Image by Oran via the STB flickr pool.
- Snow’s sticking around, but some of it has melted and will harden overnight. Roads are likely to be very treacherous tomorrow. Be careful.
- This story about Greyhound passengers stranded by the snow is incredible depressing. Passengers told to go to homeless shelters. Families on the street with no where to go. Yikes
- Carpools by IPhone. Not available here yet.
- Washington State Ferries’ back-up plan for for emergencies is to borrow a car ferry from the Bremerton-Seattle run and to replace it with a foot-ferry. If you take that ferry, on “adverse weather days” make sure you check whether the foot ferry is in service before driving to the terminal.
- If you’re flying home somewhere for Christmas, good luck. You’re going to need it.
- Serial Cat-Owner remembers Paul Weyrich.
- The Olympian supports Intercity Transit’s expansion plan. Unsurprisingly, I’m sure, I do as well.
I hope you’re holding up. I’m, personally, getting a little stir crazy locked at home. With a sick newborn at home, I’m on a short leash.
On the ferries item you might want to clarify that the Bremerton/Seattle run will get a foot ferries if/when one of it’s car ferries is shifted to another run during an emergency. This is because that run has a high number of walk on passengers and good connections to transit. The other runs will “borrow” a car ferry from the Bremerton run if one of their boats goes out of service. It’s unlikely that they will end up with a foot ferry if there is an emergency.
Ok made the change, you’re right it was confusing.
Has anyone ever talked about building a streetcar or a little at-grade light rail system in Olympia? I can imagine a streetcar route along the DASH line, with possibilities for future more LRT-like extensions to Lacey and Tumwater. But I’m guessing that’s kinda far out in the future…
Just got home from a wedding at the Paramount theater. On the way there I saw two newer hybrid articulated buses stuck at ninth by the greyhound station and one on Olive by 9th. On the way home I saw a Gillig trolley (70) with hazards flashing sitting there polls down on the hill by the Seattle times. Behind that a block further north a hybrid articulate 7X was stuck with hazards on.
Downtown streets are packed with ice and at times felt like we were on a dirt logging road with how rough it is. Lots of stupid people in big pick ups and 4×4 vehicles skidding all over the place as well.
Hmm, thanks for the info Donovan. I use the 7Xs to get to work. It sounds like it is still a mess out there, so I’m thinking about working from home again tomorrow.
No problem. Based on what I saw and with all the cancellations I am working from home myself today. Thank god for telecommuting and for me having a job where I can do that.
Traffic on 4th Avenue downtown this evening was awful. Aside from the two articulated buses (one Metro and one ST) stuck on Olive and 9th, which my bus had to drive around to get to I-5, there were 2 buses broken down at the Westlake bus stop. I waited for my bus near the Central Library for 15 minutes and then decided to walk towards Westlake to pass the time. I caught up with the buses that passed me 15 minutes ago. An hour after I left the office, I was on my bus home.
The only good thing was that the sidewalks were cleared of snow most of the way, making walking much easier. I pity those cars on the streets that have been effectively “depaved” by snow and ice. The freeways were in great shape.
wow, closing the doors on your stranded customers!?!?!?!, sending them to a homeless shelter!?!?!?!, having them take a police car to the shelter!?!?!?!, no wonder taking “the bus” has such a stigma attached to it. everyone who rides it says “never again” unless they have no choice.
greyhound is the absolute worst way to travel. while its obvious to most, this just proves it. i have never seen such bad customer service, the whole company just does not give a f***.
I’m glad someone found shelter for the three families (thanks YWCA). Yesterday’s news was telling me that the families were turned away from the homeless shelter because minors aren’t allowed.
“Asked if passengers would at least get refunds, she said she was aware of no plans to do so.” Nice.
My wife and I were in Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday. We went from Mexico city airport (AeroMexico has direct flights there from Seattle) and from there boarded a bus to Puebla. After two days we boarded a bus to Oaxaca City. The buses there were very new/modern European style buses. Comfortable seats and very well designed. They even provided beverage and a snack as well as showing recent movies. Last year we spent 10 days in Bulgaria and the buses were very nice there as well. Neither country has much for rail transit, but at least compared to us they are getting buses right.
Greyhound’ actions are unacceptable and people’s heads should roll for this. However I doubt much will happen since most of their customers are lower income and on the margins of society. People that corporate America will ignore at best.
A further clarification on the ferry item- the ’emergencies’ referred to are not weather emergencies, but the loss of a boat on any other run, which is an emergency for WSF because they don’t have any big boats in reserve.
And if there isn’t a weather emergency, you can drive to the Bremerton dock, learn about the delay, and still drive around through Tacoma in about the same amount of time. But most of the parking is gone so just leaving the car in Bremerton might not be the right choice.
You can see what a genius Carey Bozeman is, getting an underground road built for ferry car traffic that probably shouldn’t exist at all. No wonder Bellevue has skyscrapers.
Well unfortunately, it’s going to exist whether we like it or not, so getting the high speed traffic out of a downtown area is a good idea. And your Bellevue has skyscrapers comment makes no sense.
Maybe it doesn’t make sense to you because you didn’t live in Bellevue before it had skyscrapers.
High speed traffic? That’s a 25 mph limit in Bremerton, mister, and dooon’t you forget it!
My point was, people could drive around or use the Winslow boat for about the same amount of time and money. Most people do, as a matter of fact, and the Bremerton boat almost never has a full car deck. That the ferries still carry cars to Bremerton is a triumph of local boosterism.
No, I mean actually, what does you Bellevue skyscrapers comment mean?