TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates – and more

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:03 AM: No scheduled traffic alerts for today (but we’ll remind you again, the Delridge/Henderson intersection will be completely closed all weekend, Friday night till Monday morning – here’s a cool SDOT picture from the project page, showing the installation of new drainage pipes:

Meantime, we’re adding a Highway 99 cam to the basic template for this daily feature, since that’s a frequent trouble spot:

If you encounter traffic/transit/transportation trouble – in West Seattle or on the major routes in/out – let us know, provided you can do so safely/legally – 206-293-6302 is our number for text or voice.

P.S. The issue of Metro funding is back on the front burner, now that it’s warning the “Viaduct mitigation” money won’t last much longer and big cuts could be ahead. Here’s how Metro’s GM explains it; here’s a story from our partners at The Seattle Times.

9:23 AM UPDATE: Traffic alert from JL in comments – “Northbound 35th at Alaska – right lane closed for traffic light maintenance at 9:15 AM.”

miws February 5, 2013 (7:03 am)

Yesterday, I walked by some of the drainage pipes stacked in the staging area, at 21st & Henderson, in the right turn lane off of Delridge.

It was hard to resist the temptation to revert back 45-50 years, and yell into them. :-)

Mike

Anne February 5, 2013 (7:14 am)

Love how Metro still claims a surge in ridership — the ” surge” is one of their own making by cutting routes/ schedules. Folks if you don’t read the whole Seattle Times article — read this line

The Seattle Times reports one suggestion is a new $150 car tab fee per $10,000 of vehicle value, 60 percent of which would go to transit, along with an eight cent state wide increase in gas taxes.

GrumpyRider February 5, 2013 (8:06 am)

I’m with you, Anne. I’m still at a loss how they can continue to push the notion that overnight — with a massive restructuring of bus service — thousands of new riders suddenly decided to forego their cars and give the bus a try. And that after these months of debacles most of those people are sticking with the bus? On the contrary, plenty of formerly-faithful bus riders I know are back in their cars for the first time in years. Metro’s shoveling a lot of something.

Chris W February 5, 2013 (8:09 am)

I find out more and more difficult each day to cross the road in front of my house due to increased car traffic on California.

CanDo February 5, 2013 (8:42 am)

Echo what Chris W said and more. The traffic back-ups at the California/Fauntleroy intersection now regularly run a block long in all directions and sometimes more, since Metro made their bus stop changes. How much money did they spend on all these changes to improve ridership and not 6 months later they are thinking about asking for more?

Bruce Nourish February 5, 2013 (8:49 am)

“Love how Metro still claims a surge in ridership — the ” surge” is one of their own making by cutting routes/ schedules.”
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No, they reassigned buses from poorly-performing, stupidly-designed vestigial routes onto high-performing frequent-service corridors, and ridership thus increased. While far more people have benefited than have lost out, the people who have lost out are the ones who sit around whining in comment forums on the internet and at Metro open houses.
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Most Metro buses have infrared sensors above each door which count people boarding and deboarding. Sampling over many trips, these sensors provide accurate passenger counts, and this is where Metro’s numbers are coming from.
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I realize some WSB commenters have problems with “facts” and “data”, but for the rest of us, it is incontestable that the West Seattle service change was a success in its goal of serving significantly more people with essentially the same amount of money; and that it is now easier to get to, from, and between the main activity centers in West Seattle.

JL February 5, 2013 (9:16 am)

Northbound 35th at Alaska – right lane closed for traffic light maintenance at 9:15 AM.

WSB February 5, 2013 (9:22 am)

Thanks, JL!

Jen February 5, 2013 (9:26 am)

Interesting that of the 18 routes at risk of having some level of service cut, 16 of them serve West Seattle, Shoreline, Vashon Island and/or Burien.

Julie February 5, 2013 (9:37 am)

I don’t think that Bruce rides the bus in West Seattle.

Anne February 5, 2013 (9:49 am)

Right – Mr. Nourish– we disagree I guess- but is name- calling necessary? Comment forums & Metro open houses are where people can at least try & have their voices – complaints- ideas- support-heard. Incontestable ???? As I said- just don’t agree .

Julie February 5, 2013 (10:01 am)

If you’d like to know who thinks your opinions or actual experiences with the change in service don’t matter Bruce Nourish writes for the Seattle Transit Blog and he doesn’t live in West Seattle. This is his bio:
Associate Editor Bruce Nourish grew up in rural England and suburban Phoenix, before discovering his love for cities and mass transit during two weekend visits to Portland and Seattle. His degree is in Physics, and he works as a Site Reliability Engineer at Google. Bruce’s posts focus on publishing and visualizing King County Metro’s data in order to discuss and advocate restructures of Seattle’s bus network to be more efficient, cost-effective and reliable. Bruce lives without a car in Belltown. He joined the blog in Summer 2011.

Commute: Bike or bus from Belltown to Fremont.

Julie February 5, 2013 (10:06 am)

Also I’d like to point out that the facts and data that Metro keeps pointing to don’t match up to real world experiences. Data can be manipulated anyway you like.

GrumpyRider February 5, 2013 (10:13 am)

Hey, Bruce, I’m well aware that cutbacks in other routes have contributed to the unpleasant congestion of the C-line. Thank you for so kindly educating us troglodytes about “facts” and “data, however Metro has always stated that *part* of the problem was a sudden surge in new ridership — a point that I still and will always dispute. I also dispute your subjective take on the aforementioned facts and data that the service has improved; for me and others it most certainly has not.

westside bus rider February 5, 2013 (10:25 am)

At the risk of getting lit up, I actually think that Metro’s numbers are accurate. Although Rapid Ride got off to a rough start, the service has evened out and the reliability is improving as the city does its part and the transit signal priority works. The all day frequency of RR has attracted many more riders in my experience. I also ride the 120 and 21 and they continue to have significantly more riders than a year ago.

The state’s recent numbers show that cars on the viaduct are down by almost 25%, with 25,000 less trips per day. That would back up the fact that many more of us are on the bus.

bokay February 5, 2013 (10:32 am)

Bruce Nourish – how do the infrared sensors above most Metro bus doors accurately count people who have to temporarily deboard to let others off the packed buses, then reboard, then temporarily deboard again to let people off the packed buses, then reboard, then temporarily deboard, then reboard, etc., until they officially deboard to end their trip? Do the infrared sensors “accurately” count the person only once even though they’ve deboarded and reboarded during their one trip? Or does this help constitute the “surge in ridership”?

dwar February 5, 2013 (11:12 am)

Bruce N, — The sensors you refer to are not on all busses. Only a few have them. The data they produce is only a random sample of a few trips maniplated by Metro to reinforce their own inacurate agendas.

use2ridebus February 5, 2013 (12:48 pm)

I am with the “Metro did not count correctly” vote and want to point out that the Fourth Avenue Exit from the West Seattle Bridge is a great alternative to the Viaduct in getting downtown. Also, I would like to hear from the “new bus riders,” those who started riding when the Rapid Ride became an option. They are mentioned frequently by Metro but are a very quiet group.

sagafoo February 5, 2013 (1:27 pm)

I think metro is scamming everyone, especially west seattle. there was nothing wrong with the 55 route except it didnt run enough, maybe metro shouldnt waste so much money tearing down and rebuilding bus stops EVERy 4 or 5 years. How much did they waste on that?? also Metro needs to start listening to the DRIVERS and Customers. If you live in the ADMIRAL DISTRICT, it takes LONGER to get downtown now, than before Rancid Ride. oopps I mean Racket Ride…

sagafoo February 5, 2013 (1:29 pm)

also, how does an Increase in riders work out to Needing more money?? METRO does not care about its customers.

Busboy February 5, 2013 (2:11 pm)

I like the changes. It is great that they eliminated Route 51. That dang bus went around and around every half-hour, almost empty. I may have seen a rider on it once or twice. What a waste of money that route was.