Seattle without a Car (Shoreline: 2015, transfer, neighborhood)

[domabozo]

is it doable , If someone mix ( Biking / Walking ) to integrate with Metro / Bus ?

how is the coverage of buses and light rail ? are they regular and frequent ?

are biking and walking possible in Seattle winter ?

[BATCAT]

Question 1: It COMPLETELY depends on where you live and what your transportation needs are.

Question 2: They are, in some areas. In others, they are neither.

Question 3: Sometimes unpleasant, butalmost always possible.

As a general rule, if you live either a)in or around the city itself or b)on or near major bus/rail routes, then it is pretty easy to get by without a car. If neither apply, then it ranges from somewhat inconvenient to unmanageable.

I lived for around ten years in the Capitol Hill and Queen Anne areas without a car, working most of that time either downtown, South Lake Union, or places close to the main bus routes, and I found it very easy indeed. Shopping was no problem.

If I lived in, say, Shoreline and worked in West Seattle for those years, I'd probably have been unhappy with it.

[mike62pp3]

If you search for this on the forum you will find several posts related to this:

Living in Seattle without a car
Potentially Working in Downtown Seattle, No Car
Is it necessary to have a car?
Living downtown Seattle with no car
living car free in Seattle with young children
Anybody in Seattle live without a car? How easy is it?

[Hemlock140]

Even for those of us living on the eastside there are many options for using public transportation. I have co-workers in Seattle that walk or ride bikes to work all year. It can get tricky on a rare snow day 2-3 times a year. Unfortunately in September there will be some major cuts in the bus service, and again in 2015. That will definitely make a difference since routes less heavily used will be reduced in frequency or eliminated. In general, commute times are being maintained but later evenings cut. In some cases routes will be cut completely. Taking a bike on the bus can be problematic, since they can only take 2-3 and often people have to wait for the next bus if the racks are already full.



Financial Stability & Sustainability - About Metro - King County Metro Transit

[CrazyDonkey]

Looks like the City will be putting a measure on the ballot to limit in-city transit cuts, so the biggest impacts of the cuts will likely be in the County.

Transit service in the city's core areas is excellent, with many of the routes electric trolleybuses. Light rail currently runs between downtown and the airport, but is being extended under Capitol Hill to the U District. Best living-without-a-car areas: Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, U District, Ballard.

A major resource for bike riders is the Burke-Gilman Trail. If an avid cyclist, it is worthwhile checking out locations with easy access to it.

[JBVirtuoso]

Your ability to live here without a car depends on sooooooo many factors. Here are a few:

1. Will you be working downtown? In a Seattle neighborhood? In a suburb?
2. Have you lived without a car before in another city?
3. What's your patience level for waiting?
4. Will you have a job that requires you to stick to a certain schedule?
5. Can you tolerate being outside during any weather?
6. Are you okay with walking and biking on hills?
7. Do you have kids or pets?

Living in Seattle without a car is doable. I get along just fine myself - I live in Capitol Hill and bike to work in Fremont. I walk to the grocery store, drugstore, restaurants, and bars, and use the bus only if I need to dress up or don't want to carry my bike helmet around.

But this sort of lifestyle is more difficult in Seattle than in many other large cities in the US. Seattle is bike-friendly, but it's outright hostile to pedestrians, and transit here is a complete disaster that will only become worse after the cuts begin in September. That said, living without a car isn't the easiest thing in any city, even in places like NYC and Boston that are pedestrian-friendly and have good transit. This is why I asked if you've done this before - there's a certain amount of inconvenience that you'll have to be willing to deal with.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by domabozo

is it doable , If someone mix ( Biking / Walking ) to integrate with Metro / Bus ?

how is the coverage of buses and light rail ? are they regular and frequent ?

are biking and walking possible in Seattle winter ?

Doable. Buses generally run every 20 minutes. Some--every 1/2 hr. Some routes--only once/hr. on Sundays.
But it's still doable. I did it for 20 years. It helps to live in a walkable neighborhood.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Doable. Buses generally run every 20 minutes. Some--every 1/2 hr. Some routes--only once/hr. on Sundays.
But it's still doable. I did it for 20 years. It helps to live in a walkable neighborhood.

Frequent All-Day Routes run every 15 minutes or less weekdays:

Seattle: 2 (Cap Hill), 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 21, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 48, 49, 70

South County: 120, 150

East County: 245, 255, 271, 545, 550,

RapidRide lines run about every 10 to 15 minutes weekdays: A, B, C, D, E, F

Light rail runs every 7.5 to 15 minutes.

I live a block from the #44 line, which runs close to every 10 minutes, connecting Ballard and the U District. I transfer most frequently to the #40 and D-Line. Most of the time I don't bother to check the schedule - I just go.

[Malloric]

Originally Posted by domabozo

is it doable , If someone mix ( Biking / Walking ) to integrate with Metro / Bus ?

how is the coverage of buses and light rail ? are they regular and frequent ?

are biking and walking possible in Seattle winter ?

I didn't have one for most of the time. Zip Cars was a little more reasonable priced then, but not a huge deal considering I rarely used it. Rarely used public transit either. Seattle, especially downtown area, is really small. Usually walked to work and biked other places. From either Belltown or Capitol Hill it was about a 15-20 minute walk so transit/biking just really wasn't worthwhile.

Get some studded tires and you'll do better than the cars on the freak days it snows enough to accumulate on the ground. Just watch out for the cars sliding around. I had to hop a curb and ride up a driveway once when a car coming downhill at my started sliding out of control and hopped the curb.

[domabozo]

That is great news to hear . I had a bad experience in DFW without a car and that is one of main reasons for moving to SEA