Puyallup's parking changes make commutes longer, drivers lament

Mike Ruff used to catch the Sounder train in downtown Puyallup and ride it to work in Seattle.

The 32-year-old, who lives in the East Pierce city, would park his car on the street near the station.

Now, Ruff says, new parking rules in Puyallup added about 40 minutes round-trip to his commute.

“It’s a mess,” he said.

He now drives.

Other Sounder riders also aren’t happy with the changes, which were aimed at freeing up more parking for downtown businesses, their employees and the public, and shifting commuters to an underused satellite parking lot near the Puyallup fairgrounds.

Buses run between the satellite lot and the train station about a half-mile away on West Main Street. But commuters say they’ve at times been too crowded to use.

Sound Transit said it has added some extra shuttles.

Still, “we have to wait for the bus in the rain. We are far away,” said Cristina Bravo de Rueda, 55, of Puyallup.

The extra step added enough time to her commute that she has struggled to make her night college classes, she said.

The City Council plans to discuss downtown parking at its Dec. 6 meeting; however, immediate changes are unlikely. It’s the last scheduled council meeting of the year, and changes to city law typically are done over two sessions.

City Manager Ralph Dannenberg said he’d like to see the new parking rules remain in place for a while. “We need to let this thing settle in and get everyone used to it,” he said.

The parking changes were made over the past six months. The council in June voted to end Sound Transit’s lease of a city-owned lot near the train station. The lot has about 120 spaces; Sound Transit used it as overflow parking.

The lease ended effective Oct. 1.

As that date approached, the council approved altering on-street parking-time limits in the downtown area, a move that would help shift displaced commuters to a satellite lot called the Red Lot by preventing them from parking on the street.

The Red Lot has more than 200 spots for commuters. It was upgraded last year with $2.8 million in federal and state grants and Sound Transit funds.

It used to sit nearly empty, but officials said it now often is nearly full. The city lot now is open to the public and downtown workers.

Council members said they’ve heard from upset commuters, and sympathize.

Councilman John Knutsen said he has also heard from merchants and residents who are happy with the new parking system and that “this is the first (time) in a long time that there’s been adequate parking for downtown.”

He said it’s Sound Transit’s responsibility to provide parking for commuters.

Councilman Rick Hansen said the city-owned lot only ever was a temporary parking solution for Sound Transit because it could eventually be developed. He said he hopes the city can find ways to help the transit agency deal with parking.

Knutsen and Hansen both have stakes in some downtown property but said the change in use of the city lot doesn’t benefit them, and there was no conflict of interest. Knutsen said his wife inherited part of a downtown building, but it has its own parking lot; Hansen said employees who work at his property don’t use the city lot.

Councilman Kent Boyle said commuters need adequate transportation from the Red Lot to the train station, and that Sound Transit and the city should ensure that’s happening.

Kimberly Reason, Sound Transit spokeswoman, said there hasn’t been a dip in ridership due to the parking changes. More than 900 people board trains or buses at the Puyallup station per day.

In addition to the Red Lot, Sound Transit has 364 parking spots at the station and leases another lot nearby with about 60 spots.

The agency has been working on an “access study” of some of its stations to determine needs, such as additional parking, Reason said. The transit board likely will hear some recommendations next year, she said.

Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058

sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com

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