Seattle offers credits for car-free trips amid bridge closure

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has announced it will offer certain residents up to US$25 in mobility credits to use on public transit, e-scooters, bike-shares, or vanpool fares to cope with the impact of the West Seattle Bridge closure.

The bridge has been closed to cars since March 2020 after cracks were found during a routine inspection, which has forced residents to make a long detour if they’re using a car, or use an adjacent bridge that is open only to pedestrians, cyclists and public transit in order to access other parts of the city.

‘Flip Your Trip West Seattle’ is aimed at helping people who live and work in West Seattle go car-free as travel patterns return to pre-pandemic levels.

“It is our hope that this programme will incentivise people to use different modes of transportation over the Duwamish River that can also support long-term changes in travel patterns, even when the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge reopens [in 2022],” said SDOT Director, Sam Zimbabwe.

“Duwamish valley communities along the detour route have been severely affected by increased traffic and speeding through their neighbourhoods, and we can all do our part together.”

Flip your trip

The US$25 incentive works on King County Metro buses, water taxis, Sound Transit, Seattle Streetcar and all local scooter and bike-share services (Lime, LINK, Spin and Wheels).

Residents can visit FlipYourTrip.org to sign up for the programme, which also offers trip-planning assistance and special informational events, as well as an opportunity to earn more free rides.

Increasing services

Earlier this month, SDOT announced it would provide funding for King County to increase water taxi services in West Seattle, and continue sailing seven days a week through winter.

From 2 October, King County Metro will also increase bus services on West Seattle Routes.

“We know how difficult the West Seattle Bridge closure has been, and we want to do what we can to support people making travel choices that help to reduce congestion,” said SDOT’s West Seattle Bridge Program Director, Heather Marx.

“Every trip someone takes riding a bus, biking, walking or rolling means one less car on the road.”

The bridge is on track to reopen in mid-2022, with repairs expected to start in October.

Image: SDOT