We recently discovered that those who catch the “free” shuttle at the Olympia Farmers Market are being forced to pay $1.50 per hour for parking. Park & Ride commuters at Intercity Transit’s lot at Martin Way and College Street don’t have to pay to park, so why should Dash users.
Forcing people to pay for parking – in a lot that otherwise sits totally empty from January to April – makes absolutely no sense. If community leaders are looking for a way to kill the Dash shuttle, surely forcing riders to pay for parking is the way to do it.
The Dash shuttle is a terrific idea. It was launched as a joint effort of state and city officials, downtown business owners and Intercity Transit, the regional transportation agency.
The route runs from the Farmers Market at the foot of Capital Way to the state Capitol Campus. The shuttle, which is served by brightly colored buses like nothing else in Intercity Transit’s fleet, has multiple goals.
First, the shuttle provides a reliable and frequent bus link between the campus and the downtown business district.
Capitol Campus workers and visitors can hop on board one of the buses and within a matter of minutes be downtown with its lengthy list of restaurants and shops. Riders don’t have to search for a parking spot or deal with the City of Olympia’s pesky parking pay stations that are loathed by many.
The shuttle is free, convenient and offers riders a quick means of getting to and from lunch.
That’s why merchants love it. It brings hundreds of people to the downtown business district daily – customers who buy lunch, pick up a new pair of shoes or a gift for a co-worker. When the shuttle runs, downtown cash registers are ringing.
The shuttle also takes parking pressure off the South Capital neighborhood.
Over the years there have been legendary battles between the city’s parking enforcement officers, residents, lobbyists and legislators over use of city streets for those with business on the campus.
Residents, many of whom park on the streets in front of their homes, say all the parking slots are used up by lobbyists and other campus visitors who chain park in the neighborhood. Residents put pressure on parking enforcement to ticket violators who in turn raise a stink with lawmakers about having to pay fines just to keep a meeting with their elected officials.
One of the goals of the shuttle – which runs every 12 to 15 minutes from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. weekdays during the session – was to encourage visitors to get out of the neighborhood and ride the shuttle for free.
Despite its popularity, the Dash is frequently mentioned for elimination from IT’s budget. Ridership simply doesn’t match the rest of Intercity Transit’s routes.
During the session, an average of 550 passengers board the Dash shuttle daily. Off-session, the number drops to 368.
Average ridership on the shuttle is 14.8 passengers per hour during the legislative session, 10.5 passengers per hour off-session. Intercity’s average, however, is 23 passengers per route per hour, so Dash is on the low end.
But there’s a charge to park at the Farmers Market. In the green-striped area designated for Dash riders, the first two hours are free, but everything thereafter is $1.50 an hour. The fee applies even in January, February and March, when the Legislature is in session but the market is closed.
That’s nonsense and a disincentive to Dash riders. They can park for free in the neighborhood and take their chances of not getting a ticket. The parking fee defeats the whole idea of a “free” Dash shuttle.
And here’s the clincher: The Market Association that operates the parking lot doesn’t enforce the parking fee. It’s on an honor system. It makes no sense to have a parking fee in the first place, and it’s equally senseless to have a parking fee that’s not enforced.
The Port of Olympia, Rants Group, Anthonys and the Farmers Market make up the Market Association. Collectively they should abandon the parking fee immediately. The lot has no good use when the market is shuttered, but it’s a big incentive for Dash riders who want the shuttle to live up to its billing as a “free” service to the public.
