Section 1.3: Strategic Plan Development

Metro developed this Strategic Plan to define how Metro will achieve its vision and meet the challenges and pursue the opportunities ahead. Metro’s plan builds on the foundation of King County’s mission, vision, guiding principles (see sidebar), and goals. These were adopted in 2010 and updated in 2015 and 2021. Metro’s plan defines specific goals, objectives, and strategies for meeting the County’s mobility goal: Deliver a seamless, reliable network of transportation options to get people where they need to go, when they need to get there.

Guiding principles from the King County Strategic Plan

 Equitable and fair: Address the root causes of inequities to provide for equal access to opportunities for all.  Financially sustainable: Align funding, policy, and operational goals of King County government.  Regionally collaborative: Engage with partners, stakeholders, and public and private organizations to achieve goals.  Quality local government: Provide effective, efficient local governance and services to unincorporated areas.

This plan also responds to the recommendations of Metro’s Equity Cabinet and two important task forces: Equity Cabinet. In 2019, King County Council Motion 15253 directed Metro to develop a framework for the equitable and sustainable implementation of mobility. In 2019, Metro engaged with an Equity Cabinet, a group of 23 community leaders representing priority populations and riders countywide, to co-create the “Mobility Framework”, as shown in Figure 8. The Mobility Framework included guiding principles and recommendations. Engagement with community advocates, elected officials, jurisdictions, employers, and other regional partners also informed its development. The King County Council adopted a summary of the Mobility Framework’s recommendations in March 2020, which indicated that Metro would update its policies to align with the Mobility Framework. The 2021 update to Metro’s Strategic Plan for Public Transportation incorporates the Mobility Framework’s recommendations and guiding principles. The sentiment of the 10 guiding principles become the new goal areas, and the recommendations are included as relevant strategies. Metro engaged the Equity Cabinet, Regional Transit Committee, Metro Connects Technical Advisory Committee (jurisdictional staff), King County Council Mobility and Environment Committee, and others as it updated its Strategic Plan, Service Guidelines, and Metro Connects.