Triple-digit commute times — here to stay?

We hit the triple digits. And then again. And again.

If you were wondering if the morning commute to Seattle has been worse than ever, it’s not all in your head.

At its peak (or lowest point?) the Everett to Seattle driving time was 140 minutes. There were times it hit 135 and 130 minutes, too.

That’s a lot longer than the usual 69 minutes predicted on the state’s “95 percent reliable travel times” calculator, based on 2013 data, which suggests leaving Everett at 6:51 a.m. to reach Seattle by 8.

We are the 5 percent.

Now, when the days grow darker and schools and colleges are back in session, there’s always a spike in slowdowns. But this fall is, indeed, exceptional.

“When we had 100-minute commutes last year it was almost surprising. This year it’s surprising if we don’t,” said Mike Allende, the state Department of Transportation’s morning traffic guy. “So we have seen it in the past. It’s just been so relentless in the last three weeks that it’s kind of caught everyone’s attention.”

That includes those who ride the bus, too.

Tim Ellis of Everett has even quantified the misery.

Ellis takes the Sound Transit Express Route 510 bus to his real-estate job in Seattle. He’s always logged the times he gets on the bus and gets to work, among other personal daily milestones.

Dumping all that data into a chart recently, Ellis found that his median bus ride lately has topped one hour — compared to a high of 52 minutes in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 49 minutes in the fourth quarter of 2013.

In fact, six of his top 10 worst commutes the past three years fell within the last three weeks alone.

“It’s gotten a lot — a lot — worse,” Ellis said.

Ellis takes a motorized scooter to an Everett bus stop. By the time the 510 leaves Everett Station, it’s often standing room only already.

In comments on his personal blog post about his findings, other bus riders reported having to wait for another bus because the one they were there to board was already full.

Looking out the bus window, though, Ellis feels he still has it better than single-occupant drivers.

“Oh, gosh. I don’t know how anyone does it. … I couldn’t do it. I actually find an hour on the bus to be more tolerable than 20 minutes in a car, much less these people who are sitting in their cars for an hour and a half. I don’t know how they do it,” he said.

Sound Transit doesn’t plan to add any buses at this point.

“We’ve got everything we can afford out on the road right now,” said Bruce Gray, a Sound Transit spokesman.

Gray, too, confirmed things have been worse than usual lately.

“We have seen some of the worst delays we’ve had ever on our Snohomish County route these past few weeks,” he said. “Usually things shake themselves out in a week or so. … This fall, it held on for longer than usual, that’s for sure.”

There’s no one thing causing all the delays. Collisions always have a domino effect. High winds and torrential rains certainly didn’t help. There also are more housing developments along the corridor. “The more people you put in one place at one time, the more likely something is going to happen,” said Allende, of WSDOT.

Will things settle down? Or is this some scary new reality?

“I think it will kind of go back and forth,” Allende said. “We’ll continue to see commute times that approach 2 hours, and we’ll have days like (Friday, a sunny and dry morning) when we don’t.”

In the meantime:

Leave early if you can.

Focus on the road.

Turn on your headlights.

Be aware of current conditions and consider alternate routes.

Check current travel times — if for no other reason than to be mentally prepared for what you’re getting into.

“And, really, just work together. It’s not a race out there,” Allende said. “Give each other space and understand that you are not the owner of that piece of pavement. You’re all working together to try and get somewhere. If someone needs to get in, let them in. Use your blinker.

“The more you work together the easier it’s going to be.”

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