TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7 AM: After many uneventful mornings, this one is getting busy. There’s a crash on northbound 99 at Lander, blocking the left lane.

Also, Metro has just sent word that two trips are canceled this morning – Route 57 leaving The Junction at 7:06 am, and Route 56 leaving Alki at 7:23 am.

7:13 AM: Just for the record, Matt points out that Metro also tweeted the 6:40 am Route 116 run was canceled too. And we have other reminders:

*No bridge closure tonight – the Fauntleroy Expressway work was on its regular Sunday-Thursday night schedule this week, so the next one is Sunday night (9 pm-5 am)

*Reminder that the “Group Hug for The Admiral Theater” will bring about 800 students to The Admiral District later this morning for a photo outside the soon-to-be-renovated landmark – here’s our preview from last night. No road closures but they’re walking, so be ready for some big pedestrian groups.

7:25 AM: SDOT says the vehicles involved in the NB 99 crash have moved to the shoulder, so “all lanes are clear.”

7:37 AM: Back to previews – here’s the SDOT lookahead for this weekend, including a big soccer game at CLink on Saturday night, and Race for the Cure through part of downtown on Sunday.

Chad June 3, 2016 (7:29 am)

There were 3 or 4 cop cars racing through the Admiral and California intersection going toward Alki around 6:10 this morning. Wonder if that had anything to do with the bus cancellation…

WSB June 3, 2016 (7:52 am)

We’ll be asking Metro about the cancellations. Re: the full-code police units, several people mentioned that but we never heard of any particular incidents – more often than you know, full-code responses are canceled or slowed down before the officers get to what at first sounded like an emergency, so that could have been the case here.

WS June 3, 2016 (8:27 am)

whats the point of having the text alerts if Metro isn’t going to notify us when their is a known cancellation. I can’t tell you how many times they don’t notify. I send a complaint in, wait 2 weeks then get a canned response, every time.

newnative June 3, 2016 (10:11 am)

It seems very haphazard (to put it politely) because I got the text alert and texted WSB before the traffic report was posted. I don’t even ride the 7:23am #56, I ride an earlier #57 but am supposed to get all Admiral District route alerts. I probably get one a month. Sometimes I get alerts for holidays and future traffic issues that aren’t urgent.

You can’t complain because you will get a bot response and these services are considered “marketing” so it is filtered through their marketing department. I have tried in vain.
- WSB June 3, 2016 (2:47 pm)
  
  Here is Metro’s response:
  
  It was an unusual morning. We had a number of canceled trips due to no available operator, due in part to illnesses, some part-time operators unavailable as they are in training to be full-time drivers, and challenges finding substitute drivers.
  
  Base chiefs and control center coordinators filled as many trips as they were able using substitute drivers and persuading drivers to cover trips. In West Seattle we were not able to operate one Route 56 trip, one Route 57 trip, two Route 116 trips, and three Route 120 trips.
  
  Canceled trips can happen from time to time for reasons like we saw today, but we work to notify riders when we can, and the network of service means another bus is usually in the pipeline and on its way.
  
  Overall, Metro operates about 12,000 trips every weekday.
  
  Still, every trip counts and we take our responsibility seriously. We continue to hire, train and grow the work force to provide service for customers who count on us.

chemist June 3, 2016 (9:25 am)

Some sort of ship with a large rear deck headed north off Lincoln park.

John June 3, 2016 (10:02 am)

FYI for the 116 that was cancelled this morning: The 6:40am is actually 2 116 busses, so we got the alert, but shortly after one (very full) bus arrived, so at least we were still able to get on and not have to rush to find a C-line. I messaged Metro for them to try to notify that only one of the 2 busses was actually cancelled.

Sorry, comment time is over.