Challenges and Opportunities

A Sustainable Network

Metro and its partner transportation providers play a key role in confronting the climate crisis. By reducing vehicle miles traveled by fossil fuel-burning single-occupant vehicles, they help King County move toward its climate goals.23 Metro Connects envisions a 15 to 20 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled and 1.9 million GHG emissions reduced annually by 2050. Metro pursues a combination of strategies to achieve the countywide climate goals. Compact, mixed land use, combined with frequent, high-capacity transit, and equitable vehicle usage pricing policies are important contributors to reducing transportation emissions. 24 Knowing this, Metro works with local jurisdictions to encourage dense, mixed-use, affordable land use near transit. Metro and its partners support communities in preparing for and developing resilience to climate impacts. Metro operations are committed to addressing climate change by moving toward a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035, pursuing the transition of its other fleets to zero emission, reducing energy use and emissions from Metro facilities, and building green and equitable infrastructure. By building a sustainable network, Metro addresses climate change, improves public health, and supports livable communities.

A Safe Network

The safety of Metro’s customers and employees remains top priority. Metro makes sure passengers and employees are physically and emotionally safe as they use its services and the places where they access transit. Metro’s safety measures range from prevention of accidents to response to incidents on buses to preparation for unforeseen emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. Metro also works with stakeholders to ensure its security and enforcement systems are equitable and anti-racist. It coordinates with others to respond to emergencies effectively and nimbly. By building the safest system possible—in an equitable way— Metro continues to attract employees and customers.

Challenges and Opportunities

This Strategic Plan responds to significant regional changes, including more population growth and diversity, displacement of low-income households, a worsening climate crisis, new mobility services, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need for new funding sources.

23 King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan goal is to reduce countywide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 (compared to 2007). Specifically, 20 percent reduction in light-duty vehicle miles traveled by 2030, and 28 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled by 2050, in alignment with Washington state goals (RCW 47.01.440). 24 Ewing et al., Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Urban Land Institute, 2008.