Op-Ed: It’s time for the Stride S3 bus line to stride ahead
Saturday, March 22, 2025
He found a place in Woodinville where he could live comfortably with his wheelchair and receive the medical care he needed.
Whenever the family did things together, I would first have to drive 20 minutes alone to Woodinville, help him into his wheelchair accessible van, and drive him 20 minutes back to meet the rest of the family. No one would call it ideal.
The planned Stride S3 bus rapid transit line on State Route 522 would have connected our family and given him access to everything Puget Sound has to offer. He and his wheelchair could roll onto the bus in Woodinville — no lift or driver assistance needed — then roll off again at Town Center or a light rail station, and go anywhere he might please.
I’m troubled to see another round of threatened lawsuits aiming to halt construction of the Stride S3 project. Like many in Lake Forest Park, I’m eager to see that project completed. When it’s done, it will let people switch from sitting in traffic to riding in a clean, quiet, efficient bus. That will improve our lives and our air whether we ride the rapid bus or drive, walk, or bike next to it.
This rapid bus will create opportunities for many of us. For some it’ll mean a quicker commute and more time for family, hobbies, and community. For others it means an easy ride to the airport, or just to the breweries in Kenmore. But especially for people who don’t drive, due to age (young or old), disability, or disinclination, it will open up the world.
Now, my father died several years ago and won’t be able to enjoy the freedom offered by the S3 line, but when people in Lake Forest Park — even city council members — threaten lawsuits unless the project is delayed for years, I think of my father and what he missed, and all the other people waiting patiently for this bus to be available.
I think about my children, too, and whether they will be able to fully enjoy it. One is nearly a teenager, and the S3 line would let him and his friends quickly ride to the movie theater in Woodinville, or catch concerts in Seattle. Well before he can get a license, let alone my permission to drive, he could be out having independent adventures that every teenager deserves.
And I think about my many neighbors who joined a coalition demanding a rapid bus on 522 as part of 2016’s ST 3 vote, and the 60% of Lake Forest Park residents who backed that ballot measure. They did so in part with the promise of a rapid bus and a park and ride garage right here, and I fear that the council’s actions have delayed and disrupted that promise, all to satisfy a small but vocal minority in the community.
It’s time for Stride S3 to move ahead. People with experience riding existing buses on 522 have given feedback to Sound Transit on important decisions that will be resolved soon, as will detail on how pedestrians will move across and alongside the rebuilt road. None of those decisions need to be dragged out.
I’m troubled to see another round of threatened lawsuits aiming to halt construction of the Stride S3 project. Like many in Lake Forest Park, I’m eager to see that project completed. When it’s done, it will let people switch from sitting in traffic to riding in a clean, quiet, efficient bus. That will improve our lives and our air whether we ride the rapid bus or drive, walk, or bike next to it.
This rapid bus will create opportunities for many of us. For some it’ll mean a quicker commute and more time for family, hobbies, and community. For others it means an easy ride to the airport, or just to the breweries in Kenmore. But especially for people who don’t drive, due to age (young or old), disability, or disinclination, it will open up the world.
Now, my father died several years ago and won’t be able to enjoy the freedom offered by the S3 line, but when people in Lake Forest Park — even city council members — threaten lawsuits unless the project is delayed for years, I think of my father and what he missed, and all the other people waiting patiently for this bus to be available.
I think about my children, too, and whether they will be able to fully enjoy it. One is nearly a teenager, and the S3 line would let him and his friends quickly ride to the movie theater in Woodinville, or catch concerts in Seattle. Well before he can get a license, let alone my permission to drive, he could be out having independent adventures that every teenager deserves.
And I think about my many neighbors who joined a coalition demanding a rapid bus on 522 as part of 2016’s ST 3 vote, and the 60% of Lake Forest Park residents who backed that ballot measure. They did so in part with the promise of a rapid bus and a park and ride garage right here, and I fear that the council’s actions have delayed and disrupted that promise, all to satisfy a small but vocal minority in the community.
It’s time for Stride S3 to move ahead. People with experience riding existing buses on 522 have given feedback to Sound Transit on important decisions that will be resolved soon, as will detail on how pedestrians will move across and alongside the rebuilt road. None of those decisions need to be dragged out.
For grandparents and grandkids, commuters and the community, I urge Sound Transit to keep to the schedule which would bring this needed service to the region that demanded it and voted for it so many years ago. If you agree, please sign the petition at lfp4brt.org
- Josh Rosenau is a resident of Lake Forest Park, where he and his wife live with their three children.
- Josh Rosenau is a resident of Lake Forest Park, where he and his wife live with their three children.
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5 comments:
And it brings sidewalks. Many of the people who live along and off of 522 do not have safe access to FULL sidewalks. There are electrical poles in the way, missing sections, and very narrow sidewalks considering how fast these cars are going. Kids are getting off the bus and practically walking in traffic.
I agree! we need to be thinking of our elderly. Woodinville is very hard to get around in. We need more sidewalks, and safe places to walk.
Right on! It's already been voted up, time to make it happen. Give people a choice in how to get around.
Elderly and handicapped people don’t have to wait years for expensive bus rapid transit. The 522 bus currently runs from Woodinville to the light rail and supports wheelchair bound riders. It may take a few minutes more than when the project is completed but seniors (like me) generally don’t mind. Those not near a 522 bus stop should also know that Metro Flex (https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/travel-options/metro-flex) provides a great micro-transit option if you’re in the covered areas. It’s a shame that Sound Transit, with its billions in funding, is only designing fixed-route transit without helping to expand these newer micro-transit offerings that are so appealing to seniors who don’t commute to the same work location each day.
Elderly and handicapped people don’t have to wait years for expensive bus rapid transit. The 522 bus currently runs from Woodinville to the light rail and supports wheelchair bound riders. It may take a few minutes more than when the project is completed but seniors (like me) generally don’t mind.
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