How is Mass Transit in Seattle? (Tacoma, Bellevue: appointed, home, construction)

[41Willys]

I plan on moving to Bainbridge and will be dependit on mass transit for a little while. Taxis/Buses. Is it comparable to NYC?

[mlv311]

I've lived in several cities, including NYC, Boston, and DC, and I don't think Seattle's public transportation system is comparable to those three, primarily because it doesn't have a subway system. The buses are overall reliable although the frequency of service is not as good as in NYC. If you have to travel during rush hour, you'll face the same commuter problems of others using the HOV lanes (i.e., significant delays and no way around it).

[41Willys]

Originally Posted by mlv311

I've lived in several cities, including NYC, Boston, and DC, and I don't think Seattle's public transportation system is comparable to those three, primarily because it doesn't have a subway system. The buses are overall reliable although the frequency of service is not as good as in NYC. If you have to travel during rush hour, you'll face the same commuter problems of others using the HOV lanes (i.e., significant delays and no way around it).

Good rain gear and the mountain bike it is then! Rush hour anywhere stinks. Some places worst then others though off hours. Ive been to Cali a few times and theres traffic every hour of the day! Granted mid town Manhattan has to be the worst in the US but then again if you can afford to live there there is no need for a car. Im just trying to gain a little insite.

[AZ_singlemother]

The transportation system is horrible in the Seattle area. Sure they have plenty of buses; however, every car and truck in the galaxy drives down 1 freeway and one only. Sometimes it took me 3 hours one way to get home. If you are coming from NY where it's more advance, you will be extremely disappointed and enraged.

It was bad enough to get me to move out of the state.

[41Willys]

Hmmmm. What r u guys hiding over there?

[jabm67]

If you have a few minutes to burn, get on the Web between 5 and 6 PM Pacific Time, and then check out http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/ ... approximately real-time state-of-freeways updates, with links to cameras.

There's very little data on surface streets there, or the alternate routes (like 99 or 509 further south), but it does show our throbbing, festering, gangrenous traffic problems in all their glory.

[41Willys]

Originally Posted by jabm67

If you have a few minutes to burn, get on the Web between 5 and 6 PM Pacific Time, and then check out http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/ ... approximately real-time state-of-freeways updates, with links to cameras.

There's very little data on surface streets there, or the alternate routes (like 99 or 509 further south), but it does show our throbbing, festering, gangrenous traffic problems in all their glory.

Well we dont have cams but Seattle isnt the only place in the world with really bad rush hour traffic! Like I mentioned earlier mid town Manhattan is bumper to bumper from 6am-8pm Monday thru Saturday. And believe me NJ isnt any bargain either.

[anyone101]

Bainbridge Island was a pastorial and rural island that's becoming suburbanised or a bedroom commuinty of Seattle. People live and sleep there and commute to/from work on the ferry to Seattle by day

On Bainbridge Island the bus service is by Kitsap Transit which is not that great in comparison to King County Metro on the other side or the others back in NY. So at best it's :30min freq. and less after 7PM and on weekends. That depends on the route too. You can look on http://www.kitsaptransit.org/ and look at the bus schedules to judge for yourself. They're basically your bus ride from Bainbridge Island to Poulsbo, Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchards, Kinston Ferry terminal, within Bainbridge Island, and anywhere else in Kitsap Co (that "other side" from Seattle).

From Bainbridge Island to Seattle it's by ferry into downtown Seattle (much like Staten Island to Mahattan) and it's about :45min-1hr ride across. Once you get into Seattle the buses are better and more frequent in the areas around/within the urbanized areas but the areas further out like North Bend the services are less frequent and driving would be quicker then buses. Some say that downtown Seattle is becoming like Mahattan so yes there are taxis you can hail on the streets wheres in Bainbridge Island you would have to call and they come pick you up but at the ferry terminal there could be an ocassional taxi or two waiting at each ferry arrival to take people wherever they need to go.

So depends on where you go from the ferry terminal in Seattle the buses varies. You'll see some of the buses numbered in the 500's are Sound Transit which is an umbrella transit group that serves inter-county transit as well as been charged by the state to improve public transport infrastructure which include light rail (under construction), direct off ramps from HOV lanes into transit centers, and commuter trains (one way into Seattle from Tacoma & Everett in AM and one out to both north & south on PM and during Mariners home baseball games). As for going to Tacoma it'll be quicker to drive down on WA-16 through Bremerton and Gig-Harbor and across the narrows bridge. But, the bridge is also under construction as they are building a paralell bridge so traffic could be heavy going in both directions by the time you get down to Gig Harbor. There are no direct public transportation between Gig Harbor & Bremerton/Bainbridge Island. For going to Everett, Edmonds, Bothell, or anywere north of Seattle you can drive to the Kingston ferry terminal from Bainbrdige Island and take the ferry there which gets you into Edmonds. From there you can go by bus or drive onwards (as the cars can also go on the ferries).

See:
http://transit.metrokc.gov (broken link)
http://www.soundtransit.org
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

for Snohomish County (north of Seattle)
http://www.commtrans.org

Just look at the bus schedules and judge for yourself that way.

As for driving the freeways there are lanes marked with a diamond shape figre painted on the pavement which are what they called HOV lanes (High Occupancy Vehicles) which are reserved exclusively for cars w/ 2 or more people inside, mopeds/motorcyles, buses, and emergency vehicles. They go by faster as very few vehicles have two or more people inside (usually most people drive by themselves). Anybody else could get pulled over and cited for $101 fine by a cop and YES they do watch for it or some pissed off driver sitting in traffic getting on his/her cell-phone and tattle on you to the cops. ON the 520 and the 405 it's on the right and the 5 is on left. I think it's on the left on the 90 plus there is an extra four or five lanes in the middle (same on the 5 north from downtown Seattle to northate). Those are your extra lanes express lanes. In AM the traffic will be going INTO Seattle till about 11AM when it closes and by 2PM it re-opens to traffic going the opposite direction till about 2AM or sometimes in the wee hours of the night and repeats the process for the morning rush traffic. The onramps into the middle express lanes are also marked HOV too.

[silverfox]

Sorry 41 Willys,

The real Natives here call it MESS TRANSIT !!!
I moved out of the Seattle area because it was obvious the city Fathers and Mothers just cannot get their ACT TOGETHER on Transportation issues.
I think the Bus or Mountain Bike solution makes some sense if it's possible and your willing to put up with it. You will need to cross the sound from Bainbridge on a ferry if your going to Seattle or Edmonds. Thats fun too.

Good Luck.......You'll need it......Silverfox

[anyone101]

To AZ_Singlemother

The transportation system is horrible in the Seattle area. Sure they have plenty of buses; however, every car and truck in the galaxy drives down 1 freeway and one only. Sometimes it took me 3 hours one way to get home.


I didn't think so? It seemed better then most places in Arizona and judging from your handle I am assuming you're now living in Arizona? Through the 70-90's Valley Metro had limited services throughout the Phoenix metro area. The bus services there quit by 7-7:30PM and NO service on Sundays except within the city limits of Tempe. That's just pathetic for a large city/metropolitan area like Phoenix till by around 2002-04 when the public refrerandum FINALLY voted to fund mass transit and since then they increased service and now FINALLY adding in light rail.

So my point? When I moved from Portland to Seattle/Tacoma in 1998 I also had the opportunity to move to PHX as well. Besides being closer to family & friends the other reason why I moved to Seattle over PHX because, transit was so much better within King Co/Seattle area. Even up in some of the areas of Snohomish County & City of Everett the public transport seemed pretty good. But, to side with you I can agree that some of the public transit east of Bellevue, Pierce Co, and in rural/sparsely areas public transit sucks. That's just the American way as we are a car dependent society.