(Illustrated Traffic Violations from Seattle Municipal Archives. Everyone in the Seattle MB Flickrpool!)

When I was walking from the parking deck to my office the other day, I ran into a co-worker who had also just commuted in. He noted that it only took him 10 minutes to come down I-5 from north Seattle. In a normal morning rush hour, it’s usually 20-40 minutes, maybe more. I noted the same thing too — the traffic on I-5 has been a lot lighter the last few months, almost like it’s the vacation season in August, not the middle of a cold, rainy spring.

Meanwhile, the long-route buses are overcrowded.

Are we finally seeing the seeing the effects of gas approaching $4/gallon here? Are people changing their habits? Or am I imagining it?

Over the next 3 years, Metro will replace aging signs with new ones that include larger lettering, more route information including how to get to SeaTac, and possibly color coding. Also included in the upcoming changes:

• As each bus stop gets its new route signs, it also will get and display an identifying number. Stops already are numbered by Metro, but the numbers aren’t publicly displayed. Once they are, riders will be able to call Metro, give the number of the stop they’re at and get schedule information.

• There will be “enunciators” on the buses by 2010. A recorded voice will tell riders what the next stop is, which Larson said will be a huge boon to the visually impaired.

• Also by 2010, a sign inside each bus will scroll through the stops as the bus travels its route so riders will know what the next stop is.

Source article.

Tuesday Morning, Bus #15

Pretty quiet/crowded bus as per usual. No bums. No smelly people. Just the morning grinders getting to work. At around Pioneer Square…

SFX: Knock. Knock. (coming from the roof of the moving bus.)

People look up.

SFX: Knock. Knock. Knock.

People look up again. I get off.

Me to my single-serving bus companion, who I see daily and now we talk when appropriate: Did you hear that knocking sound?

Single-serving bus companion: No. On the bus?

Me: Yeah, it was coming from the roof.

Single-serving bus companion: Someone really wanted to get on, huh?

Me: I guess.  

In this week’s Seattle Times traffic Q&A column, a man is “infuriated” at having to spend what amounts the price of a latte for a small plastic transponder shield for his car.

“Now, I do not care if folks choose to self-tax themselves to shave a few minutes off of their daily commute,” MacLean said, “but I am absolutely infuriated that the [state Transportation Department] chose to require vehicles with transponders to also purchase transponder shields when traveling in the HOV lane as a legitimate car pool.”

Serious business folks.

12:35 pm on a Wednesday. Bus #23, which turned into #17:

A bastard and his stupid girlfriend walk on the bus.

Bastard: Who you calling?

Girlfriend: What do you care?

Bastard: Remember this. People should call you. If they don’t, then cut them out of your life. Remember that, you hear me?

Girlfriend: Yes. I’ll remember.  

A crazy woman enters the bus. Someone immediately opens a window.

Crazy woman, talking to herself: Good. Open that window. Those people smell. Someone should tell them. Because it’s not me. I’m not the one stinkin’ up this bus. It’s them. Someone should tell them to get off this bus already.

The bastard and stupid girlfriend get off the bus at the next stop. Two old Russian women enter. One of them has obviously just peed herself. I am sitting across from her, getting ready to get off the bus.

Russian women: dakjflajdlfjadsjf;ajdsfjaksdjflajdlfj (That’s supposed to be Russian)

Bus driver: Man, I was gonna take today off.

True Story.

MSN Money mentions Seattle in an article about reducing cars per household. An interesting read. Here is the relevant portion:

Local governments around the country are encouraging residents to ditch their unneeded vehicles. Arlington, Va., Denver and Dayton, Ohio, are all starting programs designed to take cars off their roads. Under Seattle’s “One Less Car Challenge,” residents who successfully go on a monthlong car diet get discounted memberships to bicycle clubs and — for those who actually get rid of a vehicle — up to $600 in credit to a car-sharing program.

Metblogs author Patricia posted about the “One Less Car Challenge“. If you’re interested in saving an average $8,580 per year (or $715 (average) for the month), check it out. It’s not too late.

Zipcar
Metro
Sound Transit
Rideshare

While this won’t really work for me, as I just bought a new car, if you’re thinking of getting rid of your car, or switching to an alternate mode of transportation temporarily or permanently, the city of Seattle wants to help you by giving you some incentives.

If you commit to going carless for a month, you can get a $20 voucher towards a bus pass or gear from REI. You can also join Cascade Bicycle Club for $10 off the usual fee. If you commit to getting rid of your car (or going an entire year without driving it), you can get a $200 voucher and free membership at Cascade Bicycle Club and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

If you’re planning on doing this, post about it in the comments and keep us posted on how you’re doing!

How do you merge? There’s a big “to-do” on the Seattle Times Rant and Rave column today. Read on:

“Drivers coming into traffic are supposed to drive to the end of the merge lane and then you are to alternate with the flow of traffic. If everyone in the region could simply learn this proper rule of the road driving around here would be a lot less aggravating!”

“As a former Bay Area, Calif., driver, the inability of Washington drivers to understand this concept is dumbfounding!”

“Seattle drivers are just too polite.”

“Perhaps we need to again publish proper merging principles in our media — just a thought!”

Nick Licata, co-chair of the Seattle City Council Pedestrian Safety Committee has invited the citizens of Seattle to help improve pedestrian safety by sending in photos of dangerous intersections. As stated by Licata:

The information provided by citizens will be used, together with other sources of information and engineering judgments, to develop priorities in improving pedestrian safety. Suggesting changes or improvements to an intersection or a crosswalk does not mean that the City will make the suggested changes or improvement because the changes may not be warranted under existing standards or because the City’s professional engineering staff may not agree that changes are needed.

To submit your entries:

• Email your digital photos to my legislative assistant at frank.video@seattle.gov. In the subject line type: “Critical Crossings”.
• Name the cross streets of each intersection you submit, i.e. “Slowpoke Avenue North and Busy Boulevard Southwest”.
• Include any comments you wish to make about each intersection you submit.
• Let me know if you want to post your email address next to your photo so others can contact you.
• Submit images in JPG or GIF format. The image should be 640 x 480 pixels or larger. To insure quality, images smaller then 640 x 480 pixels will not be posted on this site.

If you are interested in information about legislation, projects and general issues impacting pedestrian safety, you can sign up to receive my pedestrian safety bulletins by emailing robin.matisse@seattle.gov. In the subject line type: “Add to pedestrian safety list.”

Source

I heart the bus system. There are definitely major faults with it, like the fact that if you don’t know Seattle you most likely won’t have a clue as to what to take, the handy pamplets they provide don’t show all the stops and the drivers don’t always tell you when that next stop will be.

But besides that, I love it! (Especially the 2 and 15)

Take this morning for example, when I actually fell asleep on the 15. I do this from time to time, when I’m just too tired to read (Smart Women Finish Rich) or listen to my podcast (Keith and the Girl). But on those times that I do close my eyes, I usually am half awake and well aware when my stop is coming.

Today was not that day.

Luckily, the nice man next to me tapped my shoulder, probably because I was drooling on him. But also to warn me that we were at Pike Place, in case I had to get off there. I assured him no, but thanks for your concern and went back to sleep, this time with my ipod turned on full blast to Ratatat so that I couldn’t really be in dream mode.

When I opened my eyes, a few seconds before hitting my stop, the kind man was gone. But not forgotten.

Thanks random dude, on the 15. You weren’t crazy, but nice. You didn’t smell of alcohol and you didn’t ask me for change or get too close to my personal space. You were the perfect bus companion and I hope we can ride together again. If anything, so you can be my alarm clock on those sleepy mornings.