(ThatKidInTheCorner :: Two Things You Need To Know About Traffic In C@L)

« Ronde Barber And A Mouthful Of Puke | Main | Sixers Season Preview (Which Is Actually About Football) »

October 27, 2006

Two Things You Need To Know About Traffic In C@L

Every town has traffic; C@L is just a little funnier about it than most

I'm about a year and two months into the adult experience of being a car commuter. As a New Yorker, I was spoiled by the subway for six years and change. Sure, you may have had to occasionally suplex old ladies out of the way for a spot on a crowded train, but the time between locations was relatively fixed. I liked the subway. I liked that I got to read on the subway AND listen to music if I so chose. And, of course, the people-watching was routinely spectacular.

Now I gas-brake-honk it for two to three hours per day like the rest of the residents of the suburban/ exurban United States. My commute is about 13 miles each way. It takes about 50 minutes in the morning, and 75 minutes in the evening (but only if you leave between 4:00 and 7:30...). Whatever. There's traffic everywhere, no one likes it, I would take public transportation if there was a good option for me, but there isn't, and so here I am. No biggie. And C@L is certainly no worse than DC, LA, Atlanta, Houston, or Boston.

Still, there are a couple recent traffic-related items that caught my attention:

(1) Public Given "Last Chance" To Voice Concerns In Re: 520 Remodeling Plan: democracy in action this week, as local residents have until October 31st to debate the latest set of proposals for the replacement of the 520 bridge. The 520 bridge, if you're unfamiliar with it, is pretty much the bane of roughly 100,000 local residents' existences. Its four lanes connect mainland C@L with the Eastside suburbs of Bellevue and Redmond. Wait. Redmond. What's in Redmond. Oh right! It's that company that employs tens of thousands of people and plans to keep hiring and expanding for the next forever. So, they need to get on fixing this. According to the latest report, there are currently four options for 520 -- two of which do not involve adding more lanes to the bridge. There are actually local environmental groups who are protesting any construction at all in the area. Complete high comedy. Still, and here's the kicker, it's unlikely that any project would be complete before 2020. Also, there's no money to pay for it (not yet -- they're planning to figure that out next year). For the avoidance of doubt, this means that the traffic will only get worse for the next 14 years before it gets any better. So that's awesome.

(2) The best part of Singles on HBO On Demand: in an effort to reach conclusion and consensus on the All-Time-Top-Five-C@L Movies discussion (update: I have three definites, and then it's a little dicey), I watched Singles on HBO On Demand last week. What an absolute treat. There's an entire posting worth of material here, but if I had to summarize, I would say that it's amazing how little that film has aged in re: its characterization(s) of this town and its inhabitants. What is worth mentioning is that Campbell Scott's character works at the Washington State Department of Transportation, and he's trying to solve the "gridlock problem." His big idea? A "supertrain" that commuters can take across the water each day. For the avoidance of doubt, Singles was released in 1992. And yet here we are, 14 years later, with a "gridlock problem" that's getting worse by the day and still no relief in sight. Nice work with that, folks.

Posted by thatkid at October 27, 2006 4:52 PM under C@L

October 27, 2006

Two Things You Need To Know About Traffic In C@L

Comments

Post a comment