There are going to be new signs and stripes on 15th Ave West by the end of this month and then Seattle Police Department will begin enforcement of the BAT lane restrictions.
The signing and striping work is scheduled to be completed by next weekend and then drivers will have one week to get used to the changes before police begin handing out tickets to violators.
After a community meeting hosted by the Magnolia Community Club and feedback from drivers, the Seattle Department of Transportation is making changes to the controversial BAT lanes. Here is what SDOT tells us:
Parking will now be restricted on weekdays from 7 AM to 6 PM between W Prospect Street and W Lee Street. Parking will be removed at all times between W Lee Street and the Magnolia Bridge entrance. Due to feedback from businesses on Elliott between W Mercer Place and W Lee Street, off-peak parking will be retained with the current peak hour restriction ( 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 6 PM) between W Mercer Place and W Prospect Street.
The BAT lanes have been approved for use by all buses, including school and charter buses and vanpools. They are working with the Port of Seattle to ensure that bus operators are aware that they may use the BAT lanes and they will be providing directions to bus drivers prior to the cruise ship season starting in April at Pier 91.
The BAT lanes will not be open to taxis or carpools.
SDOT will be posting signs encouraging bicyclists to use the parallel Myrtle Edwards Park Trail. However, they say that cyclists are legally allowed to ride in the curb lane along this corridor.
“We expect these changes to significantly improve operations and will continue to closely monitor traffic flow in the area. Signal engineers are continuing to refine the signal timing,” says Eric Widstrand, SDOT.
What do you think? Let us know in comments below.
25 responses so far ↓
1 Valentijn // Feb 20, 2009 at 11:53 am
Finally, a semblance of sanity! Now let’s see if they can get signs up that make it all clear in few enough words that drivers can read them.
2 Charles // Feb 20, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Yes yes and Yes! This is completely the right move by the city for the simple fact that we need to give people a reason to get out of their cars and onto the bus and into vanpools.
I am sure that there will be a wealth of comments below about how 15th is a crowded street and removing one lane of general traffic will only make matters worse. But this is the point people. If you didn’t take your car from Magnolia to downtown everyday and instead rode the bus, you’d see your commute time cut significantly BECAUSE OF THESE LANES.
Yes. It is social engineering. And it is right to do. There is no need for those of us who live so close to downtown to commute there in a car every single day. It’s shameful to do that actually, considering the efficient connections we have to downtown that can get us there in 20 minutes.
And please don’t say that you need to drive because you need to get your kid to daycare or your dog to dogcare the vast majority of people I see driving downtown each weekday are in their cars alone and could easily take the bus.
3 co // Feb 20, 2009 at 2:31 pm
What about the plans to open the BAT lane at West Mercer Place & Elliot for those drivers heading to the Mag bridge? According to the article in the paper last week “There is one major exception. Northbound traffic heading to the Magnolia Bridge and the Galer Street Flyover have been allowed to get into the BAT lane several blocks before the turn. That distance has been extended to the intersection of West Mercer Place and Elliott Avenue West, according to SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan.
4 m // Feb 20, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Still, allowing parking in the BAT lanes at any time at all reduces their effectiveness. If those are bus lanes, then busses should be able use them not only exclusively, but at all times.
5 czb // Feb 20, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Charles, your argument would make sense, but for the fact that non peak-hour bus service (or any hour, really) in the city of Seattle is pathetic. I start work at @ 6 AM and need to transfer once to arrive at my destination. To use Seattle’s pathetic bus system and get to work on time, I would have to leave my house about 90 minutes earlier than if I were to drive. This was never a problem using public transit in the two other major cities where I lived before coming here. Obviously at 5:30 AM the traffic on 15th is not an issue anyway, but it is on the return trip. My point is that I would be the first to rain kudos on the city for improving the transit system, but as far as I can tell, all they’ve done is taken away a couple of traffic lanes and slightly sped up transit time on a few bus lines while the transit system remains bad - likely to get worse with the budgetary shortfall.
6 Sheila // Feb 20, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Charles, please don’t assume anything. Just because someone is in their car alone doesn’t mean that they could have just as easily taken the bus. No one should have to explain to you or anyone else why a car is the only way for them. Bully for you for taking the bus. I wish it were an option for me.
7 kim // Feb 20, 2009 at 8:42 pm
why wasn’t this vetted out before? how much more of OUR tax money is again wasted? there are complete idiots running this city it seems!
8 t. fergeson // Feb 20, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Right on Charles! I couldn’t agree more. The more steps we take as a city to encouraging people to ride public transit, the better the system will get. The proximity of Magnolia to downtown Seattle was a major reason my wife and I chose to live here. It’s mind-blowing to see intensity of some people’s reactions when the convenience of their car commute is challenged.
9 Valentijn // Feb 21, 2009 at 9:42 am
Well, Sheila, if you’re not going to give a reason for why the bus is not an option, it’s hard to have any sympathy for you or offer helpful suggestions. I do everything by bus, and have managed to survive. It’s not too hard to find any service I might need pretty close to a Magnolia bus line. 1 transfer typically adds 15 minutes to a trip, but is probably even less during rush hours when buses run much more frequently.
Saying it’s not an option and stating you don’t have to say why creates the image of a rather spoiled rich Magnolian that we were all expecting. Better off saying nothing at all really.
10 FB // Feb 21, 2009 at 11:46 am
I used public transportation in Chicago for years rather than taking my car into the city. I took the el and the commuter train, depending on my schedule. The el was cheap, the train was cushy and more direct so faster. The train was always on time, on the dot really, and the el ran frequently, so there was never more than a 5-10 minute wait for the next one.
Here, the bus is not reliable. It may be 10 minutes early or 30 minutes late. I figured that being at the bus stop early to avoid missing it and waiting for it when it was late contributed to a 40- minutes/day cost versus driving myself. that’s 3+hours a week. That is time that comes directly from my kids and spouse. Do you know what I can accomplish in 40 minutes?
Public transportation has to be at least somewhat close to driving in terms of efficiency and cost. The city seems to want to make the two comparable by making driving and parking more difficult, rather than by improving the reliability of public transport. The BAT lanes may speed the busses up, which is good, but the busses need to be at the stops reasonably close to their schedules before I’ll be willing to use them regularly.
11 magnano // Feb 21, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Will we be able to use the Bat lanes heading south in the AM at any interval…eg bridge to Lee street like now? Also, Who OK’d Mercer to be 2 way traffic. How did that get passed? I don’t recall getting to vote on that? Mayor Nickel’s needs to listen to others, not just Paul Allen.
12 SeattleRichardson // Feb 21, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Great points FB!
13 czb // Feb 21, 2009 at 11:04 pm
FB is right on the mark. I didn’t even own or need a car before moving to Seattle, despite living much farther from my work and working similar odd hours (also in Chicago). Seattle’s public transit system is a joke if you absolutely need to be somewhere at a certain time and don’t have hours of wiggle room to use as insurance. The end result of BAT lanes is a couple of empty lanes, worse traffic and bus service that is marginally faster on a couple of lines. Fill those lanes with buses running more regularly during expanded hours and I would be the first to be on board.
14 Curmudgeon // Feb 22, 2009 at 8:48 am
I wish they would do something about all of the southbound school busses that overflow the left turn lane for the Magnolia Bridge. Every morning they fail to clear the left lane of 15th and cause confusion and backups. That turn lane should be much longer.
15 t. fergeson // Feb 22, 2009 at 8:59 am
FB,
I think it’s wrong to compare Seattle’s public transit system to those in the largest cities in the US - Chicago, NY, and LA. Obviously, the systems in those cities are going to be more developed, reliable, etc. Compare what we have to Milwaukee or Nashville, as we are much closer in terms of population to those cities.
Also, your 40min wait is an extreme, not a day-to-day realistic expectation. In your argument you take that number and figure it’s like that every day of the week. It leads me to question how frequently you actually try riding the bus here. During peak times I haven’t waited more than 10-15min after the posted time, and the bus is rarely more than 5min early (during those times). In fact, it often waits at stops (like over by the gas station near disco park)to make sure that doesn’t happen. Oh, and you don’t even account for you time you spend driving to and from work, AND sit in traffic.
These are the same, tired arguments people use as they cling tightly to the convenience of their car.
16 Valentijn // Feb 22, 2009 at 9:45 am
A 40 minute wait is very during rush hour - buses are running every 10-20 minutes on most routes, hence they still come every 10-20 minutes even if they’re all technically late.
The only time Metro really drops the ball is when Mariners games get out during rush hour. The results border on catastrophic, but fortunately it’s a rare occurrence and easy to predict and plan around once the game schedules are known.
I have never had a bus more that 1-2 minutes early in 4 years of nearly daily travel. If you know of one leaving a timepoint 10 minutes early, I suggest contacting Metro about it, since they’re pretty good about fixing that sort of thing.
17 I understand but... // Feb 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I don’t use public transportation except for 1 or 2 times a year. Having read the discussion I decided to try the Trip Planner (http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/cgi-bin/itin_page.pl?resptype=U) on the Metro website to see how long it would take to get downtown to the Central Library. I picked a Monday at 8 and at 12. Duration at 8, 20 minutes. Duration at noon, 30 minutes. To walk to the bus stop at 8, 2 minutes and at noon, 10 minutes. I’m up to 22 minutes and 40 minutes. Add 5 minutes to get there early (although I’d probably be there 10 just in case). Now we’re at 27 minutes and 45 minutes one way. Cost: Assuming I’m within the time frame to use a transfer the fee is $3.25 for 1 adult, 2 kids (which I now realize I should have put another day in as my kids are in school on Mondays…)
For the 8 peak transportation, I would possibly use it but for a mid day commute…no way. And I could talk myself out of the 8 one as well. Time frame is about the same as a car (car would be faster but one has to take into account circling the block for parking). If I get lucky and park on the street the cost is about the same (if I limit the browsing). I don’t need to feel like a sardine in a packed bus that stinks, squeals, and gives me motion sickness. I can even stop for Starbucks on the way without having to get off the bus, walk across a busy street and then wait till I finish my drink before getting on the bus again. I know, I know, I’m getting some of you very angry and heated right now…I’m just trying to be honest…and NO, I’m not a wealthy SUV driving, manicured nails, perfect hair, diamond wearing woman. I live in one of the MANY small houses in Magnolia which it seems many bloggers forget about.
18 Valentijn // Feb 22, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Why do you have to walk 10 minutes to get to the bus at noon? The same stops are being covered as at 8am, just slower if you have the 19 at rush hour. Try a trip leaving at 11:45am instead of noon, and/or limit your walking option to 1/4 mile. Then you should get a trip starting at your closer bus stop, that doesn’t really take any longer. Some people also park at 28th and Blaine, where you can then catch any 24, 19, or 33 going downtown, without bothering with all the winding around Magnolia stuff the 24 does.
Regarding cost, you should also take into account the cost of gasoline when you drive, and other expenses associated with using a car frequently.
5 minutes early is also a bit silly, after the first time or two. 10 minutes is absurd, any time. Use the online tracker before you leave if you’re OCD about that sort of thing. It tells you if your bus is running early or late, and by how many minutes. But here’s a useful hint: buses starting in Magnolia are on time 99.9% of the time - they don’t have any traffic conditions making them late or early before they cross the bridge.
Regarding coffee: crossing streets downtown is quite safe and easy. Bus drivers don’t care what drink you bring on the bus, so long as it has a cover and isn’t alcohol.
Busing once or twice a year doesn’t give you sufficient experience to declare it impractical. It takes a couple months of frequent use to really get any good at it. It’d be nice if Metro made that a bit easier (ie, showing schedules leaving 5 minutes earlier than your desired departure time on the tripplanner, instead of later ones only), but it’s certainly doable. I vastly prefer taking the bus downtown to riding with family in a car. It’s usually faster, easier, and/or cheaper.
19 Daphne // Feb 23, 2009 at 2:18 pm
My bus commute time along 15th/Elliot improved *drastically* with the current BAT lane implementation (#15 until January when I moved, now #18 ). Used to get caught in traffic for 45 minutes on the bus, now takes only about 20 minutes to get from 80th to lower Queen Anne.
It has also improved my bike commute–when I’m in a hurry and don’t go through Fremont.
20 Magnolia? // Feb 24, 2009 at 5:40 am
This is an odd read. Arguing over commuting? It’s an option, just like many other things in this country. Fare, not fare….having to explain choices…. when did we become the judges of everything? Good grief people.
Short and long - read the signs and follow them, whether you’re you travel in a car, bus, bike, horse or tennis shoe.
Sheesh…. would it kill us to be a little kinder?
21 nae // Feb 24, 2009 at 7:50 am
I drive down 15th everyday to get to SODO. My observation is that even when that lane was open to cars, no one drove in it. Everyone here sticks in one lane for some insane reason.. I always move over past 15 cars into an empty lane.. It astounds me. ANYWAYS… I Carpool with my husband everyday from Mag to SODO. Taking the bus would be STUPID. The bus fare would cost us more money than my car costs in gas, it requires a transfer and takes more than twice as long. Not to mention the weather makes standing outside suck. So i carpool 4 miles each way, each day to work. WOW what a NON impact i am having compared to the people driving in from Tacoma, or Mill Creek or Lynnwood… Everyone i work with does this.. This is the problem. NOt the people who are smart enough to live near thier work.. If we pay so much to have work and home close… lets us drive without your grief..
I have a 7 year old car with 42k. so i drive about 6,000 miles a year. That is NOTHING!!
22 Valentijn // Feb 24, 2009 at 10:39 am
The 24 goes straight through the Sodo area as the 131 and 132. No transfers required.
23 Pearly White // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:13 pm
It gets mne that people think they have to leave a reason why they cant take the bus. How about at certain locations, the bus is soooo packed that when someone gets on, they have to stand the entire way to work. And if they are elderly or have a bad back, then they are out of luck. What about the single mother (or father) that has only 10 hours to leave a child (BY LAW) at a day care. That gives him/her less than 1.5 hours (if they only take a 30 min lunch to pick up both kids, take a bus to and from work. Not that much time when you think about it! NOT ALL PEOPLE DECIDE NOT TO TAKE A BUS BECAUSE IT DOESNT SUIT THEM, SOME PEOPLE ARE FORCED NOT TO!!!!!
24 Valentijn // Feb 24, 2009 at 7:07 pm
And a lot of other people with the same problems and fewer resources manage it every day. Sure, it’s their choice - but the cries that it’s impossible for THEM and too much hassle for THEM leave me wondering why they think they’re so different than the people with the same difficulties that manage to survive busing every day.
Say you don’t want to do it, don’t tell us it’s not possible, if you’re so opposed to being told that it IS possible.
25 emjay // Feb 25, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I wish I worked downtown and could take the bus, but I don’t. My work location and/or schedule doesn’t allow me the LUXURY of taking the bus, so I drive. If you think every car on 15th or Elliott is headed to work downtown, you’re simply ignorant. It would be interesting to conduct a study to find out how many of those cars go across Mercer (which they’re gonna reduce the capacity of!) headed for the freeway, or go onto the viaduct at Western (which they’re gonna eliminate!) headed for points south. I sure hope that the new administration in DC offers Mayor Knucklehead a new job. And then, hopefully he’ll take Jan Drago with him! Mebbee she can walk to work in DC!!!!
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