15th Ave W and Elliott Ave W Bus Only Lane

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Updated August 28, 2023

Improving transit reliability and travel times 

Project overview

We're working with King County Metro to improve transit reliability on 15th Ave W and Elliott Ave W. These streets connect dense neighborhoods including Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Ballard. They are also an important freight and transit corridor and provide frequent bus service to King County Metro routes 24, 32, 33, and the RapidRide D line.

The curb lane on Elliott Ave W and 15th Ave W (generally from W Mercer Pl/W Roy St to south of the Ballard Bridge) operates as a bus lane during certain hours of the day. Prior to implementing this project, these times varied depending on location of the street (see this map). The curb lanes are used for on-street parking and loading when they’re not restricted to buses only. 

We extended the hours of the bus only restrictions to 7 - 9 AM and 3 - 7 PM in both the northbound and southbound directions. The project did not add new bus only restrictions in areas where they didn't previously exist. The project also did not change the bus only restrictions on Elliott Ave W further south of W Roy St and W Mercer Pl.

This change will help improve bus reliability and travel times and create more consistency on the street. The change also supports the City's climate goals by expanding our network of transit lanes. We also installed signal upgrades at 15th Ave W and W Dravus St to prioritize buses and keep other traffic moving efficiently.

Many people ride the bus on Elliott Ave W and 15th Ave W both before and throughout the pandemic. Before the pandemic, an average of 23,747 people rode the bus through this area each weekday. In 2022, an average of 11,353 people ride the bus through this area each weekday. We identified this project to improve transit reliability and travel time where people use transit most. Investments now will continue to make transit a reliable and efficient option for people who rely on the bus.     

Image of the curb lane 15th Ave W (summer 2022, prior to this project)

Evaluating alternatives and outreach  

In 2021, we began evaluating options to change the bus only restrictions to 24 hours a day. In December 2021, we completed a parking use study of the project area. The study helped us understand how people are using parking and loading zones on Elliott Ave W and 15th Ave W. There are an estimated 464 on-street parking spaces in this area. These spaces are located on the street and side streets. These parking spaces were most occupied in the early afternoon with 180 spaces (about 39%) in use. We found that half of the loading activity took place on side streets. Based on the data in the study, there is adequate parking and loading access for people living, working, and visiting in the project area.

In early 2022, we did outreach to the businesses and residential buildings identified in the parking study to understand their access and parking needs. Based on what we heard, we shifted from considering 24-hour bus only restrictions to only expanding the bus only restrictions to 7 - 9 AM and 3 - 7 PM.

In fall 2022, we conducted additional outreach to better understand the needs of the people who travel, live, and work on Elliott Ave W and 15th Ave W. We hosted 2 surveys for over 3 weeks and received over 450 responses. Through that outreach, we heard: 

• People rely on the bus and expanding the hours of the bus only restrictions will better serve many people. More frequent and reliable bus service is still needed. 
• Safety is a top priority. Speeding vehicles, and the lack of crosswalks and sidewalks for people walking and rolling are key concerns.  
• There are concerns about reduced availability of on-street parking and loading access with expanding the bus only restrictions.

Based on what we heard through this outreach, we added additional loading zones in the project area to help accomodate the needs of businesses. In doing so, we are able to improve transit reliability and meet the loading access needs for businesses and residents on the corridor. If you would like to request a loading zone in the future, you can contact (206) 684-7623 or visit our webpage. 

Benefits

• More consistent and reliable transit trips for people taking the bus
• Travel time savings for people riding the bus during peak morning and evening commute hours (up to 10% time savings)
• Improve the transit network in this area to better serve those who rely on transit now and those who will rely on transit in the future. We expect the demand for reliable transit service to continue to grow with future developments and the expansion of light rail service in this area.
• Contribute to City's climate goals of expanding our network of transit lanes. 

WHEN BUS-ONLY HOURS ARE IN EFFECT: Typical section of Elliott Ave W / 15th Ave W

WHEN BUS-ONLY HOURS ARE NOT IN EFFECT: Typical section of Elliott Ave W / 15th Ave W

Bus-only lanes quick facts:

• Bus-only lanes are travel lanes that are restricted to public transportation buses. Public transportation buses are vehicles that any member of the public can board and use. This does not include school buses, vanpools, work shuttles, motorcycles, carpools, or charter buses.
• People biking are allowed to use bus-only lanes. Emergency vehicles are allowed to use bus-only lanes too.
• Some bus-only lanes are restricted to buses 24 hours a day, while other bus-only lanes are only restricted to buses at certain times. Signs and markings on the street state the bus-only hour restrictions. Signs and markings also state if/when bus-only lanes can be used by other vehicles, including for parking.
• Most bus-only lanes allow people driving other vehicles to enter the lane to make turns at intersections or to turn into driveways.