In the past few weeks, we’ve heard from several people about a traffic problem on the “low bridge” during rush hours, involving truck backups, and Port of Seattle Police directing traffic. Rob was the first to e-mail, and he made the Google Map you see above (follow the “View Larger Map” link for more details on what it shows). Most recently, Desiree wrote the other day to ask about this. We inquired with the port – so here, for starters, is what we received back from Port spokesperson Peter McGraw:

A combination of factors has created the current congestion – we are aware that it is impacting the community and have been working to keep traffic moving in and around Terminal 5.

Like many other businesses, terminal operators are feeling the impacts of the down economy with lower cargo volume, and are scaling back hours of gate operation to reduce costs. Other ports in the region are experiencing similar issues at their gates, though it can be more pronounced here because of the proximity of our terminals to major thoroughfares like the West Seattle Bridge.

Also, there’s a surge in export cargo from Eastern Washington right now- so more trucks from across the mountains are lining up at Terminal 5 very early in the morning. They do so in order to make a second trip on the same day. On the bright side, this means that goods are moving to markets, which is a very good sign for the region’s economy. Each container represents men and women working in King County.

The Port of Seattle has been working hard to correct this traffic problem by working with the truckers, terminal operators, City of Seattle and the port’s own police force to find a solution. We recognize this is a problem for the truckers, for nearby businesses, and for the community, and we are looking for both interim and long-term solutions. We also need to ensure that the swing bridge can open and close to allow marine traffic from the Duwamish to move in and out of Elliott Bay.

While we work with other stakeholders in finding a workable solution, Port of Seattle police will assign additional officers to keep intersections clear and make sure the swing bridge is not blocked. Please feel free to call either of the port’s media officers, myself, Peter McGraw (206-787-3446) or Charla Skaggs (206-787-3235) if you continue to experience unusual amounts of traffic congestion and delay in this area.

Rush hour bridge opening, of course, is yet another issue; you may recall the city’s request to reduce the number of rush-hour openings, and last year’s rejection of that request.

(The Kirkpatricks of West Seattle, shuttle riders – photo courtesy Senior Services)
West Seattleite Cindy Zwart, who directs Senior Services‘ Transportation Program, wants to make sure that everybody 55 and up – or younger, if you are disabled – knows about a service that’s been available here since July. She explains:

The Hyde Shuttle is a free door-to-door van service that will transport riders anywhere they need to go within the West Seattle city limits, including medical appointments, shopping, the library, to visit a friend, cultural and social activities, any local errands. The shuttle also provides rides on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to medical facilities on First Hill and on Wednesdays and Thursdays to Burien medical facilities. Riders sign up for service by phone; there is no long application to fill out or in-person eligibility screening. Shuttle hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm, and all rides are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The Shuttle is lift-equipped for people who have difficulty using stairs or use a mobility aid. Service is free, although donations are accepted.

Senior Services’ Transportation Program also has shuttles serving communities from Burien to Shoreline, Beacon Hill to the Snoqualmie Valley. Senior Services’ other programs include Meals on Wheels, Minor Home Repair and one with which you’re bound to be familiar – at least on sight – the Senior Center of West Seattle (in The Junction). Money for the service comes from Metro, Aging and Disability Services, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council. Want to sign up for the service? 206-727-6262 – same number you call when you need a ride. And if you want to ask Cindy any questions – cindyz@seniorservices.org.

Six months after news of three new traffic cameras on the way to West Seattle (here’s our May story), installation is under way – but don’t expect to see the images immediately. We took the photo at left while driving through The Junction on Monday; Marybeth Turner with SDOT confirmed late yesterday that the contractor, Signal Electric, was installing a pole and camera. She added, “The contractor expects to complete the installation of this camera this week. We expect the camera will go live in March 2010. Cameras are not being turned on one at a time — the contractor will complete the various elements in the expanded system, test and coordinate them, and will turn them on all at once.” That expanded system also is scheduled to include a camera at 42nd/Alaska and one near the Fauntleroy ferry dock. Current cameras citywide are linked here (we’re still checking on when the West Seattle Bridge cameras will be working again).

A followup to our most recent item about citizens complaining to the city regarding backups at the Admiral/California intersection – Tim e-mailed SDOT and got this reply from engineer Chris Faulkner – same person whose responses were shared by commenters – indicating they’ve figured out the problem:

I stand behind my timing and believe that it is working well. Unfortunately, because of malfunctions, my timing has not always been running and the signal has been working erratically. Every time that I had been out to observe it everything was worked well, within the past 3 weeks I have spent three PM Peaks and two AM Peaks at this intersection, verifying that everything is working. On my last trip the signal began skipping phases and traffic backed up very badly, like the complaints that I have been receiving. Because I was at the intersection to observe it, I was finally able to diagnose the problem and we are working on a solution.

Currently, we believe the problem was an underlying problem with the electronics and when we installed the new timing it exasperated the problem. Since last Wednesday, the intersection has been placed in a different mode, kind of like a windows safe mode. In this mode the intersection cannot skip phases, but it also cannot run coordinated timing. The consequence of this mode was that the intersection is working tolerable well during off peaks, but horrible during AM and PM Peak times. I apologize for this and want you to know that we are doing everything that we can to correct these problems. We plan on changing out some of the electronics later today in an attempt to address the problem and hope to put it back into my timing after that and observe it over the next few days to see if we have corrected the malfunctioning equipment.

Admiral/California drivers, let us know if things do get better!

One month after SDOT reported tweaking the Admiral/California signal timing, some drivers say it’s still not right. Acemotel brought this up in the WSB Forums today – not long after we got the following e-mail from Ted:

Whatever timing changes the city made a few months ago to the light at Admiral Ave SW and SW California, it is much worse than it used to be. Today I was again frustrated with long backups going east on SW Admiral toward California Ave. The backups on Admiral go beyond the yellow flashing light at Waite Street, which is already an extremely dangerous intersection. The backups make it hard to pull out on to Admiral from Waite St. and then there is a five, six, seven cycle wait to get through the first light at California. This causes people to make all kinds of dangerous moves. They bypass the queue on Admiral by driving for blocks up the left turn lane, etc. I find the problem to be bad in the afternoons on weekdays, but even much worse on weekends. Today I drove through the back up at 10:30 AM Saturday morning.

I imagine someone at the city thinks they improved things at the intersection. I think they need to get away from their desk and their computer and get out on the road and see what they have done. /with the changes, it is SLIGHTLY better going west on Admiral in the afternoons on weekdays and SLIGHTLY better going north on California and turning left onto Admiral. I make both moves regularly and used to have a two cycle wait during busy times. Now I SOMETIMES get a one cycle wait. Usually, it is still two cycles. But these minor improvements are not worth the big delays and safety problems that have been created. We do not need another serious accident at Admiral and Waite St. because of this!

Please go back to the way things were . . . .

The city suggests two ways to report traffic-signal problems – the overall hotline 206-684-ROAD and/or traffic.signals@seattle.gov; more background about the signal system on this page.

Linda Thielke at Metro suggested we remind you about this now – it’ll be in our official “what’s different for Veterans Day” roundup later but in case you weren’t aware, here you go: Metro will run with a “reduced weekday schedule” tomorrow. That means, she says, “On days with reduced weekday schedules, some commuter and school-oriented routes do not operate, and other routes have individual trips canceled. Many routes will have no changes. Regular fares apply on most of these days.” Looking ahead, this schedule will also be in place for several fall/winter holiday dates coming up – as well as an entire week at the end of December.

If you commute by bus, you know how frustrating things were during last year’s snow woes – from stuck buses, to buses that never came at all, to a shortage of route-specific, time-specific information directly from Metro – which led to bus riders sharing firsthand information here and elsewhere to help each other out. Metro says it’s got a plan to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Exactly one month after SDOT came out with its snow plan (WSB coverage here), which includes procedures for coordinating with the county-run transit service, Metro unveiled its own snow plan today, including plans for new emergency routes, a color-coded map to show when they’ve kicked in, a trial run for new snow/mud tires, and a new alert service you can start signing up for (promising route-specific information). Here’s the Metro announcement with links to the new features.

They’re still going to move to 7-digit license plates, as reported here and elsewhere recently, but the configuration will be a little simpler – read on for today’s announcement:Read More