A third bypass for buses to get around carpool-lane congestion on I-5 opened last week at the Lynnwood Transit Center.
It joins similar shortcuts buses have been allowed to take since fall at the Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station and at Northgate, using the left-hand on- and off-ramps that are open to transit only.
For riders waiting at the transit centers, the bypass means that not every bus that comes through the freeway stations will necessarily stop for customers.
Scott Bader of Everett hops aboard a Community Transit bus to get to work down I-5. It can be a slog, and the bypass through the Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station has provided only “marginal” improvement in his experience.
“By the time we get towards that part of I-5, the HOV lane can start to move better, or maybe not. You can often tell the bus drivers are tentative as to whether to use it or not,” Bader said.
Bus drivers can only use the bypasses under certain conditions. Traffic in the HOV lane must be going 35 mph or slower. And the driver must believe using the ramp will save time over continuing straight on the HOV lane.
Bader is hopeful for better results from the new Lynnwood bypass, “where traffic is far worse and it would help a lot more.”
At Mountlake Terrace, the transit ramps bypass 0.6 mile of interstate; at Lynnwood, 0.7 mile.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your first and last name and city of residence. Look for updates on the Street Smarts blog.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.