Category Archives: Cars

The Benefits of Living Car-Free

I am often met with awestruck wonder when people learn I don’t have a car. After all, driving everywhere is the American way. There are too many explanations to keep a good party conversation going, so it boils down to … Continue reading

Posted in Cars, Transportation | 1 Comment

How to Build Bike Lanes on 4th Avenue

The City of Seattle has cut back significantly on its plans for street safety projects citywide, but especially in Downtown and the southern neighborhoods. This has left advocates confused and frustrated, as the City had extensive plans for protected bike … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Parking, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First Hill Streetcar Opens with Lessons for Future Lines

Seattle’s new streetcar route, the First Hill line, finally opened on Saturday. Despite the cold and rain, months of tantalizingly empty test runs and the promise of free rides drew large crowds along the entire route. The new line runs from … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Land Use, Parking, Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Good and the Bad of Driverless Cars for Cities

The age of driverless cars is rapidly approaching, and no one seems to know what to do about it. The technology is picking up steam in the behemoth automotive industry while only a few states have regulations on the books … Continue reading

Posted in Cars, Energy, Government, Land Use, Roads, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Case for Lidding I-5 in Downtown Seattle

Amid Seattle’s rapidly growing inner neighborhoods remains the urban scar of Interstate 5, a massive concrete and steel ribbon that is the lasting legacy of 20th century transportation engineers. It helps move thousands of people and tons of freight every … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Editorial, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Parks, Public Participation, Public Space, Roads, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Tale of My Epic Transit Failure

If you saw a large good-looking man with a duffel bag sprinting through Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood in desperate search of a car2go on a crisp morning in April, that was me. That the car wasn’t where it was supposed to … Continue reading

Posted in Buses, Cars, Ferries, Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SDOT Studying High Capacity Transit for the Roosevelt Corridor

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is studying options for transit improvements in the Roosevelt corridor between Downtown and Northgate. Although Sound Transit is currently building Link light rail in the same area, the City’s Transit Master Plan (TMP) identifies … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Land Use, Parking, Rail, Roads, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

New Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Northeast Seattle

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) staff hosted an open house on Tuesday to present conceptual plans for improving bike routes in northeast Seattle between East Green Lake Way N and 20th Avenue NE. Most of the project will simply be the … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Cars, Schools, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Seattle to Ask Voters for $900 Million in Transportation Funding

In November the City of Seattle will ask voters for a property tax levy to put money where their mouth is on the Move Seattle transportation vision (PDF). Approval would supplant the expiring $365 million Bridging the Gap funding with … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Parking, Rail, Roads, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Seattle Set to Increase Car Share Limits

On Tuesday the Seattle City Council transportation committee voted to approve an increase in the number of free-floating car share permits and operators. This would primarily benefit car2go, the German company whose blue-and-white mini cars are rented on a per … Continue reading

Posted in Cars, Policy, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments