Bus route changes aimed at WWU service, helping ease ‘food deserts’

Whatcom Transportation Authority is proposing several changes to its routes and schedules, with major adjustments aimed at bus riders who live in the Birchwood neighborhood and eastern Whatcom County — areas with no supermarkets nearby.

Other revisions seek to make routes around Western Washington University more efficient, said Rick Nicholson, WTA’s director of service development.

“Most of the routes serving Western are affected,” Nicholson said Tuesday in an interview, adding that WWU’s main route through campus frequently runs late.

“It’s just taking longer and longer,” he said.

Nicholson said Route 190 will run fewer times per hour, but other routes will be added to serve the campus of 16,000 students.

He said buses will run on almost every street around WWU where there’s service now, but the routes might have new numbers and times.

In addition, there will be later evening service and more service for the growing student population along 32nd Street in the eastern Happy Valley neighborhood.

Solving the ‘food desert’ problem

Another major change involves Route 4, which serves St. Joseph hospital but has comparatively few riders, Nicholson said.

Its route is being redrawn to offer more service through the Sunnyland and Birchwood neighborhoods, and it includes stops in the area of the northside Costco and Fred Meyer stores to address Birchwood residents’ concerns about the lack of access to a supermarket since Albertsons closed in May 2016.

“Since then, we have been aware that the Albertsons closing created what was called a ‘food desert’ in the city,” Nicholson said.

“We’re trying to find a way to boost ridership on that route and meet the community need,” he said.

Similarly, a proposed new route that would link Lynden, Everson, Kendall and Maple Falls attempts to address the lack of access to supermarkets for east county residents. The Dodson’s IGA market at Nugents Corner closed in April 2017.

“This is dependent on the WTA getting a grant,” Nicholson said. “We don’t know if we’ll get (the grant), but we’re hopeful. There’s a lot of sensitivity to the food desert issue.”

Another major change is the elimination of service on a stretch of Samish Way between Governor Road across from Lake Padden Park and Elwood Avenue near the Lincoln Creek Park and Ride.

Nicholson said this section of Samish Way has had low ridership for several years.

Service for that route, No. 533, would continue north and south along Yew Street Road to Lake Padden, he said.

Paratransit service on Samish Way would not be affected, according to the WTA website.

Similarly, Route 525 on Electric Avenue would skip its circle through the Silver Beach neighborhood and instead go to Barkley Village and provide a connection to buses on Woburn Street.

How to comment

In all, the affected routes are 1, 4, 5, 11, 15, 24, 26, 50, 65, 75, 80X, 92, 108, 190, 525, and 533, according to information about the changes posted at WTA’s website.

WTA has set three public meetings to discuss bus service changes, slated to take effect in June 2019, said Maureen McCarthy, WTA’s community relations and marketing manager:

▪ 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. October 23, at WWU Viking Union

▪ 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. October 24 at Whatcom Middle School

▪ 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. October 29 at the East Whatcom Resource Center in Kendall

Those who can’t attend the meetings can email comments to customerservice@ridewta.com, leave a message at 360-715-4500, or write to Rick Nicholson, Director of Service Development, 4011 Bakerview Spur, Bellingham, WA 98226.

Nicholson can be reached at 360-788-9311 or rickn@ridewta.com.

Those who need special assistance or materials in an accessible format can contact Amber Curry at 360-788-9315 or amberc@ridewta.com.

Those who need a ride home from a meeting should contact WTA at 360-733-1144 at least two days prior to the meeting they want to attend.

This story was originally published October 21, 2018 at 7:00 AM.