King County Metro will hold a hearing tomorrow evening on a proposal to split bus Route 17 during midday and evening so that it serves both 32nd and Seaview avenues.

Some people are concerned that change is cutting off-peak rider service on 32nd Avenue and all service on but Route 17 at 9 p.m. (See Letter, Page 6).

King County Councilman Larry Phillips says it appears to be "a reasonable proposal" but said he would await comments at the Thursday meeting before making up his mind. He said service on the route was removed after a Tim Eyman initiative that cut back motor vehicle excise taxes.

Metro said the proposal was to "improve service on Seaview Avenue Northwest, which currently has only morning and afternoon peak-hour service from Route 46."

The change would split the midday and evening service at Market and 54th Street and every other Route 17 trip would be on Seaview and would serve each street every 60 minutes during midday and evening "rather than providing service every 30 minutes on 32nd Avenue Northwest only."

Metro said express and local service on 32nd during peak hours would not change on Route 17 and Route 46 would continue to serve Seaview during peak hours.

If the change is approved it would take effect in September.

Earlier this year, a group of Seaview residents sought to get Metro to restore service on their street, but the transit agency said the cost too much and not enough riders had used previous service.

"We are repeatedly told to get out of our cars," said Clay Bean, a resident of Sunset West condominiums on Seaview, at the time. "We cannot routinely use pubic transit when there is no public transit."

Route 86 ran every 30 minutes along Seaview to Golden Gardens and then to downtown Ballard and beyond. The route was cancelled in 2000 after voters approved Initiative 695, which cut the cost of automobile-license tabs and reduced Metro's operating revenue by one third. As a result, Metro cut its poorer performing routes like 86, which averaged only about two riders per hour. Sales tax increases, staff reductions and a fare increase helped Metro recover some of its losses, but it's still not enough to restore all the services that had been cut, sad Hull.

The coalition wanted Metro to use funds from the "Transit Now" initiative that voters approved last fall to increase service on Seaview. But Hull said it makes more sense to add service hours to runs that are already overcrowded, such as routes 15, 18 and 44.

The Metro meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Northwest Senior Center, 5429 32nd Ave. N.W.