Sammamish still working on shuttle bus service for U.S. Senior Open
June 8, 2010
By Caleb Heeringa
Members of the City Council are still considering a private shuttle service to get Sammamish residents to and from the upcoming U.S. Senior Open.
The event, scheduled to take place at Sahalee Country Club July 26 to Aug. 1, is expected to attract thousands of spectators and potentially cause traffic headaches.
The United States Golf Association will not allow spectators to walk into the event, fearing that sidewalk-less Sahalee Way would be unsafe for pedestrians and nearby neighborhoods would become parking lots for non-Sammamish residents.
The council had considered having the USGA run a shuttle for local residents from Eastlake High School to the course, but the $40,000 price tag proved to be too much.
Marymoor Park in Redmond is the only parking lot, meaning local residents would have to drive to Redmond to get to an event in their backyard.
Councilmen John Curley, John James and Tom Odell have spoken in favor of finding a private company to run a shuttle service from Eastlake and believe they could find a company for much cheaper than the USGA’s price, but remain unsure of the logistics.
If the lot were open only to Sammamish residents, turning non-residents away could snarl traffic on 228th Avenue.
If the lot filled up, people might start parking in the Safeway lot. If they leave the lot open to anyone, it would attract even more traffic from the Issaquah area.
“There can be unintended consequences from a good deed,” James said. “We’ll learn from this event if we’re doing it the right or wrong way and hopefully Sahalee can get another good tournament in the future.”
Reach reporter Caleb Heeringa at 392-6434, ext. 247 or cheeringa@isspress.com
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