The big thaw is underway, with high temperatures in the mid-40s for the next few days (toasty!). But somehow that’s not improving our transit situation.
The 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 14, and 27 are still suspended, at least on this side of town. The #3 is actually running north from downtown through the steep hills of Queen Anne, but they’re not bothering yet with our neighborhood. You’ll notice that this makes it more than a week without bus service to a very transit-dependent neighborhood. The #48 is the only option, and it’s supposedly running its normal route.
So if you’re trying to get downtown for work or to wait in line at the Macy’s return counter, your best option would be to take the #48 south to Rainier and then transfer to a northbound, and likely packed-to-the-gills #7 bus. Estimated travel time: probably only a couple of hours.
Driving conditions don’t appear to have changed much – there’s still plenty of snow on the ground and packed snow and ice on most routes. 4WD and front-wheel-drive with chains should be able to get around. Others, not so much.
Grrrrr…
If you’re able to walk you could try that. It takes about 30 minutes to walk from 20th & Cherry. Up Cherry, over 18th, and down Pike seems to be the least hilly route for walking downtown.
How are the sidewalks today? Less of a lethal skating rink than in days past? I’m tempted…
I haven’t been to my office in Madrona for several days – hoped the 2 or 3 would be running today but I guess not. What’s the walk like along Union to 34th?
I ditched my car downtown on Dec 15th and haven’t used it since. I live in Miller Park on the north end of the CD and work at the waterfront. I have been walking without incident. Today I could have driven: both Madison and 23rd are very passable, but then I would have had nowhere to safely park. I hoofed it home from downtown instead to work off some of the Christmas Mimosas.
So Madison, headed east from downtown, is clear until Swedish and then passable all the way to 23rd. Looked fine from what I could see down to Madison Valley. However the sidewalks became treacherous again at Madison and Broadway and were a virtual ice rink by the time I got to the 23rd. I saw two women trying desperately to reach Safeway in high heels and laughed out loud. That’s a fast track to a broken ankle or a case of pneumonia. Good grief.
There is no reason why the 11 or 12 isn’t coming up the hill and King County Metro is going to get a nasty Snot-O-Gram from me about it. I am ambulatory, but not every one else is. They need more options for people stuck on the hills.
The walk isn’t bad at all. We’ve been walking up Union from 25th to 34th the last few days and it is still slushy but not icy. You should be just fine!
I don’t quite understand why Metro isn’t running any buses here. It’s a bit too slushy to bike, so I’ve been having to walk around. (Oh, the humanity!)
I can’t vouch for Union, but Cherry is quite clear.
As always, this site is so much more helpful than the PI or Times in terms of information on what conditions are really like out there.
Ditto on the silliness…I don’t understand why at least one of the bus routes can’t make it through. I’m lucky enough to be able to work at home if need be but many of my neighbors have not been able to get to work, or have been working shorter days due to longer commute times, and every day they miss means a smaller paycheck.
I just ran across a link to One Bus Away, which isn’t really functioning very well with the snow routes, but looks handy otherwise. Has anyone here used it? Was it accurate for you?
http://onebusaway.org
Was supposed to end today but since the snow is still here, I’m assuming they won’t issue tickets just yet?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008557438_w
Here is another one:
http://busview.org/busview_launch.jsp
The 14 has been running on Jackson but the waits seem lengthy; even the Tracker often doesn’t show it anywhere. We used Jackson on Christmas Eve to drive to King St Station and it was passable. We live on the downhill slope of the 27 and forget it; we frequently have no bus service. No mail delivery until yesterday and then only because a neighbor called to complain that she was waiting for a delivery of medicine. The paper does come daily; he must come on skis because we don’t hear his car anymore. Our car is stuck down at the lake and can’t make it up the hill yet. We shopped for our neighbor who is afraid to drive in it and shouldn’t be walking in it.