Pike Street express ramp not for singles

Those freeway express lanes out of downtown Seattle can be mighty tempting, especially late in the day when traffic is heavy. Norman Turgeon, of Seattle, said he's never sure if he can jump into the express lanes or not.

"Is the entrance to the freeway express lanes north on Pike (Street), across from the entrance to the Convention Center near the Paramount Theatre, always closed to single drivers?" he asked. "Or is it only when the neon lights that say transit or two or more passengers is lit?"

Answer: Matt Beaulieu in the state Department of Transportation's Traffic Management Center said that downtown express-lane ramp is reserved for car pools, van pools and buses. When the express lanes operate northbound, that ramp becomes an entrance with signs that indicate it is open to transit and cars with two or more passengers.

When the express lanes operate southbound, that ramp becomes an exit, and those signs are changed to say the entrance ramp is closed.

"Either way," Beaulieu said, "this ramp is reserved for car pools, van pools and buses."

Doug Kaimakis, of northeast Seattle, has concerns about drivers making a left turn in an intersection near Ballard. "During the evening commute, I've got a gripe about a particular left turn," he wrote. "It's on Northwest Market Street at Third Avenue Northwest, westbound. These streets intersect at a sharp angle, so a person turning onto Third Northwest southbound makes a very sharp turn.

"Thing is, they almost never pull out far enough into the intersection to turn into their lane." He said drivers generally pull out one-half a car length and cut across the northbound lanes to complete the turn during a yellow or even red light.

"Biggest problem is that by not pulling out, they don't allow the cars behind them to go around them on the right," he said. "Is there any way markings could be added to indicate where (motorists wishing to turn) should be waiting in the intersection?"

Answer: Rob Spillar, director of Traffic Management for the city of Seattle, said, "This is a tricky intersection due to the geometry of the turning movements and the limited roadway with which engineers have to work."

Spillar said the sharp left turn made without pulling further ahead is the correct one for vehicles making the turn. Should left-turning vehicles be directed further northwest to make the left turn outside of the intersection? No, Spillar said. While this might create enough space for vehicles to pass on the right, he said, it would not be proper.

"Not only would it force the turning vehicle to make an even sharper turn, but more importantly, it would not allow the driver to have visibility of the traffic signal," he said.

Spillar said there's no quick fix or inexpensive solution to address the issue without affecting the overall operation of the intersection.

Bumper crop

• Can alcohol be served, or is it even allowed on, Sound Transit's Sounder commuter-train runs between Seattle and Tacoma and Everett?

The answer is no, Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said. Washington's laws restricting alcohol consumption in public places specifically prohibit open containers on trains operated by local governments such as Sound Transit, formally the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority.

• A new state Department of Transportation traffic camera near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport allows drivers to check real-time traffic before leaving for the airport. Last month, the state transportation department installed a snapshot camera at the Highway 99/518 interchange. The camera snaps three different views: south, west and east. It automatically updates every eight minutes and is available online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/.

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