About the Blogger
I'd like to use some space to tell you a little bit about myself so you can best understand where I'm coming from, what my purpose is in writing this blog, and to share some of my feelings regarding traffic in Seattle.
I'm 25 years old and live in a small house (actually a converted garage) in the Seattle area (North King County) with my wife, dog, four ferrets, and an aquarium full of water critters. For a living I design control systems for a large construction equipment manufacturer in Redmond. I earned my Bachelor's degree in EE from Seattle Pacific University in 2002.
To get right down to it, sitting in traffic is one of the few things that really frustrates me. I'd sooner take a route that is 50% longer but allows me to keep moving than spend half the drive motionless on the freeway. Unfortunately here in Seattle it seems that traffic is bad and only getting worse. Granted, we're no Los Angeles, but even so, consider our four major freeways:
- I-5 is slammed for hours every morning and evening, even with the express lanes, and just forget about trying to get downtown on a weekend afternoon.
- I-405 gets hosed throughout rush hour to the point that it's little more than a parking lot.
- I-90 crawls across the lake, with the express lanes offering little relief.
- SR-520 maxes out even earlier, and seems like it could sink any time we get a little rain and wind.
- SR-522 around the lake? Slammed.
- Alaskan Way Viaduct? Too short and falling apart.
Of course, the government only carries part of the blame for our region's traffic woes. You are also responsible. Every time you find yourself sitting motionless on the freeway, you are part of the problem. Traffic is really the result of the choices that we have all collectively made regarding where we live, work, and play. Of course, there are many good reasons that people live and work where they do, not the least of which is the issue of housing affordability, but it is still your choice. Nobody held a gun to your head and forced you to live in Everett even though you work downtown.
Until recently I worked in Monroe. My commute was 18 miles each way, mostly on SR-522, but took me only about 25 minutes since all the traffic was going the opposite direction. Since starting my new job in Redmond traffic has become more of an issue for me, so I recently began riding an electrically-assisted bicycle to work. Not only does this free me from so-called "fossil fuel," but it also allows me to breeze along almost the entire way on the Burke-Gilman / Sammamish River Trail. By car in moderate traffic the drive takes around 45 minutes—on bicycle: about 50 minutes. Five extra minutes each way plus a little exercise, and never worrying about traffic is well worth it to me.
To sum up, even though I am not often personally affected by Seattle's nasty traffic, I still see it as an increasing problem with no easy solutions. I offer this blog as a forum where we can vent about the problem, discuss related news, and work together to find a way out.
8 comments:
"I-90 crawls across the lake, with the express lanes offering little relief."
I commute from Issaquah to downtown each and ever day, and I don't see this crawl at all. I'm usually carpooling, and the express lanes are virtually empty across the lake. I have literally never seen a crawl on the bridge in the express lanes except for the day the water was crashing over the sides due to high winds.
The regular lanes can get a little jammed, but still nothing overly terrible. Even as a single driver, I can get from Exit 18 to I-5 in about 23 minutes on a normal day. That's about a 47mph average. Granted, that isn't absolutely optimal, but it's very doable and certainly is not rage-inducing.
Oh, I've sat in that I-90 crawl many times. My drive from Bellevue to Seattle was hardly complete without it. Starting at about Bellevue Way at 6:30-7 pm, it would sometimes take 30 to 45 minutes just to reach I-5. I don't miss that at all!
Carol, I was speaking as a work commuter. But I still submit that the "I-90 crawl" is the exception, not the rule. At the times you are referring to, aren't the express lanes usually going the other way?
genie?
Nick, the express lane is going the other way. However, that doesn't seem to help the other side much, at least from what I've seen.
And that was my work commute. I started later in the morning and got off later, just to avoid traffic. It worked in the morning, but my commute home was usually pretty horrid.
"Nick, the express lane is going the other way. However, that doesn't seem to help the other side much, at least from what I've seen.
And that was my work commute. I started later in the morning and got off later, just to avoid traffic. It worked in the morning, but my commute home was usually pretty horrid."
Maybe it's changed, then. I leave Issaquah Highlands at 7AM and leave Seattle between 4:30-5:00PM every day. In the carpool lanes, it's a complete breeze 19 days out of 20. In the regular lanes, it's slower, but by no means catastrophic.
(I do often pity the poor fools who have to get off on 405, though)
Hmm, maybe it has, Nick. It's been about six months since I had to make that commute.
(I do often pity the poor fools who have to get off on 405, though)
You and me both!
I would like to ask for your opinion on the feasability of riding a motor assisted bike from Magnuson Park in Seattle to Microsoft's main campus in Redmond. What route would you take if you think it is doeable?
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