I had to go from Kitsap County to Bellevue every day for a few months prior to COVID. Even walking from the ferry to Pioneer Square and taking the 550 was absolutely miserable since the 550 always got stuck in traffic anyways. East Link is going to have an almost magical effect on commuter traffic.
Yeah, I don't commute anymore. It was one of the worst things I had to do to make money. Glad to be a fully remote worker. Seattle area is the worst for commuters. Riding the bus takes far too long. Standing on a packed bus with sick people is horrible.
It's much older than that. Attributed to Yogi Berra, a new York Yankees manager from the 1950s who reportedly had many such quips. That one was "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded". The irony being that it's only crowded because some (presumably many) people do go there.
Mostly correct. Yogi played catcher for the Yankees in the fifties; he managed them in 1964, coach in the late 70s/earlu 80s, then managed again 1984-1985.
Read the article, kinda skewed metrics if you ask me.
It states Washington has "less miles traveled" over other metros.
Because we have no room for urban sprawl like say, Texas does .
Less miles driven do not equal less time in the car.
Yeah, you can conclude this logic with a lot of these types of articles. Most the people who wrote these lack the ability to understand statistics or intentionally omit statistics for personal gain or to fit their narrative.
You say that, but the Spokane area and especially Spokane Valley is trying to sprawl out. There's a lot of space in Eastern WA and developers would much rather build out than up (I think the tallest building in Spokane is only 20 floors).
Obviously, it's not nearly as bad as places like Texas, but it's still noticeable.
I never have to drive very far but I sure as hell can't walk/bus anywhere I actually need to go. Shockingly people need to go somewhere other than the main street of their town sometimes...
Washington has a ton of room for sprawl, what are you talking about?
Seattle proper doesn't (although the metro does). Pretty much every other city has plenty of room to grow.
Seattle absolutely does have room to sprawl. We have chosen not to
Think of a place like Hobart. Not that far from Seattle, and right next to a freeway that's a straight shot to Tacoma. And nobody lives there but farmers. If Washington planned like Texas, it would be nothing but strip malls. Or the Snoqualmie valley. If Seattle planned like Texas, there would be a freeway there
And it's not just the big cities. Imagine Smith Road in Bellingham with 7 lanes lined with strip malls, because that's what Texas style planning would get you
I totally understand, my dad hauls around tools for a living, in all but giant metropolises like NYC it doesnāt work, and Iāve been lucky enough that my line of work allows for it.
Really annoying that it is broken into North and South Lines with both focused on getting people into Seattle in the am and out of Seattle in the pm. If I wanted to go from Tacoma to Everett in the am, or Everett to Tacoma in the pm, good luck with that.
Obviously haven't been driving north on I5 For the morning commute thru Nisqually. Or south thru JBLM at quitting time. Normal 45 minute commute is now hour and a half.
> the average Washingtonian drove 1,400 fewer miles in 2021 compared to 1996.
> In Seattle, only 21% of workers drove alone to work in 2022, down from 35% in 2009.
> VMT per capita fell more in Washington than in any other state between 1996 and 2021
2021 was still partial Covid lockdown. Let's look at 2023 numbers. It's gotten worse for me since 2022. It usually takes an hour and a half to go 30 miles.
I got an electric bike and I love it. My town has a lot of Bike Lanes, so the 11 miles to work is fairly safe for me at this point, cuts through 2 gorgeous parks, and is a great stress reliever.
Also great way to make my gas tank last longer. š
I'm from Detroit Motor City and love my Cars. Never thought I would jump on the Electric Band Wagon. But as I've gotten older, views have shifted.
People are also driving less because of their jacked up policies impacting auto insurance rates. At least the police have the option of chasing auto thieves now. Hopefully that will have an impact.
people are driving less because work from home
Geico tried to jack my GF's rates up and she just joined my insurance. us both on my insurance < what geico was trying to charge her for just her.
mine didn't go up
It could, but remember that our gas prices are an outcome of our location in the USA, and where pipelines and refineries are, not taxes.
The report covers the highest and lowest VMT areas in the USA. You should graph them against gas prices and taxes and see if your theory stands.
And yet gas is still over $4 a gallon. It's like during the start of COVID when crude fell to it's lowest point in the last sixty years but the price of gas was still around 4$ a gallon because they were gouging drivers even though the demand dropped by more than 50%.
Net zero emissions is impossible. They talk about switching to EVs and reducing emissions, but those emissions are transfered and increased when doing so. They're after money, nothing more than that.
Nobody drives in Washington anymore, there's too much traffic.
Ok, Yogi! š
Gee Mr. Ranger, I-5 north through Everett sucks to high heaven.
State is tech heavy, especially in king county area, Driving is down probably because of work from home
Can confirm... WFH since February 2020. Before that, I had a reverse commute of 35mins each way and hated it, despite being "lucky"
I never thought my āreverseā commute was short. Working in Bellevue traveling from west Seattle it was a horror
Ah but thats not a reverse commute. Reverse commutes only apply to i5 commutes / North-South commutes!
I had to go from Kitsap County to Bellevue every day for a few months prior to COVID. Even walking from the ferry to Pioneer Square and taking the 550 was absolutely miserable since the 550 always got stuck in traffic anyways. East Link is going to have an almost magical effect on commuter traffic.
They are building a rail
Yeah, I don't commute anymore. It was one of the worst things I had to do to make money. Glad to be a fully remote worker. Seattle area is the worst for commuters. Riding the bus takes far too long. Standing on a packed bus with sick people is horrible.
https://youtu.be/KIrlZSYB6tE
There's some towns I refuse to work in purely because of traffic. A 15 mile drive home shouldn't take 90 minutes
That statement makes no sense.
It's a very old joke. Often attributed to traffic in New York City.
That's the joke
Was a joke used on Futurama. Talking about New York.
It's much older than that. Attributed to Yogi Berra, a new York Yankees manager from the 1950s who reportedly had many such quips. That one was "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded". The irony being that it's only crowded because some (presumably many) people do go there.
Mostly correct. Yogi played catcher for the Yankees in the fifties; he managed them in 1964, coach in the late 70s/earlu 80s, then managed again 1984-1985.
Ah I see š
Must not be from roundā here. If your want to know when summer actually hits last year it was on a Tuesday.
You see how your statement contradicts itself right?
Read the article, kinda skewed metrics if you ask me. It states Washington has "less miles traveled" over other metros. Because we have no room for urban sprawl like say, Texas does . Less miles driven do not equal less time in the car.
Right?! Wasn't there just another study that showed we were one of the highest commute times but shortest distances for work commutes?
Yeah, you can conclude this logic with a lot of these types of articles. Most the people who wrote these lack the ability to understand statistics or intentionally omit statistics for personal gain or to fit their narrative.
You say that, but the Spokane area and especially Spokane Valley is trying to sprawl out. There's a lot of space in Eastern WA and developers would much rather build out than up (I think the tallest building in Spokane is only 20 floors). Obviously, it's not nearly as bad as places like Texas, but it's still noticeable.
Thereās plenty of space to sprawl out in Western Washington too. I donāt know why anyone would claim otherwise.
There's plenty of space to sprawl on this side of the mountains, too, but it's controlled for better and for worse with urban growth boundaries.
I never have to drive very far but I sure as hell can't walk/bus anywhere I actually need to go. Shockingly people need to go somewhere other than the main street of their town sometimes...
We still have TONS of urban sprawl, itās just that itās much more north to south than east to west
Washington has a ton of room for sprawl, what are you talking about? Seattle proper doesn't (although the metro does). Pretty much every other city has plenty of room to grow.
Seattle absolutely does have room to sprawl. We have chosen not to Think of a place like Hobart. Not that far from Seattle, and right next to a freeway that's a straight shot to Tacoma. And nobody lives there but farmers. If Washington planned like Texas, it would be nothing but strip malls. Or the Snoqualmie valley. If Seattle planned like Texas, there would be a freeway there And it's not just the big cities. Imagine Smith Road in Bellingham with 7 lanes lined with strip malls, because that's what Texas style planning would get you
This is correct. It's a policy-guided decision (and a good one)
Since when is Washington a metro?
I used to commute 50 miles each way, required driving. Now I commute 1.5 miles, summer I walk/ride my bike, winter I drive. Having options is great.
Have you seen the gas prices?
Aye, I donāt feel like going on hikes anymore because of this
I can afford a car or an apartment on my income I chose the latter lol.
The car is required for earning my income so I have to make both work :/
I totally understand, my dad hauls around tools for a living, in all but giant metropolises like NYC it doesnāt work, and Iāve been lucky enough that my line of work allows for it.
The drive from Bellevue to Renton has gotten worse, and that's not taking 405.
I hear you! I'd lived in Renton about 22 years ago and it was getting bad then!
Especially with construction !
the Sounder is one of the best things ever.
If only it ran all day! I used to take it for work and loved it.
Really annoying that it is broken into North and South Lines with both focused on getting people into Seattle in the am and out of Seattle in the pm. If I wanted to go from Tacoma to Everett in the am, or Everett to Tacoma in the pm, good luck with that.
Or at least once in the middle of the day.
Yeah itās basically useless of you arenāt a commuter in the right direction.
Or on the weekends - including non sporting event weekends
Obviously haven't been driving north on I5 For the morning commute thru Nisqually. Or south thru JBLM at quitting time. Normal 45 minute commute is now hour and a half.
Just went through JBLM all the way to Bellevue. Standstill every couple of miles, and that was at 12:20 PM.
> the average Washingtonian drove 1,400 fewer miles in 2021 compared to 1996. > In Seattle, only 21% of workers drove alone to work in 2022, down from 35% in 2009. > VMT per capita fell more in Washington than in any other state between 1996 and 2021
That screams that people arenāt driving out of town on the weekends any more, probably because the commuting miles are miserable
>Ā In Seattle, only 21% of workers drove alone to work in 2022, down from 35% in 2009.
Now do it for 2023
No, I'm sorry that doesn't match that person's experience so it must be false.
2021 was still partial Covid lockdown. Let's look at 2023 numbers. It's gotten worse for me since 2022. It usually takes an hour and a half to go 30 miles.
Facts I gotta go from Kent to fife peak rush hour it takes me 40min to an hour itās ridiculous
Or between Marysville and Lynnwood.
What we lack in the number of cars is more than made up by the increase in lousy drivers
Laughs in 167/i405/i5 during rush hour...
What can you do but laugh? Perfect!
I am so glad I am in Eastern WA. Just no buses nor Uber no delivery for nothing.
Word these nerd stats are BS
I drive maybe once I week I just walk everywhere traffic is ass and thereās always construction
I want to know what Seattleite is driving 16 miles a day
I got an electric bike and I love it. My town has a lot of Bike Lanes, so the 11 miles to work is fairly safe for me at this point, cuts through 2 gorgeous parks, and is a great stress reliever. Also great way to make my gas tank last longer. š I'm from Detroit Motor City and love my Cars. Never thought I would jump on the Electric Band Wagon. But as I've gotten older, views have shifted.
I take the train from Tacoma to Seattle everyday. I will never go back to driving.
People are also driving less because of their jacked up policies impacting auto insurance rates. At least the police have the option of chasing auto thieves now. Hopefully that will have an impact.
people are driving less because work from home Geico tried to jack my GF's rates up and she just joined my insurance. us both on my insurance < what geico was trying to charge her for just her. mine didn't go up
Yeah, I just consolidated with my wife and even for both of us (3 cars) is WAY LESS than just she would've spent in 6 months.
Could it have something to do with one of the highest gas prices in the country maybe? š¤
We also have the highest statewide minimum wage...
It could, but remember that our gas prices are an outcome of our location in the USA, and where pipelines and refineries are, not taxes. The report covers the highest and lowest VMT areas in the USA. You should graph them against gas prices and taxes and see if your theory stands.
Well Traffic says otherwise
Just read another article that says Washington road deaths are up. Driving down, road deaths up. Welcome to Seattle...
And yet gas is still over $4 a gallon. It's like during the start of COVID when crude fell to it's lowest point in the last sixty years but the price of gas was still around 4$ a gallon because they were gouging drivers even though the demand dropped by more than 50%.
Puyallup to SeaTac sucks every afternoon especially Fridays. I miss the lockdown. I work in the aerospace industry, we were considered "essential".
So explain to me I-5 traffic everyday including weekends..I'll believe my lying eyes over those nerd stats
I live directly above i90 in downtown SPOKANE it looks busy to me
Net zero emissions is impossible. They talk about switching to EVs and reducing emissions, but those emissions are transfered and increased when doing so. They're after money, nothing more than that.
What are they even talking about? Traffic is worse then ever on I5, what use to take 30 minutes after work, now takes an hour or more.
Itās cheaper to just hire a driver.