Transit & Traffic

Transit should support communities, not frustrate them.

However, for many Kirkland residents, transit access is declining as growth is accelerating.

Where service is falling short

Despite plans to concentrate development near bus corridors and transit hubs, Kirkland faces:

  • Decreased service reliability on critical routes, like the 255, which was rerouted to UW in 2020 and continues to experience frequent cancellations

  • Cancelled direct bus access to downtown Seattle, creating inconvenience for commuters and increasing reliance on cars

  • An 85th Street BRT Station is designed without a park-and-ride, limiting its practical accessibility beyond a walkable radius

  • Discontinued or consolidated service in many neighborhoods—especially in north and east Kirkland, which have not been prioritized for future Metro investments

What happens without reliable transit

Kirkland’s 2044 growth targets anticipate tens of thousands of new residents. Bus transit infrastructure isn’t keeping pace.

Without dependable, frequent, efficient, robust public transportation options:

  • Residents drive more, worsening traffic, and requiring more parking spaces

  • Carbon emissions rise, despite sustainability goals

  • Low-income families have fewer mobility options

Even where high-capacity transit is planned, it’s often paired with lane reductions, parking reductions or road narrowing, slowing local traffic and impacting overall mobility for residents who can’t rely on public transit day-to-day.

Our analysis: growth works best when transit service keeps pace with it. Adding housing without adding service tends to put more cars on the same streets.

What is still being decided

K-Line, lane reductions and minimum parking decisions are ongoing.

Traffic, Parking and Transit are intersectional topics that traverse through various planning and transportation projects City Staff, Planning Commission and Council are routinely discussing, as well as deferring to outside agencies like Metro.

Decisions that would be difficult to reverse are being made, such as redeveloping transit infrastructure at the Houghton Park’n’Ride site and acquiring land from homeowners for a projected saving of about two minutes for riders passing through. Recent decisions have drawn significant neighborhood pushback, much of it focused on transparency and the completeness of stakeholder input.

Residents have raised these concerns repeatedly in public comment on transit and parking decisions.

Join our Facebook group to keep up with some of our most pro-active community members on the latest K-Line developments, Kraken facility dealings, and the impact of state mandates around reduced parking minimums for new development.

Sources & city records

Last updated July 28, 2026. Every link below goes to the primary source — a government body, the school district, or the transit agency — so you can check the underlying record yourself.

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