New Golden Gardens bus links Ballard to tricky-to-reach Seattle beach
The city of Seattle and King County Metro are testing out a new, summertime-only bus route to help people better reach Golden Gardens Park without a car.
Golden Gardens Direct will begin service Saturday and run daily from Market Street every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the pilot program ends Aug. 30. A trip on the bus will cost $3. People 18 and under ride for free.
Golden Gardens is one of Seattle's most popular parks, especially in the summer with its beachfront, but it's notoriously difficult to get to, with or without a car.
Traffic jams clog its parking lots and the streets leading to the Ballard neighborhood park, and no bus connects directly to it. Metro routes 40 and 45 get passengers close, but leave people with a substantial walk before reaching the beach.
City, county and transportation officials planned to announce specifics about the route Monday, and in a statement described the shuttle connecting the park to Ballard as a way to improve access for all while reducing traffic congestion and parking demand during the summer.
The service joins other bus-to-park routes in the region.
Metro's Trailhead Direct heads to hikes on the Eastside - on Mount Si and in the Issaquah Alps - weekends and holidays through Aug. 30. The seasonal shuttle officially launched in 2017, and this year's service began last month. Metro's standard fares apply.
Another park connector is the Discovery Park shuttle, operated by Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council, the nonprofit partner of Parks that provides childcare services, among others.
The free shuttle runs every 30 minutes, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays through Sept. 5. It loops between the parking lots and the beach in the 560-acre Discovery Park, a sprawling natural area in the Magnolia neighborhood and the city's largest park. Parking is limited, but Metro Route 24 has stops near the south and east lots, and Route 33 stops at the north and east lots. The beach is about 1.5 miles from the parking lots.
The shuttle to Golden Gardens follows a city decision earlier this year to hire private security for overnight patrols to deter illegal activity at the park.
The private security guards, hired through a pilot program for the summer, will be on-site from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Sunday until Sept. 30. If unwanted activity occurs, the guards will call in Seattle police.
A 35-year-old man was shot and seriously injured at Golden Gardens last summer, and the park has been a concern of nearby residents and city officials for years.
Last year, the city permanently changed the park's closing time - from 11:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. - in part to help squelch late-night boom parties, where people play loud music.
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