It's been a while but I can't stay quiet any longer. The reason? There's a report out today with a couple dozen recommendations to improve Metro Transit.
The biggest deal is calling for a Metro -- which serves the 1.9 million people of King County -- to design its service around where people live and work rather than outmoded political compromises. Currently 80 percent of new service is divided among south and east King County, with the remainder going to Seattle, which has more demand and transit-oriented development.
The report was produced by a citizen committee organized by the Municipal League. (Yes, I'm biased since I'm League chair.) It's just in time, too, because Metro needs more funding in order to meet soaring demand. Most of the debate over transit around Seattle has been about light rail, streetcars and ferries. We also should get a better return on investment from our main existing transit service.
Much of the stuff in the report should be obvious: Metro needs more transparency about route performance, costs and accountability. Hopefully shining a light on the agency and calling for the basics will help.