Sound Transit considers charging light rail passengers for using its parking lots

Sound Transit is considering possibly charging light rail passengers for using its parking lots before hopping onto the train.

Sound Transit’s board is currently considering a proposal to charge light rail passengers $2 per day, except after 2 p.m., to use its parking spaces at locations that are often full, including Northgate, Angle Lake, and Tukwila, a similar paid-parking system the agency had before the pandemic.

The board is also considering stations in Lynnwood, Shoreline, and Mountlake Terrace.

David Jackson, Sound Transit Public Information Officer, said the number of riders using public transportation has exceeded pre-pandemic levels as people are returning to work.

“We started to see more demand for parking,” he said. “This is a return to normalcy for the agency. We’ve always planned to implement paid parking and the time and demand for it is such it makes sense for us.”

“If you go to Northgate late in the morning, you’re not going to find a parking spot. If you go to Tukwila International Boulevard late in the morning, you’re not going to find a parking spot. Those facilities are over 90 percent full,” he added.

Jackson said the agency believes it can generate around $6 million in 2026, which could be used to help maintain the transit centers and manage the new possible parking system.

There are currently no details if the funds would be used to increase security measures.

Some passengers, including Harry Curtis, said that they understood the reasoning behind the agency’s proposal.

“I understand why they could potentially do that to increase revenue and hopefully to get more things down, but at the same time, I feel like that could potentially shut out people who might need this,” Curtis said.

While $2 per day may not sound like a lot of money, that adds up over time, which could hurt lower-income families, he added.

“I feel like it could become somewhat of an equity issue because as it builds up, that’s just another thing taking away. Prices of living are already so high. Rent is already so high. It’s just another fee that people may have to pay,” he shared.

Lisa Brandenburg, a passenger, said the move may deter passengers from using public transportation.

“It seems sort of not Seattle-like. Truthfully, we got to encourage people to get out of their cars. Everything we should do to encourage people to get out of their cars. Even people who never take the light rail are benefiting from people who are taking the light rail by not being on the road,” she said.

A presentation around the proposal has already been presented to the board. The board must first vote before anything becomes official.

The earliest the proposal could take effect is possibly the beginning of next year, Sound Transit said.

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