Visualize 520 with fewer cars

Here’s a 520 we could all live with - one with fewer cars and more transit options. And I guess that’s why I liked this video - it shows 520 without the congestion.

One thing that I think is pretty interesting about this video is that it uses three lanes (one for HOV, one for SOV, and one for bicycles). Even though I would prefer that the third lane was light rail - I think the idea of one SOV lane is a good one - why build out a huge bridge if three lanes could get the job done? But how realistic is this vision?

As someone who commutes across the bridge (via shuttle), I know the real pain is the bottleneck caused at the SR 520/I-405 and 520/I-5 intersections. And although fixing the 520 bridge will help, a total solution is going to require thinking about I5 and I405 too.

Here are a couple more folks (and I’m sure there are some more - Bellevue Square, I’m looking at you…) who are going to need to start upping their game to help reduce the 520 crunch.

• Children’s, the UW and UVillage need to start working together to create a Montlake solution for all of their traffic. UVillage is considering adding 520 new parking spaces, Children’s Hospital is planning an expansion which will increase traffic, and the UW has acres of parking for staff, students, and visitors. It would be nice to see these folks help come up with a solution that made it really easy to connect from their locations directly to a Montlake hub on 520. A UVillage park and ride would be awesome.
• Metro. C’mon guys, can’t you start working together a little better? If I relied on you to get me to the Eastside from my NE Seattle house - it would take me about 1.5 - 2 hours each way? Use the 520 tolls to pay for more routes!

And next, do more of this, make commuting fun like the city of Redmond does. Here’s a site called www.gortrip.com that lets you track your monthly commute - and register to win prizes for commuting. I knows it’s kinda gimmicky, but it’s a great way to see how much money you’ve saved by commuting.

Anyway, here’s my commuting schedule for the month. And if we had more flexible bus routes (ie running earlier in the morning and afternoon) I could have shaved off and additional 3-4 of those ‘Drive Alone’ days.