Q: Michael Butler of Issaquah says he's a firm believer in the benefits of freeway ramp meters. But he questions whether there's a pattern to the metered on-ramp to eastbound Interstate 90 at Bellevue's Eastgate-area interchange.

"I take this way home every night (usually between 5 and 6:30 p.m.), and it doesn't seem to matter what time I pass through, the on-ramp is sometimes on and sometimes off.

"There doesn't seem to be any kind of pattern. As you can imagine, when the meter is off, traffic is a mess. Not only was the ramp backed up onto side streets, but the freeway was also congested, as there were too many cars trying to merge at one time," he said.

"One would think that the meter should be on at regular intervals every day. What's the reasoning of the timing?"

A: Martin Dedinsky, the state transportation department's freeway operations engineer, says ramp meters automatically adjust their timing based on how heavy traffic is on the freeway. And that's to maximize traffic flow on the freeway, and on the ramp.

Traffic engineers also monitor ramp meters from the state's traffic-management center in Shoreline, and can turn ramp meters on or off and adjust meter timing when needed, he said.

If traffic is too heavy on I-90, vehicles from the on-ramp are unable to merge and traffic backs up all the way up the ramp to the ramp meter. When that happens, traffic engineers turn off the meter because it is no longer effective and will cause ramp traffic to back up onto city streets, said Dedinsky.

"The on-ramp is frequently overwhelmed by increasingly heavy traffic on I-90 and coming from several city streets," he said. "In fact, this ramp experiences some of the heaviest traffic in the Puget Sound region because of rapid growth in the Eastgate area and in communities further east."

But Dedinsky says the DOT continues to monitor the ramp closely and look for ways to improve traffic flow. "One possible option," he said, "would be to change the HOV (carpool) bypass lane on the right to a metered general-purpose lane to give the ramp more lanes to store waiting vehicles."

Carpool-lane users could use the newly-constructed direct-access ramps at 142nd Place Southeast, just west of the Eastgate interchange.

That area also is one of the spots the DOT is studying as part of its route-development plan for I-90 between Bellevue and North Bend. That study, Dedinsky said, should be finished next spring. But any changes would be spread over the next 20 years as funding becomes available.

Q: Within the last few weeks, one lane of Seattle's Ballard Bridge has been
closed at times for repairs. "This always happens in the middle of the day on a Saturday, and can last for several hours," complained Dante Leon, a resident of the nearby Magnolia neighborhood.

The resulting traffic backup can be severe, he said, especially because the Fremont Bridge, east of the Ballard Bridge, is down to one lane for work, "and there is no workable alternate route."

Leon fears motorists might be in for more of these weekend repair closures. "Is there any way to schedule this work at a different time so that the impact is minimized?"

A: The city's transportation department has been performing needed maintenance work — replacing railings and repairing water lines — on the Ballard Bridge on weekends because the work would cause even more traffic congestion on weekdays because volumes are higher, says department spokesman Gregg Hirakawa. Crews do start work early on weekend mornings to keep traffic disruptions to a minimum, he said.

Since all lanes on the nearby Fremont Bridge are now open, that should help to reduce traffic volume on the Ballad Bridge, he noted. Still, the transportation department has been considering performing some bridge work at night. Crews, however, can perform only certain tasks during daylight hours.

"Bridge crews, by necessity, are required to work over the railing, high above the ground or water," said Hirakawa. "Working in such conditions at night with limited lighting and visibility can be extremely hazardous."

Here's what's up the road: Crews will begin repairing broken concrete on the Ballard Bridge during the summer months. That work, Hirakawa said, will require crews to close one traffic lane over the bridge during weekdays and weekends.

But he vows that the department is still looking for ways to minimize traffic congestion.

What's your reason for not buckling up? With law-enforcement agencies in this state being a part of a nationwide crackdown on seatbelt use, you may need a good excuse if you're stopped, unbuckled, and hope to get out of a ticket.

According to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, here's the top ten excuses officers in Delaware hear for not buckling up:

•I am afraid of getting stuck in a crashed car.
•It irritates the skin on my neck or chest.
•It makes me feel restrained.
•it doesn't fit; I am too big to wear a seat belt.
•I can't look over my shoulder before turns.
•I forgot.
•Nobody tells me what to do in my car.
•I have an air bag, so I don't need a seat belt.
•I can't wear a seat belt because I can't feed my baby with it on.
•I have a medical condition, I can't wear it.

Of course, there are other excuses, too. No doubt, a few from drivers here that might boast a truly Northwest flavor.

Here's what Delaware's Office of Highway Safety has to say about their top ten excuses:

•If you are not buckled up when the wreck occurs, you are more likely to be killed or knocked unconscious, and therefore unable to get out of the car at all. When you are buckled up, you are more likely to remain in place, in control of the vehicle and conscious to make smart decisions.
•Most newer vehicles have adjustable shoulder height positioners that allow occupants to move the shoulder belt height up or down for a more comfortable fit; for older vehicles, occupants may consider wearing clothes with a higher neck to provide some extra padding if fit is a big concern.
•Being restrained is the function of a seat belt. In a crash, it keeps you in your seat so you're unable to be thrown around or out of the vehicle where you're more likely to be killed than if you remain in the vehicle. All drivers' side seat belts allow free movement of the occupant until a crash occurs (or in some instances until you jam on your brakes).
•For some people, purchasing a seat belt extender may work to solve a size problem.
•A seat belt doesn't restrain your head, it restrains your chest. So it still should be possible to look over your shoulder.
•Most vehicles have annoying seat belt reminder systems that beep every minute or so when the vehicle senses that the restraint system isn't in use. And that's so you won't forget.
•Every state has traffic laws that mandate what people can or cannot do. It is illegal to drink and drive. It is illegal to speed. And it is illegal, even in this state, to drive or ride without a seat belt.
•Air bags are supplemental restraint systems, meaning they are designed to work along with seat belts, not as a restraint system alone.
•If you're driving, your eyes should be focused forward. If you're trying to feed your baby in the backseat, you can't possibly be focusing your attention on the road and you are risking your life, and your baby's. If you're a passenger and need to feed your child a bottle, you should sit in the back seat with the child, and both of you should be properly restrained. Nursing mothers should never try to feed their child while the vehicle is moving. You never know when someone may hit your vehicle and the laws of physics will make it impossible for you to hold onto your child in a crash. So, what should you do? Pull over to a safe location to nurse your child.
•A medical condition could be a valid excuse, but only if a doctor provides you with a written medical note. If this is the case, make sure to carry it in your purse or wallet so that the doctor's instructions remain with you if you are a passenger in someone else's vehicle.

What's your excuse for not wearing a seatbelt? Give it your best shot. Post it here. Then buckle up. It may save your pocketbook, and your life.

Q: Last year, Times' co-worker Susan Gilmore received a parking ticket over the Fourth of July holiday for parking her own car on the street blocking her own driveway.

She says she parked one car in her driveway, and another across the driveway because parking is so scarce in her Wallingford neighborhood, particularly over that holiday, when others are looking for parking places because of nearby public fireworks displays.

"Can't I do this if I own the house?," she asked. "I know police don't know who owns the cars blocking the driveways, but could I write a note and leave it on my dashboard, saying I own the house and purposely blocked my driveway?

"And if I get a ticket, could I fight it?"

A: According to Seattle's municipal code, it's illegal for anyone to park in front of a public or private driveway on a street or alley. Both Gregg Hirakawa of Seattle's transportation department and Officer Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department pointed that out.

But, adds Whitcomb: "If someone chose to block their own driveway, they would be well- suited to write a note explaining the circumstances. However, that would not necessarily guarantee that they might not get a ticket."

Could you fight the ticket? You can always fight a ticket. The question is, would you win? A court would have to determine that.

Q: There is a fire hydrant in front of Norm Gutzait's West Seattle home, just steps away from a marked cross
walk, which happens to be across busy Harbor Avenue Southwest. More often than not, he's noticed, cars and trucks will park within five feet of the hydrant. But it's not often that those vehicles get ticketed.

Gutzait says he's had little luck searching Web sites for regulations that outline the legal distance a vehicle is required to park away from a fire hydrant.

He's noticed no regulation for parking on the far side of crosswalk. But on his side of the street, signs are posted for two-hour parking. He says vehicles parked at the hydrant have at times obstructed the view of pedestrians trying to cross at the crosswalk.

A: Seattle's municipal code spells out that vehicles are unlawfully parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. That goes not only for parking, says Officer Jeff Kappel of the Seattle Police Department, but for standing, as well. That means running, occupied, or stopped vehicles.

In Seattle, a ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant is $38. In Bellevue, the minimum distance is the same, 15 feet, but the fine is $35.

The Seattle Municipal Code has a couple chapters that deal with city parking regulations.

Q: Back when downtown parking meters for street parking were the single or dual coin-fed meters at parking spaces, Stivic Chenoweth of Seattle says it seemed easier to find a space to park because you either lined up your front or your rear bumper with the meter. Now, because of the new pay stations, no one seems to know where to park, says Chenoweth.

"I regularly pass by block after block where, because there are no spaces marked, at least one parking space is gone because people are parking wherever they want on the block."

Chenoweth would be happy to see painted lines to cut down on wasted space.

A: Seattle's transportation department typically had painted what were called "T" and "L" markings (because they are shaped like the letters) on streets to indicate parking spots as they related to individual parking meters. The parking spots were about 22-feet in length.

But lots of vehicles are a lot shorter than 22 feet, and no longer need that much room to park, says Wayne Wentz of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

"With pay stations now substituting for parking meters, it is also no longer necessary to mark individual parking spots," he said. The pay station ticket is good wherever a motorist parks along the street, including metered parking spots.

Removing the "T" and "L" markings, however, allows more vehicles to park along the same city block, he said. "We have heard from citizens supporting (the department's) attempt to add more parking along the street.

"We have observed most motorists are considerate, and take only the amount of space they need to park their vehicles. Obviously, there are exceptions. It is also possible for a small vehicle to take the spot previously occupied by a large vehicle. The size difference would create a gap between the vehicles.

"In general, however, we have found motorists are able to park using the appropriate amount of space."

Here's another one: A reader asked how meter readers go about keeping track of overtime cars parked in timed zones, like two-hour parking zones, without meters.

"Some of my colleagues have noticed the meter reader circling our building in the Cascade neighborhood, sometimes chalking tires, sometimes appearing to point a hand-held something at the car or license plate," the reader said. "Is that a reader camera?"

How do readers keep track when tires are not marked? What are the rules for re-parking in the area after tires have been chalked? What is the citiation amount for overtime parking? How regularly do meter readers patrol areas in the city? Is there a regular schedule, a staggered schedule, a surprise schedule or what?

A: So many questions. Here are a few answers. The Seattle Police Department's parking enforcement unit says its officers have a number of methods to keep track of cars parked in time zones. Basically, they use chalk to mark car tires.

There are more than five dozen enforcement officers assigned to different shifts, starting as earliy as 6:30 a.m. Officers are assigned to a geographical area of the city each day, and the size of the area depends on the number of officers available that day.

In areas with timed zones, officers will use chalk to mark the tires of the cars parked on the street. Once the last car on the block is chalked, the officer records the time to be able to return after the appropriate amount of time expires. Upon returning, any vehicle with chalk on the tires is subject to a citation.

An electronic handheld ticketing device is used to issue citations and any information entered is done with a keypad. But the handheld device is not equipped with any sort of electronic reader or camera, and is limited to what the operator types into it.

Different colors of chalk are used to prevent crossover of chalking areas, as well as a coding mechanism for time and frequency.

Enforcement officers recognize problem areas more readily than individual cars and will use more scrutiny when enforcing those areas once identified. And that, says department spokeswoman Officer Debra Brown, is part of the mystery revealed.

Q: Over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend a number of motorists will likely be heading east on Highway 2 to reach campgrounds and vacation places in Eastern Washington. Matt Adkins of Edmonds is already dreading heavy traffic that could overwhelm stoplight intersections in Sultan and Startup in Snohomish County, and create long traffic backups.

His question: Is there a way the timing of those stoplight signals can be modified over the long weekend to take into account the unusual traffic and allow longer green lights for drivers headed east and west on Highway 2?

"This situation can become hazardous for unsuspecting drivers who are returning from Eastern Washington on Sunday and Monday, and do not notice the long backups as they make their way down from Stevens Pass," he said.

A: For this holiday weekend, as in years past, the state transportation department will make changes to traffic signals on Highway 2 (the Stevens Pass Highway) in Sultan to ease traffic congestion, says Mike Mansfield, the DOT's assistant Snohomish-area traffic engineer. That highway is a popular holiday route.

The holiday signal plan will be in place before the Memorial Day weekend, and will last through the May 28 holiday.

"When we develop the plan, we must balance the need to keep highway traffic flowing while providing time for local drivers who need to safely turn onto Highway 2," said Mansfield. "We do not operate any traffic signals in Startup."

Mansfield says motorists can plan ahead by checking the DOT's Web page (www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic), or call 511 for current traffic conditions.

Q: What is the problem with the Interstate 5 overpass at South 178th Street, between Tukwila and SeaTac and near Bow Lake Park? Gene Fioretti of Renton says that for the past five months the road has been barricaded and reduced to a single lane with a signal light controlling traffic.

Fioretti wonders if the state transportation department, in a search for a new revenue source, has plans to start charging a toll there. At the busiest times of the day, Fioretti says, westbound traffic to SeaTac is delayed at times all the way down a steep hill to Southcenter Parkway in Tukwila.

"That hill is as steep as James Street in Seattle," he said, referring to the hill that runs from Ninth Avenue on First Hill into downtown Seattle.

On the South 178th Street hill, Fioretti says, there' have been times vehicles have stalled out in backed-up traffic. And that, in his opinion, presents a safety issue.

A: Last Dec. 13, an overheight vehicle struck the bridge, which connects the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila. State transportation department spokeswoman Lauren Penning says state bridge inspectors concluded that the bridge overpass was safe for drivers, those on the freeway and also on the overpass bridge, but that traffic should be restricted on the overpass to one lane to prevent more damage to the bridge from excess weight.

The DOT installed the temporary signal to alternate traffic across the bridge. The state also has been closely monitoring the bridge while planning repairs, she said. During an in-depth review of the bridge damage, inspectors found that one of the 24 girders that support the bridge needs to be replaced before traffic can be returned to normal.

Penning says the DOT is currently designing the repairs and anticipates beginning work this summer.

That overpass is a main route for traffic to and from Southcenter Parkway, and also Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Boeing facilities.

Q: Are three-passenger carpool lanes bad, and do they achieve the opposite of what traffic planners intend?

"The worst case I personally experience every week on Friday evenings," says Gerald McAuliffe of Sammamish, "is the approach from the Interstate 405 freeway to the Lake Washington bridge on Highway 520.
"The traffic on the main lanes is at a crawl, while on the three-car diamond lane it is very low."

Obviously, says McAuliffe, if the objective is to get the most traffic through, wouldn't it be achieved much better by opening up the carpool lane to two-passenger vehicles?

"Indeed, if the objective in using even two-passenger diamond lanes on highways in general were to get the most traffic per hour through," he said, "this objective would probably be achieved much better by eliminating the diamond lanes altogether. A good intention does not always achieve what its planners hoped."

A: The HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) designation of three or more passengers is more about safety than traffic flow, says state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meghan Soptich.

The carpool lane on westbound Highway 520 between I-405 and the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge has always required three or more occupants because it cannot safely carry the amount of traffic that other carpool lanes carry, she said.

The lane was created in the 1970s from the outside freeway shoulder in order to allow buses to bypass toll booths on the bridge.

As Soptich points out, the lane is narrow and has no shoulder, and it must contend with merging traffic from on- and off-ramps. To keep drivers safe, the state limits the amount of traffic in that lane by only allowing vehicles carrying three or more people, she said.

The restriction also helps reduce congestion at the point where the carpool lane merges back into general lanes before the bridge. "This location is a severe bottleneck, and every additional vehicle forced to merge into the two lanes crossing the bridge causes longer backups for everyone," she said.

"The goal of the HOV lanes is to maximize the movement of people rather than vehicles, so they often have more people in them than the other lanes even when they don't look full."

Take a bus, for instance, she said. One bus in the carpool lane could easily be carrying the equivalent of 50 cars in the general purpose lanes.

Soptich says the average carpool lane carries 1½ times as many people as the average regular lane, and is saving carpoolers, vanpoolers and bus riders up to 16 minutes in their commute. Studies show, she said, that many people would switch to driving alone if carpool lanes were no longer available, including many of the people who are currently riding the bus, or in carpools or vanpools.

"This would quickly result in another clogged lane," she said.

Q: The law says a free right on a right-turn red arrow is O.K., unless there's a sign prohibiting right turns on a red arrow or light. So, what about left turns, particularly with a red left arrow in combination with a prevailing green light?

If there were no red left arrow, then a left when safe would be permitted. So, says Charles Hilsinger: "I have assumed that the red left arrow prohibited a left turn even with no oncoming traffic."

Wallingford resident Alicia Prychun has expressed a similar concern.

A. Unlike a free right, a free left is out, unless the driver is turning left from a one-way street or a two-way street into a one-way street carrying traffic in the direction of the left turn, says Wayne Wentz, the Seattle Department of Transportation's traffic management director. If a sign is posted specifically barring turns on red, such turns may not be made under any circumstances, he said.

Q: Can a Seattle police officer or any other city's officer issue you a ticket on Interstate 5 or any other state freeway if the alleged infraction happens on the freeway? And, does the State Patrol have the authority to issue a ticket in, say, downtown Seattle or downtown Bellevue? Mitch Galanti says he and his wife have a bet going.

A: The answer is yes on both counts, says Seattle Police spokeswoman Renee' Witt. Seattle officers "can, will, and have issued tickets" on I-5, she said, and they have that authority because they are commissioned by the state.

Witt's husband, a Seattle traffic officer, was headed to their South King County home one day when he happened upon a vehicle speeding on Highway 167 near Kent. He issued that driver a citation.

State troopers also can, will, and have issued tickets on city streets, Seattle and Bellevue included, she added, because the same rule applies.

Now, who wins the bet?

Q: At the bottom of the Lake Sammamish Parkway/Lakemont on-ramp to westbound Interstate 90, a string of small white symbols — they look like triangles — is painted across the pavement. What are they, and why are they there?

A: The state Department of Transportation calls it a 'yield line' — a broken line that appears in conjunction with one or more yield signs. The line of triangles indicates where drivers should stop when they yield to traffic, said Rob Brown, the DOT's assistant King-area traffic engineer.

The yield line is intended to make it easier for drivers to differentiate between locations where they must stop, which are marked with a solid white line and one or more stop signs, and locations where they should yield to traffic.

In this case, says Brown, the line indicates where drivers turning from West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast should stop when yielding to cars from the other direction turning left onto the I-90 on-ramp.

The Federal Highway Administration approved use of that marking seven years ago, but yield lines are fairly new in this state. Drivers can expect to see more yield lines with yield signs, at freeway off-ramps and entrances to roundabouts, says Brown.

Q: In Germany, where Suzette Bondy lived for six years before she and her husband relocated a couple years ago to Bellevue, roundabouts have long been a way of life. Not so here.

In the Northwest, the large circular islands to get traffic through an intersection are just coming of age. And, let's face it: Some of us are still squares when it comes to roundabouts.

Drivers don't always yield to others — even though yield signs are posted. Drivers haven't quite figured out who gets the right-of-way. And too many are apparently in too much of a rush to care about rules-of-the road.

Consider the roundabout on West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast, a stone's throw from Interstate 90, just west of Issaquah. That roundabout, first built in the late 1990s and redesigned two years ago, is the first built by the state Department of Transportation.

Since the roundabout has replaced stop signs at that intersection, traffic flow has improved somewhat, particularly at the busiest times of the day. But some drivers are still frustrated.

"Sadly, this roundabout is not being used very effectively and turns into a bottleneck during rush hour," said Bondy. In truth, some drivers, like Bondy, are using that roundabout as a U-turn; others are using it as a short-cut from freeway traffic. (It's sometimes quicker to travel Lake Sammamish Parkway from I-90 to Redmond, than I-90 to Interstate 405, then Highway 520 to Redmond.)

The DOT, which has jurisdiction over that roundabout because it's so close to the I-90 ramps, installed a ramp meter for northbound traffic, which is frequently heaviest. But that meter hasn't been activated for more than a year.

The state is still considering ways to smooth out northbound traffic flow, much of it from the freeway exit or from Lakemont Boulevard Southeast. That could improve the flow from the westbound I-90 exit ramp at Lake Sammamish Parkway, and also improve the flow through the roundabout for westbound traffic from Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.

When Bondy exits westbound I-90, her destination is south, toward Lakemont. But she's found it easier to go north and use the roundabout as a U-turn to head south. Otherwise she's forced to wait for a break in frequently busy north-south traffic in order to make a left turn from the exit.

But are short-cutters creating more traffic than the roundabout is designed to handle? "My question," says Bondy, "is whether a set of rules exist governing the use of roundabouts?"

A: The number of roundabouts across the state has increased to nearly 100, with several more in construction or on the drawing board. So the state wants drivers to become more comfortable with them.

Rick Roberts, the DOT's King County traffic engineer, says studies show that roundabouts, when used properly, move more traffic through an intersection with less delay than traffic signals or stop signs.

Here's how roundabouts are designed to work: Vehicles entering a roundabout should yield to traffic already in the circle. Approaching a roundabout, drivers should slow down, watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, and be prepared to stop, if necessary. But there's no need to stop if the way is clear.

The DOT has posted an online video — www.wsdot.wa.gov/eesc/CAE/designvisualization/video/Portfolio/
Modern_Roundabouts/mpg_index.htm — that explains proper roundabout etiquette. Tips on how to use roundabouts also are posted on the DOT's Web site — www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/roundabouts/.

Meanwhile, the state is still studying its first roundabout. "What are we going to do with those ramp meters now that they're not being used? We don't know," said DOT spokeswoman Jamie Holter. "But, we're looking into it."

Bondy's husband, Lars, who grew up in Germany, suggests the westbound I-90 offramp be extended and connected to that roundabout to make it easier for traffic exiting the freeway.

But if some drivers are feeling challenged handling a four-way roundabout, how will they feel about traffic circling from five directions?