Taking the bus will open anyone’s eyes to the truth about how poor our public transportation infrastructure is in Olympia. While I agree in principle with the idea of more people using public transportation, the current system is absolutely below what any reasonable person would expect to rely on for several reasons. I speak from the experience of having worked at one time with a regional transit director by conducting a detailed study of their current system and trying to determine how to improve it.
Long wait times and too infrequent connections and transfers are a big factor now. People do not want to stand in the cold, wet weather that is normal throughout most of the year here. Those wait times have to be cut or people will refuse to use the system. Drop off and pick up points are often far from the ultimate start and destination points for many commuters. This means they have to walk in the bad weather, with cars spraying waves of water all over them as they speed by. Who wants that?
I take the bus about 6-8 times a year and usually end up walking most of the route to save time rather than standing in wait for a bus. The exercise is great, but from a commuting perspective, it doesn’t cut it. For one trip I go on, I have to leave about two hours before I need to arrive at my destination. In a car, this same trip takes about 15 minutes. Talk about inefficient use of my time. Why would I do that every day? I also have to walk about a half mile after the bus drops me off.
There is also the issue of safety that needs to be addressed. The truth is there are many shady people who hang out at the bus stops and on the buses, especially at the transit station in downtown Olympia. Some bus stops have been taken over by the homeless. The homeless population in Olympia continues to be a major issue that is not being resolved to the satisfaction of our community. I have observed criminal behavior many times in my commutes on the bus. The police are not around and I have not felt safe. Why would anyone choose to take the bus and put themselves in danger? I feel sorry for those who must rely on our bus system as their sole source of transportation.
So, if you want to take parking away from the housing system, fix the transit system and the associated problems first. There are examples all around the world where it works, but we are far from it here.
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