We know how bad this whole crashing economy is. Really, we do. But every cloud has a silver lining, and we're pretty sure the sparkle you can see just past today's bankrupt financial giants and tanked WAMU stock is increased transit ridership translating into more routes and added runs on existing routes so you don't have to drive (or pay for gas) anymore. With ridership nearly 7 percent higher than this time last year, King......

So at the intersection of East Aloha Street and 10th Avenue East on Capitol Hill, the west block of East Aloha is one-way. The #9 bus lays over there, and has the street mostly to itself. However, thanks to the work of a hyperlocal blogger Andrew Taylor the DO NOT ENTER sign has a small, easily-overlooked proviso. A tiny sign at the bottom says: "EXCEPT BICYCLES." So when we cruise down the Aloha hill in......

[Untitled] by Sea Kay. We say: wear a helmet! MyBallard clears up the confusion about when it is actually okay to drive in 15th's bus lane.PhinneyWood has photos to show what happens when a car gets t-boned by a metro bus, careens into a parked car, and sends the once-parked car crashing on to a Phinney Ridge porch.Ron Sims twitters about what good shape Dan Savage is in, the P-I's Big Blog reports it, and......

Metro just can't make up its mind about fare increases, so we say bring another quarter just in case. Just a few weeks ago, Metro said it wouldn't be increasing fares for a second time this year, but as of yesterday they'd decided that a fare increase is indeed necessary and imminent. Starting November 1, it may cost you an extra 25 cents to ride the bus. Another 25-cent increase may come in January 2010......

"King County Executive Along for the Ride" by Seattlest Flickr Photographer HonuPhoto White Center Now reports that King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed two staggered fare increases for Metro buses on his blog. In other news--Ron Sims writes a blog?!Yesterday's late afternoon thunder and lightning struck a little too close to home for a West Seattle Blog reader. A cedar tree in their neighbor's back yard was split in two by a lightning strike,......

Okay, okay, we'll hold on, just don't scratch us with those bloody talons.......

So there's an article about bus fares over on Crosscut--by the Cascadia Center for Regional Development's Matt Rosenberg--that suggests raising the one-zone peak bus fare to $3.50, an amount to make even the most evangelical of bus riders clutch their wallet. (We throw in "evangelical" because the Cascadia Center is a division of the intelligent-designing Discovery Institute.) But it could be a very good idea, we think, against our skinflint judgment. The $3.50 fare would......

"You know what I have to say, based on my last couple bus rides? I'm so glad I don't do speed anymore. And that's all I have to say about that."......

By coincidence, it was while we were sitting in the over-crowded number 14 bus on the way to work when we came across this gem of an article in the New York Times: "Drop in Miles Driven Is Depleting Highway Fund; Loan From Mass Transit Is Urged." Our sneering disbelief was interrupted by being smacked in the face by the laptop bag of the guy standing next to our seat in the aisle; the 14......

Now that it's really summer, tourists are showing up at SeaTac from all over. And they're taking a Metro bus into town. With gas at $4.50, even locals returning to Seattle are taking the bus. And the 194 should be perfect: service every 15 minutes for a 30-minute, two-buck ride. But what happens? Even when the bus (one of the double-length, articulated models) shows up on time, it takes almost half an hour to load.......

Even folks who don't drive are being affected by the rising cost of fuel. Plane and train tickets prices have been raised recently to cover the increased cost of gas and, as we noted last month, it was only a matter of time before we'd be adding Seattle Metro buses and Access vans to that list. King County Executive Ron Sims proposed the bus fare increase today. The other alternative is cutting Metro services,......

You know the problem. You're on the bus and you have a choice: You can get off in two stops and make a transfer to a bus that will get you to your destination, or you you can stay on and transfer to a different one at a second stop. The switch at the first stop is a shorter and faster route, but only if the bus you are changing to is coming in the......

In case you got slowed down on I-90 this morning, and were cursing to yourself in the car, we thought we'd help calm you down with a little on-the-scene info. This just in from Seattlest Tera, who was stuck on the scene for an hour: "I have a hilarious bus story. Our bus broke down on I-90 and we are all stuck on Mercer Island. Our 'rescue' bus missed the exit. Good job, Metro.......

"71" by the talented Tim Willis With the ever-increasing cost of gas, the Seattle P-I seems to have taken an extra keen interest in public transit. A quick perusal of the local news on the P-I's site found more stories about taking the bus than any other topic in the local news. It sounds like an exaggeration, but these were all headlines for different stories, from the same day. * Bus Trip Planning Can Take......

Seattlest is grateful for our bus pass and our Zipcar membership. Paying more than $4 a gallon just doesn't sound enticing for us, but we're not surprised when we hear about rate increases and other ancillary fees (like having to pay for our baggage when we fly) being passed onto us for using public transportation. Now, of course, Metro is chewing on the notion of increasing bus fares. Personally, we'd be okay with a......

Wednesday morning, Route 301 from Shoreline to downtown Seattle. Waiting patiently, sweating profusely, standing on an over-crowded bus yet again. It's been in the news many times this year. Ridership is up. And with gas prices as they are, we expect the number of people riding will only climb higher. Back in 2006, King County Executive Ron Sims announced a plan to deliver "up to 21 million more annual bus rides within 10 years." Transit......

Earlier this week, as MyBallard noted, King County Metro reported that Seattle bus ridership in the first three months of 2008 is six percent higher than the same period last year, which we think is great. The more of us on buses, the less of us driving. However, the more of us on buses, the more chance there is to encounter obnoxious cellphone users, which we do not think is great. So we were psyched......

"Third and Pine, rain or shine," the bus driver almost sings to his passengers. As the bus approaches each and every stop, our driver offers a whimsical rhyme or at least a lengthy, informative spiel on what you'll find, should you choose to disembark here and now. He is charming, jovial, and more importantly, a great driver. He doesn't feel the need to Top Gun his rig, only to come to a screeching halt fifty......

We're not sure if Metro planned to give us an extra day of the old fares by scheduling the new ones to take affect tomorrow (the day after Leap Day), but we sure do appreciate it. Either way, please remember that as of tomorrow off-peak fares will be $1.50 and peak fares will be $1.75. Youth and seniors will keep paying what they've been paying until July, by the way. As a part of our......

According to an article today's PI, it looks as if the city will be spending some money to study the possibility of adding more streetcars to the city's streets. The Transportation Committee passed a bill approving a feasibility study for six lines yesterday. The study, as approved by the committee, would estimate construction costs per mile and yearly operation and maintenance costs for the six lines. Among other issues, it would identify detailed street corridors,......

Riding the bus to work the other day, our heart skipped a beat when we noticed signs taped to the window heralding the arrival of new spring schedules (they're blue!). Once we'd calmed down, we realized how silly it is to get excited over the prospect of a slight change to our bus schedule. It was the kind of self-deprecating experience we figured would make a good lede for a post informing you, gentle......

We're gonna start asking Seattlest Dan to pick our lottery numbers. A full year ago he looked into a cloudy future and typed:We predict next year will see even higher numbers at Metro Transit as job growth continues and "gas prices remain high." Ridership is going to skyrocket when either the Viaduct closes to traffic or light rail starts coming on line, but neither of those will likely happen in 2007.The bus people have dutifully......

Er, not quite. There is an actual, physical monster in Cloverfield, and unlike the no-see-em trailer, the film eventually shows it in all its gruesome glory (and no, it ain't Stay Puft). Opening Friday, J.J. Abrams' camcorder monster movie (which some describe as "Godzilla meets the Blair Witch") covers a terrible day for all of Manhattan and, in particular, for a group of New Yorkers throwing a bon voyage party for one of their......

Coming home from work on the bus last night, we got to thinking about how even getting to vote on a light-rail package this year is going to be an uphill fight. The dire prospects for light rail anytime soon pushed us to extrapolate the costs to our psyche of waiting during the ride home. First we had to run a few blocks in the rain to catch the 8. While admittedly, we should have......

Seattlest David: What's up, computer? Computer: Good evening, Dave. Everything's running smoothly. And you? Seattlest David: Well, not so great. Can you explain why the bus tunnel's computers weren't working during the busy holiday shopping season? Computer: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Seattlest David: Uh, ok, well, actually, looks like everything's fixed now. How about the problem with the New Year's Eve fireworks? Computer: I'm sorry, Dave, I don't have enough......

An intriguing bus mate if there ever was one."box 'o bones" by ~wesa~ from the Seattlest Flickr Pool. Thanks for sharing!......

Bolstering our faith in the local transit authorities, for the second time this week, the downtown bus tunnel is closed. The official reason is computer problems, as a H.A.L.-like super-brain down in the I.D. station controls the heating and ventillation, traffic signals, and zombie-workers that make possible Seattle's pathetic attempt at a subway. No word on when the tunnel will re-open, but earlier this week it was same-day; as before, tunnel lines are re-directed......

"Play smart," came the exhortation from Blanchet parents, as their children began to fritter away a lead that had been 13 points with three minutes left. But let's face it, people--asking high school basketball players to "play smart" is like asking high school musicians to "maintain your vibrato" or high school cheerleaders to "save it for marriage." So, on our Metro League Tuesday (TM), through a series of ill-advised drives, poor passes, bad fouls and,......

Franklin vs. Garfield is one of the Seattle sports events that you just shouldn't miss. Here's what we wrote about it for The Stranger in September:True local hoops fans don't miss this game between two perennial inner-city basketball powerhouses, even at the cost of connubial tranquility. The 2005 game at Garfield fell on Valentine's Day, but happily married Husky basketball coach Lorenzo Romar was there anyway. A win in this game means neighborhood bragging rights......

Besides the Big Wood Festival going on up at Brouwer's (which even exceeded expectations last night), this weekend marks the 3rd Annual Winter Beer Festival put on by the Washington Beer Commission. The Winter Beer Festival is held at Hale's and will feature over 30 different winter beers from Washington brewers. It can get a little packed, but it's a great time and last year was a solid lineup. This year keep your eyes......