Category Archives: spotted!

Transportation safety, part IV

Near the Kirkland Transit Center, those crosswalk flags we’re experimenting with:

They’re supposed to make pedestrians more visible at dangerous intersections. I’m all for measures that make walking safer (especially since, according to this article, 55 Seattle pedestrians were hit by cars last month), but this one seems a bit impractical. Do people seriously not steal those things?

Along NE 40th Street in Redmond, all the bus stops have two buttons:

The one on the left controls a light, for people waiting in the dark. (I would have said, “for people waiting at night,”except it’s January in Western Washington, and dark is any time of day.) The one on the right controls a bus signal (like those at Montlake and Evergreen Point), so the bus driver knows to stop.

Perhaps one of those would have prevented our mishap on Monday.

Catching up

The end of 2007 was a bit slow for blogging, as I was distracted by my new Chicklet, the holidays, and etc. I intend to get things back on track for 2008. For starters, here are some photos (taken by Bus Nerd) I meant to post over the last few weeks:

Moving furniture on the 27:

And I thought I deserved props for taking a large painting to the framer’s on the 8.

The remains of a hurried bus-stop breakfast:

Bus Nerd has been known to do this, though he tends not to leave his Tupperware behind.

A notice posted at the stop in front of Benaroya Hall:

Starting Saturday, January 5th, bike racks will not be available on some Metro Transit routes and trips. Some bike racks are being removed due to rack operating concerns. Racks will be replaces in the coming weeks as they become available.

This change affects all bus trips on routes 1, 2, 3, 4,10, 12, 13, 14, 36, 49, and 70 and some trips on routes 7, 43, and 44.

For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/metro.

Looks like the three-bike racks aren’t working out as well as planned.

And speaking of the Benaroya stop: Check the new solar-powered trash compactor that has replaced the standard nasty, overflowing can:

Nice.

And finally: a crowded stop near the stadium after the Seattle-Washington playoff game–back when times were still good for Seahawk fans:

Perhaps if folks had ridden the bus to Lambeau on Saturday…

Until next year, gentlemen.

Bus tunnel’s back in business

Yesterday, I hit up the tunnel reopening celebration at Westlake Park.

The first person I ran into was Josh, an old acquaintance from my college days who now works for the city. He was there representing the S.L.U.T.

Which reminds me: We haven’t had a discussion about this controversial transportation project yet. I’d be happy to entertain opinions now, if anyone’s interested. But I digress.

Next, I ran into my favorite transit planner, Jack, who was, per usual, ready with answers to all my “which route will take me…?” questions. He also had a Metro hat with the cool, new county logo. How can I be down, Jack?

Inside the tunnel was cool, too.

The light rail signs were getting me hype.

Here’s one of the warnings about the mirrors:

Danger Alert: Low Bus Mirrors

To be real, though: Despite the cool murals and shiny, clean floors, I have to say, I find the bus tunnel a bit boring. I still don’t understand why Metro and Sound Transit don’t rent out commercial space in there (and, for that matter, at other major stops and transit centers). As a bus rider, I’d love to spend my wait (and, on occasion, my money) at a bus-stop-adjacent newsstand or sandwich shop. Even a convenience store (forgot to buy toilet paper? in need of some Excedrin?) would do.

But even more important than my personal comfort and convenience is the prospect of our transit agencies earning lots of revenue from rents. Maybe then the 27 could run more often and the 194 could run later. OK, so we’re back to my personal comfort and convenience, but hey–a bus chick can dream.

Bus reading

Some of the many books I’ve seen folks reading on buses (and at stops) of late:

10,000 Splendid Suns

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment

Clan of the Cave Bear (I’m ashamed to admit I read this when I was 12.)

The Color of Magic

Diatoms to Dinosaurs: The Size and Scale of Living Things

The Dispossessed (It’s been a minute since I’ve read Le Guin.)

Hamlet

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (times a bazillion)

Hackers and Painters

The Namesake

The Sun Also Rises

Witch Gate

I’m busy reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by the late Jane Jacobs. I just finished Mountains Beyond Mountains, an inspiring book (loaned to me, once again, by my friend Donna) that made me look forward to my bus rides–more than usual, that is–so I could get back to it already. It’s about Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, and one of the most amazing human beings I’ve ever had the privilege to learn about. My next bus book will almost certainly be a novel. (I’ve earned it after three straight nonfiction selections.)

What’s your current bus read?

No shelter (or, “Dude, where’s my bus stop?”)

This morning, I walked out of my house to discover that the two bus shelters on my corner had been removed.

These were no ordinary shelters. They were spacious and attractive, with wood carvings that told the story of the community on their walls. And bus riders actually used them. A lot.

Here’s what one of them used to look like:

My friend Monique (aka Original Glamazon), waiting for the 27

So, the question is, why did Metro remove them? Are they being replaced? The last I heard, we were trying to get more shelters in King County. Why waste money replacing shelters that are perfectly functional, even pleasant? Are they being removed permanently? If so, why? At the very least, we should have seen a “rider alert” message at the stops and/or on Metro’s website.

As if the trash-can removal at our adopted stop wasn’t bad enough. What’s the deal, Metro?

What to do when there aren’t enough seats on the 2

MLKC Metro, part II

I saw this on a 43 while I waited at Montlake this evening:

It’s not the first time I’ve seen the new county logo on a bus, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to get a picture. I dropped my camera at the Bus to Work Day celebration back in March (good thing I won a bike to compensate), so I can only get pictures if Bus Nerd is with me and the lighting is good enough for him to use his phone. But I digress.

I can’t wait until I finally get to ride on a Dr. King bus. With the exception of my phone-camera-toting husband (well, and maybe Original Bus Chick), there’s no one I’d rather travel with.

How to pass the time at a bus stop, part I

Try playing the mandolin:

The picture’s less-than-ideal, as we had a camera phone and were standing on the other side of the street, but our bus-stop musician appeared to be having quite an enjoyable time.