Crossposted from  Inside Transportation 

by Harold S. Taniguchi
Director, King County Dept. of Transportation 

Executive Constantine announced this week that he is working with the County Council to make a big change: In early 2019, Metro Transit will become a stand-alone County department, no longer part of the Department of Transportation. 

This change makes sense. Public transportation is a top priority for the Executive and our region. Population and job growth mean that Metro must provide more and better travel options for all who live and work here—and Metro has a long-range plan for doing just that. 

By becoming a department, Metro will be in a better position to partner with other agencies, to deliver the large increases in service and the investments in facilities and vehicles that will be needed, and to grow and support its top-notch workforce. Building upon the strength of General Manager Rob Gannon’s leadership, and the momentum of the division, now is simply a good time for this reorganization. 

Read more at Inside Transportation

Two new roundtrips have been added for the Sounder between Seattle-Lakewood, bringing the total number of roundtrips in South King and Pierce Counties up to 13 per weekday. During peak hours, Sounder trains will arrive as often as every 20 minutes. View the full Sounder Lakewood-Seattle schedule here.

A new transit discount program offered by Uber aimed at people living in Rainier Valley and South King County will allow for employees to get a $3.50 discount on all UberX and UberPOOL trips to and from qualifying light rail stations.  To see participating light rail stations and full instructions to set up the discount in the Uber app, please click here.

A new temporary park-and-ride lot has been opened in south Bellevue. The new lot located at 1624 Bellevue Way SE, provides parking for up to fifty vehicles and includes four signed 15-minue parking spaces designated for pickup and drop-off. The lot is served by routes 249, 550, and 555/556.

As a reminder, Metro’s fall service revisions began September 23. As always, ID/ORCA cards are good for full fare on Sounder trains and Metro buses. For more information about employee transit options visit www.kingcounty.gov/ETP.

Crossposted from Public Health Insider 

Whenever I think about emergency preparedness, it sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money. When money is tight, it’s hard to make emergency preparedness a priority. Since it is National Preparedness Month, I decided to find ways to help save money while preparing for an emergency. Here are a few tips to make emergency preparedness kit less expensive. 

Tip #1: Start with Things at Home In my home, I have a lot of stuff. I started building my kit by taking things from my house that I already have, such as flashlights, batteries, bandages, moist towelettes, spare clothes, old blankets, and antiseptics. Small supplies like these can be in a centralized location and, if needed, I can use them in non-emergency situations and replenish the supplies afterwards. 

Read more at Public Health Insider