Neighbors celebrate installation of portable toilet at Aurora Village Transit Center

Echo Lake neighbors and members of the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association applaud the installation of an accessible, portable toilet at the Aurora Village Transit Center. Pat Deagen, project leader, is center with this arm raised. Photo by Claudia Meadows

Metro Transit oversaw the installation of an accessible, portable toilet at Aurora Village Transit Center, located on N 200th across from Echo Lake Park, on Monday December 11, 2023.

Travelers move through the center 24 hours a day. Many of these travelers transfer to and from Community Transit buses and others travel to Edmonds, or to Bothell Way and Lake Forest Park. Some have 20 minute layovers between buses. When the Lynnwood Link transit centers open in Mountlake Terrace and 185th, there will be even more riders.

Prior to Monday, there were no rest room facilities at the transit center. The nearby Portland Loo in Echo Lake Park was overwhelmed, requiring constant volunteer supervision and support from Shoreline city staff.

Just about everyone believes that restrooms in busy public places are a good idea, but it is not so easy to make them safe, clean and accessible.

With the assistance of County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association and project leader Pat Deagan called the issues with the transit center to the attention of a Metro spokesperson.

The residential neighborhood had asked for change from their transit station neighbor. With funding and support from Councilmember Dembowski, Metro repainted the station, improved regular cleaning, and is enforcing healthy riding rules on the bus and at the bus shelters with a security force on duty 24 hours.    

King County Metro has now made transit safer and healthier for riders and neighbors of the Aurora Village Transit Center. 

To accomplish this, Metro listened to and cooperated with the City of Shoreline, Echo Lake Neighborhood Association, and The Community Stakeholders of Aurora Village Transit Center, which is headed by volunteer Patrick Deagen. 

Thank you to all of the people at King County Metro for providing this necessary and important transit service.

--Claudia Meadows and Pat Deagen