In Seattle, a new seasonal bus route is being launched to help people reach the popular Golden Gardens park without a personal car. The Golden Gardens Direct route will begin operating on Saturday and run every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through August 30. The ride costs $3, and it’s free for passengers under 19 years old. City and county officials hope the change will reduce traffic congestion and ease the shortage of parking spaces.
Golden Gardens is one of Seattle’s most popular parks, especially in summer, thanks to its beach—but getting there has always been difficult: the roads are overloaded, and there has been no direct bus. The closest routes (routes 40 and 45) leave passengers far from the water. The new shuttle will connect the park with Market Street in the Ballard neighborhood—an area chosen for a reason. Ballard was once a separate city, and today it is one of Seattle’s most densely populated and bustling neighborhoods, known for its Scandinavian culture (home to the National Nordic Museum) and its many restaurants, breweries, and shops. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks run through the area, connecting Lake Washington to Puget Sound, making it an important transportation hub. Launching the shuttle from here helps relieve the roads and gives local residents and tourists convenient access to the beach—particularly crowded in summer.
Because of the lack of parking and traffic, many people are already using alternative options. On weekends and holidays, Trailhead Direct operates, taking hikers to the trailheads on the Eastside through the end of August. The Eastside is a collective name for the cities and suburbs east of Lake Washington: Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Issaquah. The region is known as a major technology hub: it is home to the headquarters of Microsoft and T-Mobile, and it’s considered more suburban and family-oriented than downtown Seattle. Eastside residents actively use Trailhead Direct to get to the outdoors. Another example is a free shuttle to Discovery Park, which runs on Saturdays between parking lots and the beach. These steps help ease road congestion and make nature more accessible to people without cars.
Safety concerns are also still in focus: this summer, the city hired private security guards to patrol the park at night (from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursday through Sunday). The decision was made after an incident last summer when a man was shot in the park, as well as due to complaints about loud evening parties. Officials have already changed the park’s closing time to 10:30 p.m. to reduce levels of disturbance.
Based on: No car? Need a beach day? New Golden Gardens bus may be the answer - The Seattle Times