The Interstate 90 Floating Bridge will close several days this week when the Blue Angels return for Seafair. The Federal Aviation Administration requires the state Department of Transportation to close I-90 while the Navy aerial team performs for the safety of motorists and pilots.

No traffic, bicycles or pedestrians will be allowed on I-90 between Interstate 5 in Seattle and Island Crest Way on Mercer Island during aerial practices and performances, with traffic stopped up to 30 minutes before each flight. Also, the bridge will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists up to 30 minutes before posted closure times.

Exits from westbound I-90 to Island Crest Way and East Mercer Way will remain open, but expect heavy traffic at those exits during the bridge closures.

The I-90 express lanes will close at 9 a.m. on Thursday and at10:45 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Highway 520's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge remains open this week, but not to boat traffic. However, drivers using the Evergreen Point Bridge should expect heavy traffic and delays, and plan for extra time to cross Lake Washington.

The I-90 closures are:

•Thursday (Aug. 2), 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1:15 to 2:30 p.m.;

•Friday (Aug. 3), 12:45 to 2:40 p.m.;

•Saturday (Aug. 4), 12:45 to 2:40 p.m. for a full performance;

•Sunday (Aug. 5), 12:45 to 2:40 p.m. for the final performance.

Traffic delays were longer than expected on Interstate 90 and Interstate 405 on Sunday night during rolling slowdowns scheduled by the state Department of Transportation.

Seattle City Light crews raised power lines near the I-90/I-405 interchange and drivers experienced delays for nearly an hour in both directions of I-90 and I-405 between midnight and 4 a.m.

Engineers initially anticipated 20- to 40-minute delays, but are now advising drivers to allow an extra hour if traveling between midnight and 4 a.m. the next three nights — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sunday night's extended delay was caused by problems with equipment. Delays of up to 50 minutes are expected for the next three nights (July 30-Aug. 2) at the I-405/I-90 interchange.

Each night, the State Patrol will initiate periodic rolling slowdowns in both directions of I-405 and I-90 near the interchange. All ramps leading to the interchange will be closed to prevent traffic from entering the freeway, including I-90 on-ramps eastbound from East Mercer Way on Mercer Island and Bellevue Way in Bellevue; westbound I-90 on-ramps from 150th/156th Avenue Southeast, 148th Ave Southeast, Southeast Eastgate Way and Richards Road/128th Avenue Southeast.

Also closed will be northbound I-405 on-ramps from Southeast 44th Street, 112th Avenue Southeast and Coal Creek Parkway, and southbound on-ramps from Northeast Fourth/Eighth Street, Northeast Sixth and Southeast Eighth Street.

At the start of each slowdown, the on-ramps will be closed at the same time, and will reopen one at a time as slowed traffic is escorted by state troopers.

The transportation department is recommending motorists reschedule trips on I-405 and I-90 during those four-hour periods, or consider other routes. Updated traffic information will be posted online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle. Traffic information also will be provided on variable freeway message signs, on highway advisory radio and on a toll-free 511 traveler information phone line.

During the work, power lines will be disconnected and transferred to taller poles, or tightened and reconnected to an existing pole southwest of the interchange. But area residents should not lose power.

Q: Seattle resident Bob Ingalls believes that too often unsuspecting freeway drivers are needlessly directed to a far-right lane to exit the freeway, only to discover later that the lane they had been in would also have allowed them to exit. In some cases, the lane next to the far-right lane also has an "O.K." sign posted.

"This can cause hardship and confusion, and even trap the unwary," he said. Not to mention the struggle he's experienced in the past trying to change lanes. Such is the case, he says, in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, for drivers headed to the Edmonds-Kingston exit (Exit 177). After following a sign to exit right, and then passing a sign with an "O.K." arrow over one lane and an "exit-only" arrow over another, drivers find they must move to the left on the exit to avoid being inadvertently forced onto Ballinger Way Northeast.

Even more annoying, says Ingalls, is the exit from northbound I-5 to Highway 520 in Seattle. Drivers following the "right lane only" exit sign discover that their lane ends and merges traffic to the left.

Wouldn't it be helpful, Ingalls suggests, to have "O.K" arrows posted where the exit is first indicated?

A: Ideally, says Darrel Whyte, special projects engineer for the state Department of Transportation, if drivers can reach an exit from more than one lane, freeway signs approaching the exit will alert traffic. But obviously that's not always the case. Sometimes cost can get in the way; sometimes it's a matter of finding a place to post another sign, says Whyte.

At most locations with two exit lanes and only a one-lane exit sign, it's because the sign was posted a long time ago, he said. That's the way it was done back then.

Two-lane exit signs are much larger, and extend farther over the roadway than one-lane exit signs, he said, and so they require more substantial supports. Only a few locations with existing supports for a one-lane exit sign can be used to support a two-lane sign without modifications.

"Replacing a sign support with larger, stronger sign support to accommodate a two-lane exit sign is a costly endeavor. In urban areas, new sign supports can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said. So to save money, the state often waits until sign upgrades can be incorporated into a major construction project, like widening a freeway in the immediate area.

If a major project is not scheduled for an area, Whyte says the state can tap into funds for spot improvements. But those funds are limited, he said, so "we must be very selective and weigh the costs and benefits of such freeway signing against other safety improvement projects."

However, Whyte said staff did review the Edmonds-Kingston and Highway 520 exits, and agree that those locations are good candidates for sign upgrades. So the state will work on a plan and budget for new signs. But it could take months. Let's see what happens.

The deadline for solo commuters to sign up for Metro Transit's reduced-rate vanpool deal for August has been extended a week — to Aug. 3. (The original deadline was today, July 27.)

The deal is to help commuters cope with Interstate 5 lane closures northbound next month for road work between South Spokane Street and Interstate 90. Closures are scheduled August 10-29 , and transportation planners anticipate widespread traffic backups on the freeway through the downtown area as well as on other streets as drivers seek alternate routes.

For the month, initial requirements and costs for new vanpool groups with as few as five participants is being reduced to $45 a participant, a savings of nearly half the regular monthly cost, for commuters who travel the I-5 corridor into or through the Seattle area. Metro will provide the van as well as maintenance, insurance, fuel costs and emergency roadside assistance, if needed.

For details about the van-pool offer, call 206-625-4500, or e-mail vanpool.information@metrokc.gov.

Q: Is it legal when exiting a parking garage on the west side of First Avenue in downtown Seattle to cross two solid yellow lines separating traffic to make a left turn to head north? Brian Belka, who parks in a garage just south of Columbia Street, has found himself facing that dilemma. He wants to make sure he's not also facing a traffic ticket.

A: Wayne Wentz, the city's traffic management director, says it's permissible to exit and turn left over the double yellow lines as long as you don't delay other drivers on the street, and providing you can do so safely. So, too, says Seattle's municipal code.

Two solid yellow lines between lanes of traffic means neither side can pass. But it's permissible to cross yellow lane markings, except medians, to turn left, if it is safe. So says the state Department of Licensing's Washington Driver Guide.

Q: Ballard resident George Mount is convinced the folks in charge at City Hall are trying to reduce the number of cars in Seattle's downtown area. But is Metro Transit doing anything to adjust bus schedules for a potential increase in bus ridership?

Mount theorizes the city is leaning on Metro to increase ridership. And that's what may be behind the step-up in metered downtown parking, the decrease in free downtown parking, and increased population density downtown.

"Metro's not only going to have to improve capacity on existing routes," says Mount, "but expand deeper into other neighborhoods if the city's efforts to reduce traffic downtown are going to be effective."

He's curious to know what Metro has in mind.

A: Metro spokeswoman Rochelle Ogershok says that as part of the King County agency's Transit Now initiative, funding will be available over the next decade to improve bus service, not only in Seattle, but also throughout the county.

The agency has already started adding service, she said. Five months ago, improvements were made to 12 routes, including two routes serving Capitol Hill and South Lake Union, Uptown, Ballard, Wallingford and University District neighborhoods.

She said city residents can expect to see other major investments, including limited-stop express service in three heavily traveled corridors in West Seattle, Ballard and along Aurora Avenue North, in addition to more service for several other high ridership routes.

Metro is calling its limited-stop express service RapidRide, a program being funded by the increase in county sales taxes approved by voters last November.

Metro expects to achieve higher capacity and faster operation with RapidRide than traditional bus service, Ogershok said. The goal is to reach bus service that operates at least 18 hours a day with a target frequency of 10 minutes or better in all directions.

Ogershok said the Transit Now initiative should also improve service on routes that connect neighborhood and activity centers throughout Seattle.

The target date for the reopening of the downtown bus tunnel is still Sept. 24. With that reopening, 17 Metro routes and one Sound Transit route will use the tunnel, freeing up downtown surface streets for better distribution of other routes.

It should also relieve some downtown traffic congestion.

The number of people who died on the nation's roads fell last year, leading to the lowest highway fatality rate ever recorded and the largest drop in total deaths in 15 years, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

"Tough safety requirements and new technologies are helping make our vehicles safer and our roads less deadly," Peters said in a release today (Monday). "But we all must do more when so many are killed or seriously hurt on our roads every day."

Washington state was among 27 states, plus the District of Columbia, to log reductions in the number of fatalities, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In this state, there were 630 last year (2006) and 649 the year before (2005).

In 2006, 42,642 people died in traffic crashes nationwide, a drop of 868 deaths compared to 2005. This two percent decline in traffic deaths contributed to the historic low fatality rate of 1.42 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, Peters said.

Most significantly, fatalities of occupants of passenger vehicles — cars, SUVs, vans and pickups — continued a steady decline to 30,521, the lowest annual total since 1993, Peters said. Injuries were also down in 2006, with passenger car injuries declining by 6.2 percent and large truck injuries falling by 15 percent.

But alcohol-related fatalities rose slightly in 2006 over the previous year, while motorcycle deaths rose by 5.1 percent. This is the ninth year in a row the NHTSA has logged an increase in motorcycle deaths.

NHTSA collects crash statistics annually from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The latest report is posted online at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810791.PDF.

Q: Are those e-mails that are circulating about drastic increases in traffic fines accurate, or are they more-or-less online urban legend?

A reader named Scott was forwarded an e-mail about infraction increases from Dan. Rick, another reader, forwarded one he received to us. Both claim new driving fines were effective July 1.

According to Scott's e-mail, the fine for being nabbed in the carpool lane illegally would be $1068.50 for the first offense, then it would double each time until the fourth offense, which would result in a license suspension. And according to the two e-mails, an incorrect lane change could cost you $380. Blocking an intersection would be just cause for a $485 ticket. (The current fine for all three of those is $112.) The e-mails say the penalty for being caught driving while using a hand-held cell phone would be $285.

Can those e-mails be believed?

A: Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins says it's a good guess that those two e-mails and similar ones are spreading bogus information. In fact, Calkins went online and tracked down a newspaper article in a Southeast Texas daily about similarly suspicious e-mails.

"This looks like a collection of half-truths of the kind that wind their way through the internet and then come to the attention of very sincere readers like the one who wrote to you," said Calkins.

But while there may not be absolute truth to those stiff increases referenced in those e-mails, traffic fines in this state are poised to go up this Sunday (July 22), the result of two laws passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire.

Most driving violations in the state will increase by $12. A spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Olympia says lawmakers created an auto theft prevention program and initiated a $10 increase on most traffic infractions to pay for the program. They also created a program to give support to people with traumatic brain injuries and their families, and imposed a $2 surcharge on traffic tickets to raise money for that program.

The increase follows a bump-up of about $11 three months ago, approved by the State Supreme Court.

Here is a link to a Web site that lists information on increases in infraction penalties: www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.infractionPenalties.

A "hands-free cell phone" bill is not scheduled to take effect until next July (2008). It'll be a secondary offense, which means you can't be pulled over just for that. But if you're stopped for something else, you could be cited if an officer concludes your cell phone use was not hands-free.

Some drivers have asked whether next month's Interstate 5 northbound lane closures will include nights and weekends, or will work be restricted to weekdays?

The 19-day closure schedule includes nights and weekends. So yes, Stan Smith, that means around the clock.

Starting the night of Aug. 10, several of I-5's lanes and ramps northbound between South Spokane Street and Interstate 90 will be closed while contractors for the state Department of Transportation rehabilitate the freeway by fixing expansion joints and adding a fresh layer of pavement.

Closures will continue every day of the week —-- weekdays and weekends —-- through Aug. 29. For most of that time, there will only be two or three lanes open northbound, and even one of those also will be closed nightly between midnight and 4:30 a.m.

State transportation planners say this is one of the biggest construction closures the state has ever attempted, and it's quite likely to dramatically affect traffic. As drivers switch to other routes north, Highway 99 and other highways and streets are likely to be crowded, too. The DOT is urging motorists to make plans ahead of time to avoid getting stuck in traffic backups.

"We want to reduce the number of vehicles on northbound I-5 by at least half during the construction closures to prevent gridlock," said DOT spokeswoman Meghan Soptich. That's about 65,000 vehicles daily the state is hoping will steer clear of the downtown freeway, or drivers will decide to work from home or take some time off.

During the 19-day closure, crews will be replacing 34 failing expansion joints that link the concrete bridge slabs that make up the 40-year-old freeway section. If those expansion joints are allowed to completely fail, large pieces of metal and yard-long bolts would pop up from the freeway deck, and that would pose a threat to drivers traveling at freeway speeds, said Soptich. Southbound lanes are not in as bad shape, she said.

What the DOT is suggesting is that drivers try out alternative plans now. On the DOT's Web page —-- www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair —-- are posted tips on alternate routes and transit options.

To cut back on traffic, Metro Transit is proposing commuters used to driving alone consider sharing the commute with others in a vanpool. For all of next month (August), Metro will be cutting initial requirements and costs for new vanpool groups with as few as five participants.

Commuters who travel the I-5 corridor into or through the Seattle area will be able to form a new Metro vanpool for just $45 per participant, a savings of nearly half the regular monthly cost. But participants must sign up by July 27. Metro will provide the van, and also maintenance, insurance and fuel costs and emergency roadside assistance if needed. For details about the offer, call 206-625-4500, or e-mail: vanpool.information@metrokc.gov.

Q: Are 18-wheelers banned from traveling the Alaskan Way Viaduct? West Seattle resident Cynthia Glenn, who takes that route daily in her commute to downtown Seattle, said that's been her understanding for years, and it seems logical considering there is no shoulder along the highway and those big trucks can take up every inch of lane space.

"I commute at least three days a week on a scooter, and those trucks are really intimidating," she said. "Never mind the fact that they almost blow me off the road with their massive air displacement."

Glenn says she tries to stay in the far-right lane, particularly when she's on the scooter. But she's seen quite a few of those large trucks traveling the highway through downtown Seattle.

"They've been in front of me. They've been behind me. And they've come up right next to me, and passed me."

What's the real deal?

A: The deal is that large trucks and buses are required to travel in the Alaskan Way Viaduct's right lane, but 18-wheelers are not banned from using the Viaduct, says state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meghan Soptich.

"We restrict buses and trucks to the right lane to keep these heavy vehicles from driving side by side over the same bridge joint on this vulnerable structure," Soptich said. "Trucks that weigh more than 10,000 pounds, including 18-wheelers, are not allowed on the southbound off-ramp to First Avenue South, or the on-ramp from Columbia Street to southbound Highway 99."

But buses are allowed to use the Columbia Street on-ramp.

Q: In their senior years, residents at Stratford at Maple Leaf, the year-old retirement community on Lake City Way Northeast, find lots to like about their surroundings. They can enjoy their own space, and independence, without living alone. There are outdoor terraces with flowers. There's even a pub across the street, and a restaurant that specializes in Chinese food. And there are other businesses nearby.

Life is good — until they try to venture out. Bernice Gilmore, the new president of Stratford's resident council, says residents long for a traffic signal and marked crosswalk in front of their building, which is on the west side of Lake City Way at Northeast 90th Street. They also want a bus stop they can get to. The closest stop is several blocks away, with no sidewalks between.

A few of Stratford's nearly 100 residents still drive, but most don't. Gilmore, who is in her early 80s, says she feels safer driving to the restaurant just across the street than crossing the busy street on foot.

"I am scared to walk across the street, and I know most of the folks here wouldn't consider it," she said. "They are afraid, and I don't blame them."

An average of 35,000 vehicles pass by daily. Even Seattle transportation officials concede it's one of the city's busiest thoroughfares.

The closest traffic signal to the south of the Stratford is at Northeast 86th Street, about three blocks away. The closest to the north is at Northeast 95th Street, four blocks away. None of the intersections in between have marked crosswalks, although by law it is legal to venture a crossing anyway.

The nearest bus stop on Lake City Way also is at Northeast 95th Street. Residents can take the bus into downtown Seattle without crossing the street. But not so getting home. "There are people here who said they'd take the bus if it were immediately accessible," said Gilmore. "But they really can't walk distances at all."

A: The city says there hasn't been a pedestrian accident at that intersection in the past five years. But that doesn't mean it's the safest place to cross. It is, after all, a five-lane street, counting the center turn lane.

Lake City Way is technically a state highway (Highway 522), but it is still under the city's umbrella. So, the city has to get state approval before any changes can be made.

According to Gregg Hirakawa of the city's Department of Transportation, a traffic signal and marked crosswalk would require certain federal standards be met. Those are spelled out in the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a guide on national standards for traffic engineering.

There is currently no approved plan for adding a signal at that intersection. But Hirakawa says the city is willing to take another look. To get a signal approved, the city would need to study pedestrian and traffic volumes, traffic speed and lane configuration, among other things.

The department is currently partnering with King County Metro to determine what's possible, said Wayne Wentz, the city transportation department's traffic management director.

SDOT's curbspace management team is studying the location to see if there is enough space to add a bus stop, and a city traffic signal engineer is performing a traffic analysis to see if federal criteria would be met for a pedestrian signal, he said.

In the meantime, he added, Metro is studying the bus stop aspect. "A pedestrian signal without an accompanying bus stop would most likely not meet the established criteria," he said, "while a bus stop without a crossing signal would have reduced value to area residents, particularly those with special needs."

Metro Transit spokeswoman Linda Thielke said her agency would need approval from the city and state, plus a signalized pedestrian crossing before a bus stop could be added in front of the Stratford. Metro doesn't even run an all-day bus route on Lake City Way. So, Sound Transit, which has an all-day route along Lake City Way, would get pulled into the mix.

But the process could be lengthy. Meghan Soptich of the state Department of Transportation said the state has not yet been approached about this particular intersection.

Wentz said the city hopes to have findings from its study within the next month.

Q: The other day, Mark Cruz of Renton was waiting to turn left at a green light in downtown Seattle. The car in front of him was sitting under the light, turn signal blinking, but had not budged even though all oncoming traffic had passed.

Cruz honked his horn to urge the driver to move. "Then I was pulled over by a Seattle police officer on a motorcycle. He let me off on a warning for honking at the car in front of me.

"Dumbfounded, I said 'of course I was.' What am I supposed to do when someone just sits there at a green light?

"He then told me that use of your horn is only for emergencies."

Only in Seattle? "This seems so far-fetched. I have a hard time believing it," said Cruz. In Southern California, where he grew up, honking horns weren't unusual. And he's lived in other places, including back East, before moving to this state about a decade ago. He'd never heard of a horn rule.

"I have always used my horn with regularity," he said, assuming his horn to be as indispensable as his turn signal and headlights.

What should a driver do when the car up ahead won't move? "Can you please tell me what the law in Washington is on the use of your horn?"

A: While it's true that drivers in the Northwest pride themselves as being more genteel than in some other parts of the country, it's also true that this state has, shall we say, a horn rule.

The officer was not out of line, said Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins. In fact, trooper Kirk Rudeen, also of the State Patrol, referenced a state statute (RCW 46.37.380) that says a horn should be used only when reasonably necessary. "Honking at the car in front of you to go because the light turned green is not considered proper use of the horn," said Rudeen.

So what to do? "What we tell people is unless it's an emergency situation, just be patient and polite," said Rudeen.

But Lowell Porter, former State Patrol chief and now director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, points out that what's considered reasonably necessary, or an emergency, could be a judgment call, subject to interpretation.

A horn might alert a distracted driver. Or it could incite road rage.

And if you should get a ticket for honking, could you challenge it in court? Of course you could. But a court's view of horn honking here might not be the same as, say, in the heart of New York City or Chicago.

Q: For traffic headed south on Fremont Avenue North through the heart of Fremont, the quirky community which touts itself as the Center of the Universe, you won't find designated turn lanes at intersections between North 50th Street, at the gates to Woodland Park Zoo, and North 37th Street, near the north end of the Fremont Bridge.

But area resident Mark Essig says you're likely to find traffic problems at much-traveled intersections along that stretch.

He reports that there are frequently long lines of vehicles trying to make left turns from Fremont Avenue onto North 46th Street, and also North 39th Street, both busy arterials. "This causes backups and confusion for people traveling straight south at those lights, and many times close accidents as drivers veer out of the left-turn line to continue going straight."

His suggestion: New left-turn pockets at the two intersections, similar to the designated left-turn lane at North 37th Street, as an aid to help keep traffic moving.

A: From a traffic study of the collisions reported to the Seattle Police Department, Wayne Wentz, the city transportation department's traffic management director, says it's pretty clear to him that both of those intersections are generally operating well, and that designated left-turn pockets for safety are not necessary.

But he says the department is willing to take another look, and consider the complaint of traffic delays.

"Another consideration along Fremont is that adding left-turn bays would most likely involve restricting parking, which is something we invite neighborhood businesses to weigh in on," he said.

Wentz says it takes about six to eight weeks to conduct a complete traffic study. He says you should be able to check on the status of the study, when it is finished, online at traffic.signals@seattle.gov.

Q: If there are laws governing the use of mud flaps, Bill Dekker would like to know what they are. And, he'd like to get the word out to a few others.

But what he'd like most is to not have to replace the windshield of his 2000 Saturn so often. Since he's owned the car, he says he's replaced the windshield three times, "and the last one I replaced has two rock dings in it now."

He's convinced that irresponsible truck drivers on the road, spitting rocks, are responsible for the dings. And he suspects that wouldn't be so much of a problem if there was some requirement for all trucks to have mud flaps, and have them installed closer to the road.

"I do believe they are too short in most cases," said the Renton resident. "Requiring them to be closer to the road would be a great improvement and so much safer for us all.

" I often see some as much as 24 inches from the pavement," and in his opinion, that's unacceptable.

His view is that truck owners should be held responsible for any damage or bodily harm that might result if they are responsible for flying rocks.

"This has been quite expensive," he said, "not to mention dangerous."

A: Vehicles are required by law to have fenders or splash aprons, which some people call mud flaps, to minimize the spray of water or mud from the roadway to the rear of the vehicle.

But Lt. Julie Myer in the Washington State Patrol's commercial vehicle division, points out that state codes for mud flaps don't specifically mention anything about flying rocks.

On passenger cars, the fender typically does the same thing mud flaps are supposed to do. The requirement for mud flaps generally applies to pickups and semitractor-trailers, and the law calls for mud flaps to be as wide as the tread width of the tire and extend down to the center of the vehicle's axle.

Vehicles not properly equipped are subject to being stopped and cited for not having mud flaps, she said. That's a violation of state law. But even if an officer were to observe a rock kicked up from a tire where there were no mud flaps, and that rock struck another vehicle, the enforcement would still be the same: a ticket for not having mud flaps.

State troopers lack the authority to make a driver pay for damages, said Myer. That would be an issue between the parties involved, and perhaps their insurance companies.

Q: Renton resident Marlene Marcum has noticed the traffic that heads east on Southeast Carr Road, just outside Renton's city limits, then cuts off on 105th Place Southeast, which turns into Southeast 180th Street and ends at a stoplight at 108th Avenue Southeast. Some drivers use that route as a speedway, she says, even though it's just a short distance from Carr Road to 108th Avenue Southeast.
She resides in the Vantage Glen senior mobile home park, and the park residents' only exit is onto Southeast 180th Street, which Marcum says is constantly blocked by cars taking the cutoff from Carr Road.
"Could we possibly have speed bumps put on this cut-off to slow down this traffic?" she asked. "I've noticed that speed bumps are effective on other cut-off streets."

A: King County's Road Services Division has found that speed bumps can be an effective tool to eliminate cut-through traffic. But, says Kevin Chang, an engineer with the division's neighborhood traffic and pedestrian safety unit, before the county makes a decision to determine if traffic calming should be considered, a traffic study needs to be done to collect speed and volume data along Southeast 180th Street.
The results of a study should determine what next steps need to be taken. Chang says he's requested that study.

Q: A nearly 2-mile stretch of Highway 520 between Medina and Bellevue, and a segment of southbound Interstate 5 through Lynnwood are the first in a string of test sites picked by the state Department of Transportation for trying out new "quiet pavement" asphalt surfaces that the state hopes will reduce road traffic noise.

Among the things the state wants to learn is how different asphalts hold up to the use and abuse of studded tires. But hasn't the state been stomping against the use of studded tires because of the damaging effects studs have on highways?

"I thought studded tires were to be phased out soon as a result of legislation several years ago," said Mercer Island resident Chris Vetter. "Why would the DOT consider their effect if they are or will be illegal to use?"

A: In this state, studded tires are legal from Nov. 1 to March 31. According to DOT spokeswoman Erin Bogenschutz, there is no pending legislation to prohibit studded tires year-round.

The state does, however, encourage the use of alternatives, such as all-season tires or even tires with new, lighter-weighted studs that cause less damage to roads than traditional studded tires.

A number of states where quiet pavement has been successful have warmer, drier climates, says the DOT. It's unknown at this point how this region's climate will affect the durability of the new asphalt surfaces. That, too, is the point of the tests.

Q: In Saffa Bardaro's Loyal Heights neighborhood, traffic headed west on Northwest 85th Street, tends to merge from two lanes into one after crossing 15th Avenue Northwest. Parking is permitted on the north side of the street, but in some spots there are "no parking" signs posted with restrictions for certain hours.

But the parking situation isn't consistent from 15th Northwest north to 32nd Avenue Northwest, where the street dead ends, she said.

"So, sometimes people drive single file down Northwest 85th, treating it as a single-lane road. However, other times people drive side-by-side, especially to pass (on the right), treating it as a two-lane road, where no cars are parked."

And it doesn't help, says Bardaro, that there are no left-turn-only lanes in that stretch. There's also no lane markers other than a yellow stripe that separates east- and westbound traffic.

"I've always assumed it was a single lane and that the people driving as if it were two are in the wrong," she said.

Are they?

A: If a city street in one direction is not striped, it does not mean that traffic is always restricted to a single lane, says Wayne Wentz, the Seattle transportation department's traffic management director. City traffic code and state law defines a multiple-lane street as any street of sufficient width to accommodate reasonably two or more separate lanes of traffic in the same direction.

But each lane should be at least eight feet wide, whether or not such lanes are marked.

So, providing a roadway is at least 16 feet wide, it can be driven as two lanes, whether striped or not, says Wentz.

It's up to drivers to determine if conditions are reasonable and safe enough for more than one lane of traffic, he said.

In the case of westbound Northwest 85th Street, it is 18 feet wide from 15th Avenue Northwest to 32nd Avenue Northwest. So it can indeed be driven as two lanes, says Wentz.