The SunBreak » commute

Who Made King County Transit the Tunnel Fall Guy?

Michael van Baker — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:39:21 +0000

What Gregoire, Sims, and Nickels could do was present everyone with a fait accompli: a construction megaproject in midstream, and the promise of gridlock if more funds aren't made available. Specifically, says Metro chief Kevin Desmond "about 125 daily bus trips and 7,500 daily transit seats will be lost -- while tunnel construction and viaduct demolition continues into 2016."

Glimpses: “ready to ride”

Chelsea — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:48:13 +0000

In honor of Bike to Work Day, we showcase two alternative modes of commute seen around the Seattle area. Thanks to ChrisBlakeley for dropping this shot into our Flickr pool. You are reading an excerpt from Glimpses: "ready to ride".The SunBreak supports RSS for you diehard RSS readers out there.

Letter to Jeff Bezos: Let’s Talk Gondolas

Michael van Baker — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:16:59 +0000

I'm not an engineer, Jeff. But I think I share your interest in disruptive technology. And when it comes to the constraints, or guiding forces, of this particular situation, I am betting that you, like me, will come to the conclusion that the solution here is gondolas.

The Surprising Truth About Bicycling in Seattle

Michael van Baker — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:00:12 +0000

Guess what the weather was like when 71 percent of all car-bicycle collisions took place? Clear or partly cloudy. Fourteen percent of collisions occurred when it was overcast. Only twelve percent when it was rainy. You just assume that the weather is bad, it's slippery, there'll be more accidents. But no. In Seattle, looking at the absolute numbers, high season for bicycle-related accidents for the past five years are the months May through September, with April and October as the shoulders.

With Tolls, New Larger 520 Bridge Could Serve Half as Many

Michael van Baker — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:38:42 +0000

Why would so much traffic divert? Tolls. As Mike Lindblom reports for the Seattle Times, WSDOT's financial projections call for some 48 percent of existing traffic to seek other routes, thanks to $3.50 Good to Go tolls on the bridge during peak hours (that's $5.00 if you haven't signed up with Good to Go). The tolls are supposed to increase 2.5 percent annually until 2017, at which time they will increase 15 percent.