(The Center Square) – King County Metro has suspended bus service at a Seattle location that is becoming more and more of a public safety concern.
As of Monday morning, the bus stops along 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood near the International District are temporarily closed until further notice.
Metro notified subscribers to Metro Transit Alerts of the closure on Sunday evening and rider notifications were posted at the stops.
King County Metro Public Information Officer Al Sanders said that the department flagged the area as a safety concern for riders, transit operators and facilities employees.
“Due to the current daily environment in the surrounding area, our customers are often unable to comfortably use the stops to board or exit,” Sanders told The Center Square in an email. “As a result of these conditions, Metro made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend serving all the stops at 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in all directions.”
The surrounding area has been a hotbed of criminal activity in recent years, including a series of stabbings in the Chinatown-International District along South Jackson Street over a 36-hour time span last month.
The Little Saigon neighborhood has been considered a crime hotspot for the city in recent years. In September, the Seattle City Council adopted the Stay Out of Drug Areas, or SODA, law, which authorizes the courts to prohibit a defendant from entering a designated area in the city.
The Little Saigon neighborhood and International District were one of the original areas included in the bill.
Violent crime has been a lingering issue for residents and businesses within the International District. As of the end of November, there have been three homicides, 74 robberies, and 164 cases of aggravated assault.
In total, the International District has seen 250 reports of violent crime through November. Only the Northgate, the Downtown core and Capitol Hill neighborhoods have had more reports.
Affected bus routes include the 1, 7, 9, 14, 36, 60 and 106 lines, which remain on regular routes and are serving riders at other nearby stops along the routes.
Metro Transit Police are coordinating with the Seattle Police Department to address safety concerns at the 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street locations.
King County Metro will provide updates on when the bus stop will reopen, based on safety concerns being addressed.