Comments on: 4-mile, 5-hour closure, followup #2: SDOT’s response to councilmember’s questions; promise of ‘change in protocol’

By: wetone

wetone — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 19:04:49 +0000

Now we have our new SDOT director Scott Kubly I am sure everything will get better. Mayor Murray says he’s a transportation renaissance man who’s virtually done it all. Boy that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

By: wakeflood

wakeflood — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:57:35 +0000

Just because they followed the protocol to shut down 99 at Denny doesn’t mean they took the hugely important next step of having any available staff directing traffic at the choke points CAUSED by shutting 99 down. THAT’S the part of the plan that I’m wondering about.

It’s called mitigation. You keep intersections clear, you override the stop lights and you have coordinated traffic MOVING. This isn’t rocket science and it’s what a traffic plan is supposed to include.

By: jwright

jwright — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 03:20:07 +0000

Personally, I would rather see SDOT have decision rights over a road closure instead SPD. This would force SPD to justify the closure rather than them making an automatic knee-jerk “shut it all down” decision, which appears to be the case currently.

By: 935

935 — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 03:14:56 +0000

Nice alphabet soup!
Does anyone have ANY accountability?
Is it not possible for any one to say “this will not happen again” or “this is how we must deal with situations such as these”
Send everything to committee. Legislate by poll. God forbid any city (management) employee take a stance.

By: bolo

bolo — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 02:37:26 +0000

Previously I had thought the accident investigation took so long because they had to fly in GM investigators to investigate the failure mode of a faulty ignition switch. (The faulty ignition switch that turns off the engine while driving, and renders the airbags, power steering, power brakes inoperable.)

By: mpento

mpento — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 01:47:13 +0000

Thanks for the follow up WSB! It will be interesting to get some info on the parties involved in the crash. I would hope that the poor decisions made were in part due to a perceived need to cover ass rather than a need to cover up.

By: Magic8Ball

Magic8Ball — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:58:57 +0000

Looks like they did follow their protocols. Read Chapter 2 – Emergency Response. If there is a major accident on 99, then Close south-bound 99 at the Denny Exit. Perfectly Done. Too bad no one could make a decision to open 99 upto the West Seattle Exit before the accident was totally resolved.
Too bad the authorities keep returning to “Preserving the Accident Scene” and not addressing the resulting traffic snarl and how common sense would have relieved it a little if they had allowed traffic to return to 99 up to the WS Exit by 3:30

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:40:28 +0000

Seriously, God help us when we actually have a substantial (hell, even medium) earthquake in the Seattle metro area. If our different agencies cannot work and coordinate for something as minor as a wreck, imaging what it will be like when there is widespread chaos and damage.

By: CeeBee

CeeBee — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:24:39 +0000

When you look at Chapter 5 as SDOT references, it seems pretty complete and should have worked better. It would be interesting to ask SDOT to go item by item and ask “did you do this and at what time”. And also “if you did not do this, what justified deviation and what positive action was taken in it’s place”.

By: wakeflood

wakeflood — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 23:42:33 +0000

Wow. This is only now occurring to these agencies? I find that hard to believe. We have coordinated interagency plans for events that may not happen in a hundred years but a poorly timed, poorly located traffic accident was somehow unthinkable?

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 21:30:12 +0000

So, no solution. Typical.

This is something a few key heads from all agencies could sit down, address in a few days/weeks and draw up procedures.

So all we get is more kicking the can down the road.

No leadership in this city at all levels.

By: speaking of "procedures"

speaking of "procedures" — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 21:14:38 +0000

I would love to see Councilmember Rasmussen lead the way in establishing interdepartmental “procedures” for coordinated transportation and land use goals. If that were to happen, imagine how much of this type derailed traffic scenario would diminish in frequency, duration and scope.

Ya. Not gonna’ happen. Too logical to do first things first, don’t ya’ know.