Drafter

Clerk 04/18/2017

Title

A MOTION relating to public transportation; requesting a briefing on extra late-night public transportation service on the Fourth of July 2017; and similar extra late-night public transportation service on New Year's Eve 2017 and New Year's Day 2018, including evaluation of free fares and potential partnerships.

Body

                     WHEREAS, the Fourth of July, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are holidays featuring fireworks displays and midnight celebrations which, by their very nature, result in large public gatherings in the late evening and early morning, and

                     WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies encourage celebrants to behave responsibly and provide increased enforcement of impaired driving statutes in support of the state's Target Zero initiative to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries, including those caused by impaired driving, and

                     WHEREAS, despite these efforts, the Washington State Patrol reports twenty-four driving under the influence ("DUI") arrests in King County during the period December 31, 2016, through January 3, 2017, and thirty-two arrests for DUI December 31, 2015, through January 3, 2016; with two hundred fifteen arrests for DUI in a five-day period for the Fourth of July in 2015 and two hundred twenty-three arrests for DUI in a five-day period for the Fourth of July in 2016, and

                     WHEREAS, bus service to and from these gatherings is a means of assuring safe transportation for more attendees, and

                     WHEREAS, transit agencies in Chicago, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orange County (California), Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, San Jose and Vancouver (British Columbia) are among those providing free transit service on New Year's Eve and early morning of New Year's Day;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     A.  Because of the benefits to public safety and personal mobility, King County Metro should explore options for providing significantly increased late-night service on the Fourth of July and the evening of New Year's Eve and the early morning of New Year's Day, and free fares for some portion of New Year's Eve and the early morning of New Year's Day.  King County Metro should explore partnerships to fund, promote and sustain the free late-night service.  King County Metro should also encourage other transit agencies in the central Puget Sound region to provide free late-night service on New Year's Eve and the early morning of New Year's Day.

                     B.  The executive is requested to prepare and present, at a briefing before the transportation, economy and environment committee, the potential option for implementing significantly increased Metro late-night bus service on the Fourth of July 2017.  The executive is also requested to prepare and present at that briefing work done by Metro on developing similarly increased service on New Year's Eve and early morning on New Year's Day and the potential of offering free fares during this service.  The briefing should take place by May 31, 2017.  The briefing on the Fourth of July and New Year's potential service options should include but not be limited to:

                        1.  Analysis and a recommendation on options to extend service hours for the Fourth of July on high ridership bus routes in the Metro service network, including the methodology used to identify appropriate service levels,  routes, duration and provision of service throughout the county;

                       2.  A summary of other transit agencies' provision of free late-night service on New Year's Eve and other holidays, including information on these agencies' service, costs, and partnerships with public agencies and private firms;

                       3.  Analysis of costs, potential funding sources and administrative or operational considerations that could affect the provision of free late-night service on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day;

                       4.  Evaluation of options to coordinate with Sound Transit and other transit agencies, law enforcement agencies, and other public sector agencies on planning, communications, and staff support;

                       5.  Evaluation of the potential for partnerships with private firms or public agencies to support the provision of free fares; and

                       6.  A description of how development of the analysis and recommendation described in section B.1. of this motion took into account geographic diversity throughout the county.