TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday alerts & updates; missed bus trip, alert-less

(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:14 AM: No major incidents on the routes through/from West Seattle right now, but if you use 4th Avenue to get into downtown, be advised there’s a crash at Royal Brougham Way – SDOT says it’s on the southbound side, but that still could cause some slow going until it’s cleared.

ALERTS: Morgan Junction sidewalk work is set to continue today – here’s our coverage from Thursday, when it began; right now crews are on the north end of the block, west side of California, just south of Fauntleroy, but the businesses ARE open – and the ones in this building all have access from the lot behind the building … Thanks to the texter who told us about weekend work that closed 21st SW near Sanislo Elementary; we’re checking on its status today.

7:57 AM: The 4th Ave. crash is cleared. Still no other incidents reported along WS commuters’ main routes.

8:17 AM: In comments, we have two reports of Route 57 missing a trip. No text or tweet alerts from Metro in this area so far this morning. And this is also from a Route 57 rider, via Twitter:

@westseattleblog @kcmetrobus – group is standing at the 49th and Charlestown stop with no bus and no alert

— Nancy Wright (@NEW_Seattle) November 9, 2015

Also tweeted, C Line trouble – no bus at 7:45, says Nate, and then:

@kcmetrobus @westseattleblog A bus finally got here… and it's full… 50 ppl still waiting at Junction. Didn't take a single rider.

— Nate (@GnaytJohnson) November 9, 2015

Metro had acknowledged when we visited the local “bases” for this story that not all missed trips were resulting in alerts. So please keep letting us know what you’re experiencing, so we can keep track for followups – on weekdays, commenting here on the daily traffic/transit story is ideal, but you can also e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com.

12:33 PM: Metro explains via Twitter:

@westseattleblog @MikeLindblom Sorry. A #57 trip canceled for no operator, then partially filled, but didn't learn until too late for alert.

— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) November 9, 2015

Laura November 9, 2015 (7:52 am)

57 is a no show for the 7:42 at Genesee and 55th. And of course, no email alert and no response to any of my texts. Keep on sucking Metro.

Matthew November 9, 2015 (7:57 am)

Route 57 leaving Alaska Junction at 7:38 was a no show. Metro didn’t report the cancellation. While convenient to my house, I’ve been taking the C Line more often because of this route’s lack of dependability. I wonder if others are doing the same? If so, it surely doesn’t help with C Line overcrowding.

NW November 9, 2015 (8:13 am)

Would the route 37 be smarter alternative I stay away from c line when ever possible.

Laura November 9, 2015 (8:15 am)

Oh dear lord. So the last 57 just showed at 55th and Genesee. AND a second short bus right behind it. THATS metros solution. As I got on the driver said to me, “We screwed up this morning. “. I told him I figured that. Sheesh.

Bri November 9, 2015 (8:33 am)

I’m one of those who has had to switch to the c-line because the 116x has been so unreliable with unannounced delays & cancellations. It either didn’t show or was about 20 minutes late on 4 out of 6 days I made note of before abandoning it. The c-line is unbearably overcrowded though. I saw a huge group waiting for it this morning at California/Fauntleroy & knew I just couldn’t put myself through that misery. Then, of course, the 116x was 10 minutes late. I saw 2 C-lines in quick succession after one picked up a bulk of the large group, but I didn’t want to risk life & limb running across the street to try to catch it.

SomeGuy November 9, 2015 (8:53 am)

Good news – we all just approved another $17 trillion for transit! Coming soon – plenty more routes and busses with no one to drive them!

Sue November 9, 2015 (8:56 am)

This morning when I arrived at the Alaska Junction around 7:40 for the 55, I had just missed a C (that I wasn’t aiming for anyway). It was standing room only. Then I looked at the board and it said the next C was in 14 minutes. I’m hoping that was just an inaccurate board, but that’s certainly not very rapid. If it was accurate, I’m sure many people were turned away eventually due to overcrowding.

Lola November 9, 2015 (9:50 am)

Good thing I drive to work. I think I would be late everyday if I depended on Metro to get me to my job. We need to not keep voting for this stuff as they obviously do not know how to keep the buses moving and in a timely manner.

Sue November 9, 2015 (10:55 am)

I see from the follow-up that the 14 min. C line delay I mentioned wasn’t an error and was actually worse than that. When all these new apartments are full in the Junction/Triangle area, it seems that they could double the schedule of the C line and they wouldn’t be running empty buses. If they don’t do something soon, they are going to push more people into driving.

iggy November 9, 2015 (11:11 am)

And the C Line isn’t much better going from downtown to West Seattle, even in the middle of the day. Sometimes it’s a 20 minute wait downtown and then standing room only. Often an empty bus will be in back of the full one, but not all of us can be running around in the rain trying to jump from one bus to the other. The inaccuracies in the reader board, especially at 3rd and Seneca, seem to be getting worse as well. Please Metro, fix this mess!!!!!

JayDee November 9, 2015 (11:15 am)

I am pretty certain the 6:29 56 was late/never came because I drove this and saw hordes of the usual 56 riders waiting @6:41.

@Sue RE: Behind the curve transit improvements vs. new developments in the Junction: The new residents are not supposed to own cars, so driving will not be an option.

BC November 9, 2015 (12:48 pm)

Re: Metro feedback on #57 this morning. What does “partially filled” mean anyway? And when is someone going to call BS on Metro’s evolving list of excuses for why the 57 service is so spotty? Complained when it didn’t arrive one morning via both Twitter and email and got different (incompatible) explanations as to why from each source so either one was lying, both were or they’re just incompetent.

Unfortunately, the new flood of $ isn’t going to solve any of this. According to an uber liberal co-worker who was on the civilian review board for the last transportation levy and “votes Yes for every single levy”, with the last one they just used it as a slush fund to finish prior over-budget projects and never got around to most of what was promised. With no accountability in Move Seattle, he advised voting against and expects the same here. Thanks neighbors.

AceMotel November 9, 2015 (12:57 pm)

totally unacceptable!

935 November 9, 2015 (1:03 pm)

Maybe we should have a special election – a Proposition, if you will, in the City of Seattle to make sure Metro has the funding they need to ensure proper transit service. Maybe an increase of .1% in sales tax….Yep, that oughta cover it.

West Seattle Hipster November 9, 2015 (3:19 pm)

Maybe we need to raise our taxes again so we can give them even more money to get an efficient and well run transit system.

Why does Kevin Desmond still have a job?

JanS November 9, 2015 (3:32 pm)

JayDee….not supposed to have cars? Dream on!!! I’m so glad I work at home. I only have to go downtown/first hill for numerous doc appts. I drive from the Admiral District. Takes 20 minutes one way. Why would I give metro my hard earned money for fare for a ride that takes 1.5 hrs each way?

JanS November 9, 2015 (3:33 pm)

Kevin Desmond should be working for minimum wage at this point :(

AceMotel November 9, 2015 (3:41 pm)

King County executive must not take the bus to work.

John November 9, 2015 (4:24 pm)

@Bri Re: 116X: I started taking the 116X in the last few months and I’ve learned that OneBusAway does not ever show correct times for the route heading downtown from the ferry dock. The buses wait there for the ferries to arrive. I’ve learned to check the WSDOT Ferry Tracker (http://www.wsdot.com/ferries/vesselwatch/Default.aspx) and go by when the next Ferry is scheduled to arrive. I asked the bus driver and she confirmed this was the case.

Also if I need to catch the C, I tend to get it at Findlay/California. It’s still been busy, but at least you beat the crowds at the Junction and beyond heading downtown.

candrewb November 9, 2015 (4:30 pm)

I’ve seen Dow on the water taxi a few times

olivist November 9, 2015 (5:07 pm)

Metro’s answers are absurd. How do they not “learn” a trip has to be canceled until it is “too late” to send an alert. Shouldn’t they know BEFORE a trip is supposed to start its route that there is no operator? I would hope they could at least figure it out at the time the bus is supposed to start its trip. What the f*** is Metro doing over there? Second, ANY communication from Metro would have been appreciated while I stood on the street in the rain from 740am until 810am when both the 740 (and the 810) 57’s arrived together. So, essentially they are saying they didn’t “learn” a trip had no operator until more than 30 minutes after it was supposed to start its trip?!? Completely unacceptable, but sadly it’s pretty much what I’ve come to expect from Metro. So glad we’re giving them MORE money to mismanage.

WSresident November 9, 2015 (5:44 pm)

A 7:51am 55 never showed and never alerted today so I tweeted @kcmetrobus asking what’s up. Got a fast reply that it was 3 minutes late. At 8:08 a 55 finally showed up so I tweeted again and no one replied back.