planned bus stop and roadway improvements are completed by Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Northbound stops

Southbound stops

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