On busy Lake City Way, buses cut 2 traffic lanes down to 1

In KIRO Radio’s Chokepoints series, we take a closer look at the traffic issues plaguing commuters in the Puget Sound region.

Buses are responsible for getting hundreds of cars off the roads each day, but who loves getting stuck behind one?

This chokepoint comes from several emails from frustrated drivers wondering if there is a better way to have buses and cars work together to smooth congestion. Several of the emails I received focused on southbound Lake City Way at 145th Street in Seattle.

“I believe the major problem at the intersection is the bus stop that immediately follows 145th,” Paulette Caswell wrote. Alan Gojdics wrote, “If the stop could be relocated or cut-in, productivity could soar due to time saved.”

Routinely at this location, two articulated buses will stop for loading and unloading, causing cars to back up behind them, for what seems to be a lengthy amount of time. It turns an already over-packed two lane road into a one lane road.

I went to King County Metro and asked about the bus stop at 145th.

Metro says there are no plans to move or modify the stop and it has several reasons why.

Metro says about 3,000 riders use the five bus lines on Lake City Way at that point. The 145th stop is a key transfer spot for riders. Keeping the stop close to 145th reduces the walking distances and keeps bus traffic moving efficiently.

There are also no plans for a cut-in, or a place for the buses to pull off the road to stop. There isn’t any room for modification like that at this spot, and Metro doesn’t have the money to buy any property that would be required.

Metro says cut-ins don’t really work because drivers generally refuse to let the buses back into traffic, even though they are required to under state law.

Failing to yield to a bus is a $124 fine.