It didn’t take long for the cheaters to notice there’s a new freeway ramp on I-5 in Lynnwood.
Last Tuesday Sound Transit opened the first ramp in the state that allows carpools and buses to exit directly from the carpool lane.
Since then, buses and carpools have been using the new $31 million ramp to enter and exit the Lynnwood Transit Center. That’s exactly how the ramp was designed to be used. Buses that use it reportedly shave up 20 minutes per day from the commute to and from Seattle.
But some fed-up solo drivers have used the new ramp to cut ahead in line during the busy drive south on weekday mornings.
They exit like they’re heading for the transit center, but when they get to the top of the ramp, their true intentions are revealed: they want no part of the transit center.
Instead of turning off, they head straight down the southbound onramp and back onto I-5 – stealing ahead of dozens of slow-moving cars.
“You can’t use that ramp to get ahead of the traffic,” said Jamie Holter, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “That’s cheating.”
Using traffic cameras posted on the new overpass, state transportation officials noticed a number of drivers using the ramp improperly during the first two days it was in operation.
Such activity seemed to die down after a “right-turn only” sign was installed and after state patrol and Lynnwood Police Department officers spent time patrolling near the ramp.
To be fair, Holter said the folks who have used the ramp inappropriately might not all be cheating. Some could have decided to take a firsthand look at the structure, or they could simply be confused.
Freeway lanes still narrow
The new direct access ramp is finished, but drivers may have noticed that the traffic lanes on that part of I-5 are still narrower than they’re supposed to be.
The lanes were narrowed from 12 feet to 11 feet and were moved to the right to make more room for construction.
In the spring the state will move the lanes back into to place, something it’s too cold and too wet to do now, said Dawn McIntosh, state transportation project engineer.
Cul-de-sac parking
Question: Could you please give me the regulations for parking on a cul-de-sac? Do you have to park parallel or can you park with your nose in and the rear sticking out into the cul-de-sac?
Jim Yount, Lynnwood
Answer: The purpose of a cul-de-sac is to provide a roadway area with adequate radius to allow emergency vehicles (fire engines) to turn around. It would be an unusual circumstance that a cul-de-sac would be built that would have adequate space for both turning around and parking.
Most cul-de-sacs have numerous driveways. The Revised Code of Washington specifically prohibits parking within five feet of a driveway. It is unlikely that the driveways would be spaced far enough apart to allow parking between them.
Consequently, it is improbable that cars could park legally in a cul-de-sac, whether parallel or nosed-in.
Gordy Hyde, traffic investigations supervisor for Snohomish County
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