We asked I-405 drivers for their thoughts one year into tolling.
We started with folks we talked to when the lanes first opened one year ago.
Karen Swift, Snohomish: I use the lanes most of the time. I usually don’t use them if the toll gets too high, like over $3 which is common after 4 or so when I am heading north bound, out of Bellevue, back into Snohomish County. Highway 9 seems like heavier traffic than before they put in the lanes. I believe it’s commuters who have opted to use Highway 9 instead of I-5 and I-405 through Bothell.
Ryan Bowering, formerly of Lynnwood: I moved to Green Lake last month because anything is better than driving 405 twice a day. But I’ll tell you… I cheated in the HOV lanes on the way home in the evening pretty much every day for eight months or so. Never got ticketed. … The overwhelming majority of people in that lane are single drivers, and many, many of them were doing the exact same thing as I was.
Janet Perkins, formerly of Everett: The toll lanes were initially “bothersome” but I think overall it has been a good addition. I am willing to pay the 75 cents and prevent wear and tear on my brakes that would otherwise be used heavily in the “non-toll” lanes on the 405.
Sheryl Grover, Everett
I’m mostly working in Everett now. I do work in Duwamish a few days a week and have to travel to Longacres from time to time. On those days, I usually travel alone and do use my Good To Go pass. It is convenient to use. I would be nice to use past Bellevue.
Some folks we talked to don’t drive I-405 regularly but live near the area.
Rick Ogden, Bothell
I am seeing way more traffic on Filbert Road (Highway 524) and surrounding side streets since the tolls were installed on I-405. Filbert Road is not able to handle the extra I-405 traffic avoiding the tolls. There is also so much new construction right off of Filbert Road and no road infrastructure improvements. The planning has been not good. I am held captive in my house from 3 to 6:30 p.m. during peak two-mile long backups on Filbert Road!
Other readers also chimed in with their thoughts.
Randi Friedner, Lake Stevens: I used to make the one hour-plus drive each way to work my long shifts as a nurse at Swedish Issaquah for three years. I loved working there, so when WSDOT announced the opening of a toll lane, I begrudgingly got my switchable tag. Once the new lanes opened, the marked traffic increase was immediate. … Adding time to commute each way, I was gone for 15 hours a day. … I applied for a transfer to Swedish Edmonds. Immediately after I started my new job that kept me off the 405, I regained over an hour of each day back. While that doesn’t sound like much, it means I get to sleep a little longer and when I get home, I get to spend quality time with my family before the day is over, or go to a yoga class. … Now, I will not use 405 unless it’s outside of rush hour. I’m not paying the extra money and I’m not dealing with the nightmarish traffic that was created.
Gary Fromm, Monroe: I travel from Bothell to Mercer Island about four times a month, and I use the toll lanes every time. I can not stand sitting in traffic whatsoever. I love the toll lanes. I fly by the idiots who are trying to save 75 cents while wasting who knows how much time. I think the tolls should be rolled out to all the freeways around here, especially on 522 between Monroe and Bothell.
Jeana McDonald, Everett:
It is so frustrating that I am paying more now and it is taking longer to get there. Some days, it seems like it doesn’t save any more than two or three minutes. There are some days the main line is going faster than the toll lane! Is it worth it? Probably not, but you are stuck with wondering what happens if you don’t. How much longer will it take you to get there? When you are spending two-plus hours a day commuting, 10 or 15 minutes can be worth a lot.
Amanda McClindon, Gold Bar: I honestly don’t mind paying 75 cents to save myself 15 minutes after I’ve worked all day and I’m anxious to see my kids. I drive from Gold Bar to Seattle Monday-Friday. 522 is the biggest nightmare I deal with. Worse than Seattle traffic 75 percent of the time.
David Preston, Bothell
I am not a commuter, as I retired three years ago, However, I am a motorcyclist, and the tolling system has been awkward and poorly administered since before it was installed. … Overall, the system is so plagued with errors and the time and effort to fix the errors takes so much of everyone’s time I would think it would be simpler to just allow motorcycles free passage and be done with it.
Melissa Slager: 425-339-3432, streetsmarts@heraldnet.com.
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