53 Replies to "TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday watch"

• Spencer Anderson January 23, 2020 (7:06 am)

  WHAT IS GOING ON ON THE BRIDGE RIGHT NOW!!!!!

• Avalon Resident January 23, 2020 (7:07 am)

  Seems like a big response to that crash at WSB/Delridge. Lots of sirens flying by. 

• Lisa January 23, 2020 (7:08 am)

  Is that crash the reason for all the sirens?

  • WSB January 23, 2020 (7:19 am)

    Three SFD units were dispatched. Two have already gone back into service, suggesting no major injuries.

• NR January 23, 2020 (7:23 am)

  5 car pile up in the left lane of the east bound west Seattle bridge

• LyndaB January 23, 2020 (7:28 am)

  I was a passenger in my car and observed a car ahead of us in our lane swerve.  We were in the far left EB lane.  When drove through four cars probably including witnesses pulled to the left and another one or 2 cars in the right lane.  We had to weave through the collision scene.  I hope everyone is ok.  Pack your patience.  Like Sully says on KIRO Traffic, someone else is having a worse day than you.  (Parapharased)

• AlexC January 23, 2020 (7:57 am)

  It’s taken 20 minutes by bus to get from Alaska and Fauntleroy to onto the bridge. Leave early if you are heading this way.

  • AlexC January 23, 2020 (8:03 am)

    Adding once on the bridge I could see 2 or 3 police cars, one of the crashed cars and a tow truck still blocking a lane around 8am

• tsurly January 23, 2020 (8:09 am)

  It is really hard to have any empathy for drivers stuck in traffic, as it only seems to amplify existing bad behaviors. Examples from my ride in: 1) The driver stuck on Alaska at 41st just laying on his horn for at least 30 seconds; 2) A car at the same intersection that drove the wrong way down Alaska to cut back over near Fauntleroy: 3) the car that drove the wrong way down 36th towards Avalon, creating a nice jam with a car coming opposite direction; and 4) cars blocking the bike lane on Avalon between 36th and 35th, trying to jockey for position.

  • East Coast Cynic January 23, 2020 (8:41 am)

    This is why I resolve to work within the city, utilizing public transportation, as opposed to the suburbs because the peak time driving conditions, at the baseline, are painful, with some days more painful than others.  I know that the buses get stuck in the car traffic as well, but driving in rush hour traffic around here is becoming increasingly untenable – a lot more people combined with minimal upgrades in transit infrastructure to accommodate the growth means more chaos.  Light Rail can’t come any sooner.

  • Stranded January 23, 2020 (8:46 am)

    Are you for real? People have to be places. Doctor’s appointments that book 6 months out. Job interviews. Important can’t miss meetings. School. To pick up kids who are waiting. Many others too. Personally, given the shootout last night was by what would be my bus top at the time I would usually be there. I’m going to pass on riding the bus today. The bus- a steam filled sickness sharing device when the weather is like this. Busses here don’t even circulate breathable air. 

    • KBear January 23, 2020 (9:51 am)

      Shootings can happen anywhere, Stranded. Private cars can be targets, too. And cars contribute much more per person to unbreathable air than buses do. You’re not better than the people on the bus.

    • Seriously? January 23, 2020 (10:39 am)

      Anyone who reads the WSB traffic report knows traffic is horrible. This should not come as a surprise. If you (generality) have places to be, manage your time better. Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for everyone else around you, nor does it give you license to violate traffic laws.

      • sw January 23, 2020 (12:08 pm)

        I manage my time well, but I can’t control the cars ahead of me that rear end each other, thus rendering my “leave in plenty of time given traffic conditions” scenario obsolete.  There are plenty of folks affected that are planning ahead and doing the right thing – whether in cars, on a bus, or on a bike.

    • Lagartija Nick January 23, 2020 (10:49 am)

      Hey Stranded, newsflash, EVERYONE has to be someplace, that doesn’t give you or anyone else right to drive like an idiot. 

    • KM January 23, 2020 (11:21 am)

      Yes, Tsurly is serious. Many people cannot drive due to physical or financial limitations. These are our neighbors who also have to pick up kids, get to doctors appointments, etc. I completely understand that riding the bus or biking is not feasible for everyone either, all the time. Prioritizing transit and eliminating driving whenever possible is key and something we can all work on, as many of the activities you listed are possible without a car, and are accomplished by people all over our city on a daily basis. I am a somewhat lazy, car-owning, able individual, and I’ve managed to cut down my car trips. We all gotta do our part.

    • Kyle January 23, 2020 (12:51 pm)

      This is a reasonable post by tsurly. No where does it say everyone must abandon their cars. There are some legitimate reason why someone might need to use a car on a given day (although, certainly better for all to minimize as much as possible). The illegal actions described from folks fed up with traffic are unacceptable. Endangering your life and those around you because you are late, etc. is not an excuse. Accidents were what caused this mornings traffic pain to begin with.

  • miws January 23, 2020 (9:55 am)

    TSurly,  Just out of curiosity, did you see any resolution to #3? Did Ol’ Wrong-Way give way, or, was the driver legally using the lane forced to do so? —Mike

    • tsurly January 23, 2020 (12:38 pm)

      I did not; I hopped on the sidewalk and continued on my merry way.

• M January 23, 2020 (8:13 am)

  What is up with the crap driving this week?

  • KM January 23, 2020 (9:04 am)

    Just this week? ;-)

  • sw January 23, 2020 (9:16 am)

    It’s a growing problem – primarily from distracted driving.  There are an increasing number of people on their phones in the morning commute (well, probably all the time) and when traffic is backed up everyone is looking at a screen.  Add in dark rainy mornings, and this is what we get.  Put the phones away, people.

    • zark00 January 23, 2020 (2:18 pm)

      THIS – is a HUGE problem in Seattle.  Bellevue is even worse if you can imagine it being any worse.  Anyone who takes their phone out and looks at the screen, for ANY reason, while operating a motor vehicle is a reprehensible human being.  Same disregard for human life as the guys who shot innocent bystanders last night.  If you text and drive, facebook and drive, whatever and drive – you are a horrible person.  There is no legitimate use case, there is no excuse; you should lose your license instantly and for life on a single offense.

  • Jort January 23, 2020 (9:18 am)

    “This week” 

  • loady January 23, 2020 (9:27 am)

    @M…Because it’s raining….oh wait it always rains here… I don’t know then. ???

• BB January 23, 2020 (8:19 am)

  Delridge is a parking lot

• Mto January 23, 2020 (8:19 am)

  Use bus lane today!!.

  • PigeonRidgeBen January 23, 2020 (9:01 am)

    Sounds great! Get on a bus, read a book or listen to a podcast, stare at your phone or chat with neighbors and other bus buddies. Strength in numbers! Shared costs, shared benefits! Doing the right thing and reaping the rewards!  #ouroneplanet 

  • Jort January 23, 2020 (10:21 am)

    If you are suggesting that private automobile drivers use the transit-only lane, then that’s a hard no. Socially responsible people who take our buses should not be punished for the irresposible driving of car drivers. Car drivers should suffer from their own errors, and if they don’t like to suffer, then they can take the bus like a responsible person.    

    • Gene January 23, 2020 (1:46 pm)

      Right-drive a car=irresponsible-rant in Jort!

      • zark00 January 23, 2020 (2:28 pm)

        That’s not what Jort said – he said car drivers who get in accidetns should have to deal with their own accidents and not get the benefit of the bus lane to “help them out” when they mess up their own lanes.  That said, the definition of irresponsible being ‘doing things without properly considering their consequences’ – then yeah, just blindly choosing to drive a SOV could easily be called irresponsible behavior.  You could say, but you DID consider the consequences, and still chose to drive.  Then you’d be callous and some other choice words.  So which would you pick?  Irresponsible, or worse?  I ride the bus to Bellevue.  It takes over an hour every morning and evening. IT SUCKS.  I could drive, it would be faster (most of the time) but I don’t HAVE to drive, so simply choosing to would be pretty irresponsible, callous and generally jerk-ish of me to do.  There are people who have to drive, I make room for them, there are people who will never care about their neighbors, I make room for them.  It sucks, don’t get me wrong, I would MUCH rather drive, but I feel like a jerk when I do, so I don’t.  If you feel good about your choice to make everyone else a little less comfortable so that you can be a little more comfortable – I guess you got your answer right there.

        • East Coast Cynic January 23, 2020 (8:48 pm)

          If you have to commute to Bellevue, I wouldn’t blame you for choosing to drive if it saves time, nor should you feel guilty about it. Time saved is the time to have a life. You should use that extra time saved from driving for rest or pleasure. Presumably, if you’re still working when West Seattle link is built, you will hopefully use it to connect to East link and get to and from work in a timely manner.

• Jen January 23, 2020 (8:26 am)

  This is why I’m leaving West Seattle and eventually the state

  • East Coast Cynic January 23, 2020 (8:54 am)

    @Jen, are you leaving for some traffic free nirvana that you could recommend to us West Seattlites?

  • David Clarke January 23, 2020 (9:21 am)

    Right there with you Jen!

    • Jort January 23, 2020 (10:22 am)

      Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!    

  • zark00 January 23, 2020 (2:29 pm)

    Bye – there’s this proverb, something about green grass?

    • John January 23, 2020 (6:06 pm)

      “The grass is always greener where the dogs are sh**ting, oh yeah!” Outshined, by Soundgarden.

• WSB January 23, 2020 (8:29 am)

  SDOT just announced it’s cleared. Updating.

• Zmmr January 23, 2020 (8:53 am)

  How do you people put up with this everyday??

• skeeter January 23, 2020 (9:00 am)

   

  This morning at 7:45A I was biking northbound on
  Delridge.  I was in the bus/bike lane
  next to Youngstown Cultural Center.  Of
  course there was a wall of stopped cars on my left waiting in severe congestion.  Since I was in the bike/bus lane I was moving
  along at a steady 13 or 14 mph.  A car
  driver, tired of waiting in line, suddenly pulled out into the bike/bus lane
  just a few feet in front of me.  I
  slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting the car. 
  The car driver then proceeded to drive down the bike/bus lane
  illegally.  At the very last minute,
  approaching the light at Andover, the driver managed to merge back into the
  correct travel lane after cutting in front of 50 or 60 cars.   Hey car driver, first of all, this is
  exceptionally rude to illegally drive in the bike/bus lane so you can get
  around all the other cars that are waiting their turn.  Second, you almost hit me with your car just
  so you could save three minutes.  I have
  a wife and child who are depending on me getting to work safely. 

  • miws January 23, 2020 (9:49 am)

    Skeeter, I’m glad you are okay,  but, as rude as it was for that idiot to bypass the other auto traffic, I’d certainly give the potential danger to you, and perhaps other cyclists, top billing. —Mike

  • markinthedark January 23, 2020 (9:52 am)

    ^^^ ThisI can’t count the number of times people have driven in bike lanes to get around other cars (e.g., can’t wait for a car turning left). That’s dangerous for us bikers and it’s illegal to drive in a bike lane unless you are turning at an intersection. Even then, the bikers have the right of way. It’s just not worth the risk to others.

  • Jort January 23, 2020 (10:24 am)

    Sorry to hear that, Skeeter. But, keep in mind, this person, like others on this blog who admit to brazenly violating the law, thinks “It’s OK if I do it.” 

• Kera January 23, 2020 (9:04 am)

  I was stuck in the traffic and listened to all of the different honks and analyzed people who blocked the intersections which it wasn’t smart enough and whoever blocked the intersections caused more traffics which it wasnt smart and not showing respect for any emergency vehicles go by. thats so shame! 

  • newnative January 23, 2020 (11:26 am)

    I fully believe “blocking the box” causes most of these back ups on city streets. I have sat on a bus that can’t enter an intersection for 4 light cycles only to watch cars to continue to fill it up and sit blocking the entire 4-way stop. Not to mention they cut off pedestrians, disabled people and bicyclists. 

• Rooster January 23, 2020 (9:19 am)

  7:30 AM. Noticed a lot of standing water eastbound bridge, just past curve near Nucor. Probably the case in other spots too. Be careful out there. 

• MI January 23, 2020 (9:42 am)

  Again with the 99 bus lane – it’s like this almost every day, but these traffic jams just exacerbates the issue… all you need to see (on almost any given day) is the westbound bridge backup onto 99 and the completely clear, zero-traffic 99 Atlantic St exit. 99 bus lane is just stupid counterproductive.

• Shawn January 23, 2020 (9:48 am)

  Just wanted to make clear to folks, the rightmost lane on Avalon going south near the bridge is never general purpose traffic. It is a critically important bus lane during rush hour… After 10am it becomes street parking (a gross waste of public right of way but whatever). If you aren’t parking your car or in a bus, you aren’t allowed in the lane. If you are turning right, cross only at the dashed lines near the turn. Stay out! 

  • riverviewresident January 23, 2020 (1:13 pm)

    I think you mean going northbound on Avalon (down the hill toward the bridge).

    • Shawn January 24, 2020 (10:19 am)

      Yes!  I guess my brain was like “Down is south, right?”… sorry for the confusion.

• sarah January 23, 2020 (9:48 am)

  Bus (21x)was great today, feeling lucky.  I would be so stressed out if I had to drive.

• Anu January 23, 2020 (10:44 am)

  It took the 8:10 116 Express over an hour to get to Pioneer Square. And when we were getting there, I saw two other 116 Expresses… likely the previous two. Oh Seattle… when will your drivers get better at handling the rain?! Sigh.

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