[UPDATE 5:10am: Pierce Transit announced that they are NOT operating snow routes anymore.]

Metro sent out pretty much the same message tonight as last night. The forecast is for weather similar to today’s, although slightly warmer. Metro will make the call on routes canceled by 4am tomorrow.

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[UPDATE 5:51am: Martin reads the canceled routes as: 38, 44, 45, 51, 53, 76, 77, 79, 110, 210, 219, 266, 513, 532, 981, 982, 983, 984, 986.

Pierce Transit remains on snow routes.]

All Metro buses are on snow reroutes this morning. Metro says that some routes may be canceled due to the weather, and to check their site for updates.

Some Sound Transit Express buses are planning on skipping some stops, but the planning here doesn’t seem to be as rigorous as Metro’s.

Link light rail was unaffected by the snow Monday and that will probably remain unchanged today. The trains were ran overnight to prevent ice from building on the overhead wires that deliver power to the cars.

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My impressions are that Metro did a good job today of communicating snow routes and various changes as the day went on. The agency came off as organized, prepared, and all on the same page. Moving every route to a snow route set the appropriate expectations for riders and helped minimize confusion. Drivers were jovial and professional.

Improved communication will not wipe away severely inclement weather and our collective inability to commute through it. While Monday gave us a chance to all sigh about how our bus came at a random time in the morning or how the afternoon was a complete mess, the only response to those complaints we love to share is that there is no fix. Snow will hurt transportation in Seattle. More rail would help, but rail has also its own problems. The way to avoid getting snared in gridlock when it snows: don’t commute.

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@myballard: Wow, Seattle Police just told @KIRO7Seattle that 200 Metro buses are stuck in the snow.

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Seattle Weekly: Light Rail Kicks Metro’s Butt in the Snow.

In short, the trains have been running absolutely normally — seven to 15 minutes apart, with no added travel time.

That doesn’t necessarily mean light-rail riders never have to worry about inclement weather. Patrick says freezing rain presents a particular danger due to the overhead electrical system used by the trains. If ice forms on the wires, that could cause a breakdown.

But Patrick says there is a solution: Sound Transit can run the trains all night long, rather than stopping them between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. as usual. That should keep the ice from building up.

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@mckoss: bus jack knife across the 520 bridge

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@SoundTransit: Link light rail trains will run all night to keep the tracks clear. Passenger srvc ends @ 1.

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@westseattleblog: Metro says full service even on snow routes will be impossible tomorrow so their advice is STAY HOME STAY HOME STAY HOME

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Seattle Times, The long, long bus ride home to West Seattle:

Four hours after he boarded the No. 22 downtown, he was reading through a circular and wondering if the Mariners were in fact seriously interested in trading for the Diamondbacks’ outfielder Justin Upton. We all just hoped we’d reach West Seattle by the time any deal might be consummated.

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University of Washington: The UW Seattle and Tacoma campuses have suspended operations and canceled classes for Tuesday.

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@seattletimes: I-5: Seattle’s newest parking lot http://seati.ms/hO1kkk

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CHS Capitol Hill Seattle, 11:06PM – Olive Way: Bus graveyard – From Darcy:

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@seatransitblog: The degree to which you can continue to live normally with weather like this is a rough measure of your transportation sustainability.

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This move should surprise no one.

Bravo Metro: your drivers have been heroic, and your rider communications have been top notch (allowing for inferior bus location equipment).

Never fear bus riders: OneBusAway wasn’t ready for this storm, but should be ready for the ones that actually occur in the winter.

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20 people aboard, no serious injuries. The TNT is all over it.

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Update 3:40 pm: Metro just announced they’re staying on snow routes the rest of the day.

Update 2:30 pm: Some ST bus routes are delayed. It’s all tracked here.

Update 11:10 am: All Pierce Transit buses on snow routes.

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It looks like Metro made the right call last night to plan on AM snow, as snow is down and sticking in many areas of Seattle. All Metro routes remain on their snow routes. Route 90 — a snow-only route — is currently operating with 3 buses an hour. Link light rail seems somewhat unaffected thus far.

So far — and we’re still early in what could be a cold, icy week — Metro is having a pretty good performance. This is a far cry from the chaos of Snowpocolypse 2008. Metro will be severely challenged, however, if the slush on roads freezes tonight as some expect.

For OneBusAway users: Metro has further taken the step of shutting down real-time data to services like OneBusAway, since the data is inaccurate when buses are on reroute.

Tell us how things are for you in the comments.

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[UPDATE 6:10am: No change to Community Transit’s service this morning.]

[UPDATE 7:53pm: ST Routes 545 and 560 also will miss some stops in Seattle.]

Here’s Metro’s full press release on the subject. Money quote:

“We decided Sunday night to be proactive, even though we know how unpredictable snowfall can be in King County,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “We would rather be over prepared than have buses stuck on regular routes during the middle of a snowy commute in the morning or afternoon.”]

In a pre-emptive move, Metro just announced that all routes will use their snow routing on Monday morning. Take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with your route’s snow route.

Updates will be at Metro’s adverse weather page. We’re told that more information will follow, so check back here.

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By DON KOSTELEC

“Straddled that Greyhound and rode him into Raleigh, and on across Caroline.”

–Chuck Berry, The Promised Land

Without a single proposition for change or a smoke, I reached the Greyhound terminal in downtown Raleigh an hour before my scheduled departure with one goal in mind: For a modest $5 fee, Greyhound allows you to purchase a priority boarding pass. It’s the closest they can come to a First Class ticket.

The total fare was $60, which when compared to a $300 one-way rental car rate seemed to be a fiscally sensible choice for travel home to Asheville on the company’s dime.

I’m armed only with my computer bag, a bus ticket, various gadgets, snack food and advice from my friend James: “Sit near the front. The weirdos sit in the back, plus you have to deal with the noisy engine and the stench from the bathroom. If anything happens the driver probably has a gun or some type of self defense training.”

Yep, it’s a bargain at $5.

Continues after the jump. Continue reading “Ridin’ Dirty: An Enlightening Journey on America’s Intercity Bus System”

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