>>>
>>> ALL
>>> ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE. IT IS 7:14.
KIND OF MAKES YOU WANT TO GET
UP AND GO SOMEWHERE, DOESN'T
IT?
IT?
IT? WHEN
IT? WHEN YOU HEAR THIS SONG?
>> A LITTLE BIT, OR FALL
ASLEEP.
ASLEEP.
ASLEEP. >>> IT IS ALL OF THE JOY OF
EXPERIENCING KING COUNTY'S BEST
TRAILS WITH NONE OF THE HASSLE
OF FINDING A PARKING SPOT.
TRAILHEAD DIRECT HAS BEEN A
HUGE SUCCESS.
HUGE SUCCESS. >> WE HAVE GOT CONSTANTINE, THE
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE LIVE IN
STUDIO TO TALK ABOUT THIS
PROGRAM AND THE FUTURE.
THANK YOU FOR HANGING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> COFFEE GUY, AND IF SO, WHAT
IS YOUR FIBER OF CHOICE?
>> COFFEE, BLACK.
>> I'M JUST WATER.
WHAT IS YOURS?
>> COFFEE, BLACK.
>> WHAT IS THIS PROGRAM?
>> METRO TRANSIT AND KING
COUNTY PARKS GOT TOGETHER AND
CREATED A PROGRAM THAT WOULD
LET PEOPLE GET OUT TO OUR
WILDERNESS WITHOUT HAVING TO
BRING A CAR.
AND IT IS CALLED TRAILHEAD
DIRECT.
DIRECT.
DIRECT. WE TESTED IT OUT THE LAST TWO
YEARS WITH BIG SUCCESS.
WHAT IT MEANS IS IF YOU DO NOT
HAVE A CAR OR YOU DO NOT WANT
TO BRING YOUR CAR WITH YOU, YOU
CAN STILL GET TO PLACES LIKE
COUGAR MOUNTAIN, MAILBOX BE,
AND HAVE A GREAT HIKE AND REAL
WILDERNESS AND BE BACK IN TIME
FOR DINNER.
FOR DINNER. >> HOW DOES IT ALL WORKS?
>> SO, YOU CAN PICK UP THE
SHUTTLE AT ANY OF FOUR LIGHT
RAIL STATIONS.
RAIL STATIONS. ALL THE WAY TO WILLOW.
YOU CAN MAKE TRANSFERS AT
TRANSFER SITES IN ISSAQUAH
NORTH BEND AND CROSSROADS SO
YOU CAN REACH THE ENTIRE
NETWORK.
NETWORK.
NETWORK. THAT WILL TAKE UP TO THE
MOUNTAINS AND THE EXCITING
THING ABOUT IT IS, FOR FOLKS
WHO CANNOT AFFORD A CAR, OR FOR
THOSE WHO CHOOSE NOT TO HAVE A
CAR, MANY PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING
NOT TO HAVE A CAR, YOU STILL
HAVE ACCESS TO EVERYTHING THIS
REGION HAS TO OFFER.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE OUT THERE
HIKING AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. AND
THIS. AND 17,000 PEOPLE WENT OUT AND
HIKED ON TRAILHEAD DIRECT THIS
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. >>
YEAR. >> I THINK JORDAN STEELE HAS
DONE IT BEFORE.
>> OUR METEOROLOGIST.
SO, DO THEY WAIT AROUND FOR
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? DO
YOU? DO YOU HAVE TO GO ON THE HUNT
FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME?
>> THEY COME BACK AND PICK YOU
UP.
UP.
UP. ON
UP. ON SOME OF THE TRAILS, YOU CAN
EVEN GO UP ONE SIDE OF THE
MOUNTAIN AND BE PICKED UP ON
THE OTHER SIDE.
THERE WAS A 75% INCREASE IN
RIDERSHIP THIS YEAR.
AND ONE OF THE REAL ADVANTAGES
IS THAT WE DO NOT HAVE SO MANY
CARS PARKING AROUND THESE
TRAILHEADS, AND PARKING AND
SAFELY.
SAFELY.
SAFELY. A
SAFELY. A LOT OF TIMES YOU GO OUT THERE
AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY
FROM IT ALL YOU END UP IN A
HUGE SEA OF PARKED CARS.
SO, THIS IS A WAY THAT WE CAN
REALLY ADDRESS A LOT OF
DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND MAKE
OUR WILDERNESS MORE ACCESSIBLE
TO MORE PEOPLE.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT, WHEN YOU
GO TO A TRAILHEAD AND YOU'RE
LIKE, I HAVE TO PARK KIND OF IN
THE DITCH AND KIND OF ON THE
ROAD.
ROAD.
ROAD. I'M
ROAD. I'M JUST WONDERING, WHERE DO
YOU SEE THIS GROWING?
>> THIS IS BEEN A PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE CITY OF SEATTLE,
THANKS TO THE VOTERS WHO
APPROVED THE SEATTLE TRANSIT
MEASURE.
MEASURE.
MEASURE. THAT FUNDING, MUCH OF IT WILL
GO AWAY IF INITIATIVE 976
PASSES NEXT TUESDAY.
BUT, WE HAVE HAD A PARTNERSHIP
WITH SEATTLE AND THEN WITH REI
AND THE FOLKS WHO MAKE CLIFF
BARS TO HELP PROMOTE THE
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
SERVICE. WE NEED TO BUILD IN EVERETT
EVEN BIGGER PARTNERSHIP SO WE
CAN BRING THIS BACK NEXT YEAR,
AND THE YEAR AFTER.
IT IS AVAILABLE ON WEEKENDS AND
HOLIDAYS AND IT IS A GREAT
SERVICE, A REALLY UNIQUE WAY IN
WHICH THIS REGION CAN SHOW IT'S
TRUE COLORS.
TRUE COLORS. >> YOU MENTION IT COULD BE
TENUOUS DEPENDING ON THE
ELECTION, WHAT IS THE COST OF
THIS PROGRAM ANNUALLY RIGHT
NOW?
NOW?
NOW? >>
NOW? >> I
NOW? >> I WAS JUST ASKING OUR FOLKS,
AND I WILL GET YOU THOSE
FIGURES.
FIGURES.
FIGURES. THE COST OF IT IS ACTUALLY
PRETTY REASONABLE COMPARED TO
SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES.
WE ARE LOOKING AT MAKING EVEN
MORE EFFICIENT BY BRINGING FULL-
SIZED BUSES OUT THERE, SO WE
CAN CARRY MORE PEOPLE, WE HAVE
BEEN USING THE SMALLER SHUTTLE
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE
HAVE TESTED OUT BRINGING A 40
FOOT BUS THAT COULD CARRY MORE
PEOPLE AND THAT WOULD WORK ON
MOST OF OUR TRAILHEADS, EXCEPT
MAYBE ONE.
MAYBE ONE. SO THAT WOULD BE AN INNOVATION
FOR NEXT YEAR.
>> A REAL QUICK QUESTION, HOW
CAN PEOPLE LEARN MORE, OR WHERE
DO THEY GO TO SIGN UP?
>> GO TO KANE COUNTY.GOV AND
YOU CAN VISIT THE METRO TRANSIT
WEBSITE OR OUR KING COUNTY
PARKS WEBSITE.
PARKS WEBSITE. AND AGAIN I WANT TO THANK THE
FOLKS AT THE CITY OF SEATTLE,
THEY PAY FOR HALF THE SERVICE
INSIDE THE CITY OF SEATTLE AND
REI AND CLIFF