Last night at the Ballard District Council Meeting, King County Metro Transportation Planner Paul Roybal talked about one of the subjects most likely to incite cynicism in Ballardites: RapidRide D.

RapidRide D, which was implemented in September of 2012, has become the new normal for Ballardites wishing to commute downtown. Whether they like it or not, that's a different story. (We've heard opinions on both sides.)

Roybal said that ridership on the D has increased by 19 percent since it's inception in September. This brings them right on target for their goal of having a 50 percent increase in ridership over five years, he said.

He also noted that they have been getting better at controlling "bus bunching," where because of congestion two buses will arrive at the same time.

“Those occur from time to time due to traffic conditions or events," Roybal said. “We’re doing a better job of controlling the spacing of the buses by better communication with the bus drivers."

Residents brought up that the route through lower Queen Anne -- and through the event-riddled Seattle Center -- could be a possible reason for congestion.

“That’s some of it, certainly,” Roybal admitted, but added that the Lower Queen Anne route didn't necessarily account for most of the problems. “The D Line is connected to the C line and the two result in a very, very long route. … there’s a lot of opportunity for congestion along that route.”

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