PORT ANGELES — Voting on a proposal for major changes to Clallam Transit System bus routes and service was delayed until Feb. 18 after connectivity problems left the board without a quorum.
The board had planned to vote Wednesday on the service changes following a public hearing, but at least one member lost a remote connection, preventing the board from taking action. A planned vote on 2026 board officer elections was postponed to February for the same reason.
The route changes are a part of a long-term plan based on a 2021 comprehensive operations analysis.
“The changes are intended to improve efficiency, reliability and access to public transportation throughout the transit system,” operations manager Taron Lee said.
The proposal calls for the addition of two new pilot routes and a redesign of in-town routes in Port Angeles.
One pilot route, the Lower Elwha route, would operate along the U.S. Highway 101 corridor between Port Angeles and Laird’s Corner. The second pilot route, the Deer Park route, would serve west Port Angeles along Highway 101 and alternate service times with an existing route to expand coverage.
The plan would shift most routes from loop-based service to linear routes, allowing buses to travel the same streets inbound and outbound instead of making a circle.
“With these linear routes, people won’t have to travel a loop to get where they’re going,” Clallam Transit general manager Jason McNickle said. “They can catch the bus on the way back on the same route and make transit a more useful option.”
The ultimate goal is to increase ridership, Lee said.
“By making routes more direct, reliable and easier to understand, we want transit to be a more useful option for more people,” he said.
A public hearing was held on the proposed changes, with one person testifying remotely to raise concerns that microtransit arrival estimates in Sequim are sometimes shorter than actual travel times.
The proposed route changes were shaped by months of public outreach, including three public workshops held in September at the Gateway Transit Center in Port Angeles, the Forks Transit Center and the Sequim Transit Center.
Information about the service changes and individual routes can be found at tinyurl.com/4tuvb2uy.
An interactive map of the changes can be found at tinyurl.com/25wn4suv.
Lee said ridership continues to increase across services, with fixed-route ridership up just over 6 percent in December and overall transit ridership rising more than 13 percent compared with the same month last year. Microtransit ridership showed especially strong growth, with Sequim ridership up about 55 percent and Forks ridership increasing more than 73 percent.
Advisory committee
The board also discussed a proposal to create a five- to seven-member citizen advisory committee representing diverse geographic and community interests, including rural and tribal areas. The group would meet quarterly and serve in an advisory role to the board and transit management.
At its Oct. 29 meeting, the board expressed interest in creating a community advisory committee for an 18-month trial period.
“The idea is to create an advisory group that can provide community input on transportation matters, advocate for transit choices and help support the agency’s mission and goals,” McNickle said.
Rick Burton, a bus driver and board member, questioned why the Port Angeles Police Department resource officer — whose salary is partly funded by Clallam Transit — has not maintained a consistent presence at the Gateway Transit Center.
“I just think it’s a waste of money that we’re paying for an officer that’s rarely there,” Burton said. “I think our money would be better served paying for security services so we know someone is on site.”
Board member and Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter said police staffing shortages have limited officer availability, but a designated downtown resource officer has recently been assigned and is expected to be on duty.
“We just haven’t had enough officers to cover that position consistently,” Dexter said.
In her report, finance manager Cherie Huxtable said sales tax revenue — which came in about 18.5 percent over budget for the month — was driven in part by newly taxable software and information technology services. About 80 percent of the system’s budget comes from sales tax.
Meanwhile, Cindylee Mempa was recognized as employee of the quarter.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
