Q: Ballard resident Anthony Salazar calls the city's plan to squeeze four lanes of traffic into two along a stretch of 24th Avenue Northwest in Ballard, foolish. He doesn't think much of what the city's transportation department calls a road diet.

The section, between Northwest Market Street and Northwest 65th Street, is heavily traveled, and drivers, he points out, share the road with no less than three Metro bus routes.

"To decrease the number of lanes seems misguided and will ultimately prove ill-fated," he said.

"With the rise of condo buildings on 24th Avenue Northwest, and an increase in new Ballard residents, what possible sense can this make?"

A: The installation of a middle turn lane and bicycle lanes in both directions will meet the goals set out in the Ballard Neighborhood Plan to increase walking, biking, and access to transit in the Ballard business district, says Wayne Wentz, the transportation department's traffic management director.

Reducing the number of motor vehicle lanes will improve pedestrian safety along the entire corridor because it will reduce the number of traffic lanes a pedestrian must cross, he said.

The dedicated bicycle lanes will connect to the Ballard business district and to the future Burke-Gilman Trail. "In addition," he added, "motor vehicle access and safety will be improved by creating a protected space for vehicles making left turns."

Wentz says the department's analysis indicates that vehicle capacity and operation along 24th Avenue Northwest will not be diminished.

Q: If local traffic honchos expect a presidential visit to tie up traffic (Bush is in town on Monday), why can't the president's travel plans be announced ahead of time, so that drivers can plan which routes to avoid and when?

A: The state Department of Transportation and State Patrol have "clear protocols" when any dignitary comes to town, says transportation department spokeswoman Jamie Holter, and that includes orders from the Secret Service to not publish the president's itinerary.

Can that information be withheld? According to Holter, yes. "The problem is, as a matter of course, we usually don't know until the last minute which route the motorcade will take. That's not left to us."

And, the transportation department's incident-response teams also have authority to clear roads of any disabled or stalled vehicles on the president's motorcade route.

Plans called for closing some freeway ramps and roadways to allow the motorcade to pass. Authorities also expected some planned protests to have an affect on traffic.

Q: Last year, the city of Seattle completed a year-long reconstruction of the Bridge Way North exit into Fremont from Aurora Avenue North, at the north end of the Aurora Bridge.

The city expected those changes, which included two new traffic signals on Bridge Way North, to improve traffic flow into the Fremont area. But Wallingford resident Peter Robison says traffic at times still tends to back up in the right lane on the bridge at that exit.

And, what about traffic at the south end of the bridge? Robison isn't sure any of the reconstruction work helped traffic flow on Aurora southbound, either. During rush hour, cars still stop in the right lane at the south end of the Aurora Bridge while waiting to exit at Raye Street, the first place possible. And that, says Robison, creates a hazard. Why hasn't the city done more to address the problem?

A: Heather Marx, deputy director of the Seattle transportation department's traffic management unit, thinks the backup of southbound traffic on Aurora Avenue North, at the south end of the Aurora Bridge, is a result of delays at the intersection where Queen Anne Drive, Raye Street and Fourth Avenue North converge.

Traffic turning off of southbound Aurora at Raye Street, just beyond the bridge's south end, is directed to that north Queen Anne Hill intersection, just beyond a right turn from the bridge. And that intersection has stop signs for all approaches.

The southbound Raye Street exit has a tight turning radius that causes vehicles to slow in the outside through lane approaching the intersection.

Transportation department staff reviewed the intersection well before the Bridge Way reconstruction project, said Marx. But that intersection where the three streets converge presents what she calls an operational challenge.

"All three streets carry significant traffic and provide needed access to and through this part of Queen Anne," she pointed out. "Our review explored whether other controls could increase its capacity, which would help traffic exit Aurora more efficiently, reducing the back-ups onto Aurora."

The transportation department concluded a traffic signal at that intersection would not be a good idea because of the unusually high number of phases that would be required to serve all of the movement.

In other words, the length of light cycles would be extremely long, she said, "and would not be able to keep up with the heavy demand for the many competing movements."

At this point, the city plans no other changes. But the state Department of Transportation has been studying the problem, since Aurora, which is Highway 99, is a state highway.

A DOT spokeswoman notes that back-ups pose a similar problem on the other side of Aurora, too, for northbound traffic to and from the Queen Anne neighborhood through the Halladay Street intersection.

In a joint effort with the city of Seattle and King County Metro, the state DOT four years ago completed a detailed study of Aurora Avenue North between the Battery Street Tunnel and North 145th Street, including traffic at both ends of the Aurora Bridge. The study team made some recommedations for improving traffic flow in both directions. But those options depend on the city doing something about nearby city streets.

Q: When in traffic directly behind a large truck, especially at intersections, James Hammond, who lives in the unincorporated Cumberland area southeast of Black Diamond, says he finds it nearly impossible to see whether traffic lights ahead are green or red. That's because so many traffic signals in this state are overhead.

Maybe the view, in his view, wouldn't be so bad if traffic lights were installed on posts to the sides of streets, as well as overhead in the intersection. He has often wondered if the state has any plans to adopt a law requiring changes in signal placement.

"Having them only overhead is dangerous, as people stick to the back of the large trucks and assume that the light is still green when going through," he said.

Take, for example, an almost-completed intersection in an area known as Four Corners in Maple Valley, on Kent-Kangley Road. Technically, the intersecting roads are both state highways — Highway 169 and Highway 516 — which are in the process of being widened. There's also a quarry nearby.

Hammond believes that's a dangerous intersection because of so many large, slow-moving gravel trucks coming and going to the quarry, and traffic through the road construction project. He wouldn't be surprised if that intersection didn't have a high accident record.

He's noticed that in California, turn arrows are visible both overhead and to the side at intersections, "and that makes it much safer."

A: Rick Roberts, the state Department of Transportation's King (County) Area traffic engineer, says he's not aware of any proposals to require additional traffic signals on the sides of roadways to go along with overhead signals. Side signals would add significant costs to construction and routine operations if they were required everywhere, he said.

"We have selectively installed signals on the sides of intersections in locations where they are merited," he said. Side signals can be found in places where the state figures there are sight problems caused by a curve in the road.

"If drivers can't see the signals because of a large vehicle or other obstruction," said Roberts, "we ask that they keep additional space between them and the vehicle in front of them so they have time to stop safely if the signal turns red."

Roberts said the state hadn't considered that particular intersection (Highways 169 and Highway 516) a high-accident location. Yet, a Web site that describes the highway construction project (www.ci.maple-valley.wa.us/projects/four_corners.asp) states that the Four Corners intersection presently experiences a high number of accidents, with most of them being rear-end or side swipe accidents. About 50 accidents with property damage and injury are reported annually at that spot, according to Maple Valley's city Web page.

Drivers may still be in the throes of the I-5 construction mess, but it's not too soon to start thinking about traffic strategies for the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend.

For ferry travelers, the state ferry system expects the heaviest backups and overloading on Puget Sound routes between 3 and 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, on westbound routes. Return traffic is likely to be heaviest the following Sunday afternoon (Sept. 2), and morning and evening sailings on Labor Day, which is Monday, Sept. 3, as people are returning home.

You should plan to arrive at the terminal a bit earlier than usual, and be prepared for a wait.

For the Labor Day holiday itself, the Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Port Townsend/Keystone, Mukilteo/Clinton, Edmonds/Kingston, and Seattle/Bremerton runs will all be on regular weekday schedules.

Seattle/Bainbridge runs, and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth and Point Defiance/Tahlequah runs will be on holiday schedules. There will be no Seattle/Vashon passenger ferry service on Labor Day.

Local law enforcement agencies say August is one of the deadliest months of the year for traffic fatalities, and the Labor Day weekend (the first weekend in September) is one of this state's deadliest holidays, averaging more than eight deaths each year.

That's why a number of local agencies have decided to target the upcoming Wednesday (Aug. 15) through Sept. 3 (Labor Day) for a crackdown on people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Officers will be assigned to work overtime patrols.

The "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed" campaign is a joint effort of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the King County Traffic Safety Task Force, and law enforcement agencies statewide.

For the past five years, more than 200 people each year have died in this state as a result of accidents involving a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, said the Traffic Safety Commission. Last year, it was 252; the year before, 268.

With a change in the state law, which became effective July 1, some drivers arrested for a DUI (driving under the influence) could face felony charges if they have four previous DUI arrests within a 10-year period. That's a change from DUIs classified as a misdemeanor.

Q: Why are the 510-foot tall towers on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge so different in design from those of the original bridge right next to it?

Howard Downey of Anacortes can't help noticing the difference. "It seems to me," says he, "that an effort to replicate or duplicate the original design would have been much more pleasing to the eye."

The same, he thinks, should apply to the use of two different paint colors.

A: There are a couple reasons for the new look of the new bridge towers, says state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Claudia Cornish. One is cost efficiency.

The new towers are made of steel-reinforced concrete, and that, says Cornish, makes them more economical to build and maintain than the old towers. Cost-efficient maintenance is important, she said, "because we expect the new bridge to last at least 150 years."

The old towers, which are all steel, require constant maintenance from a crew of up to five people.

Another reason: "When we designed the new bridge, the historical community asked us not to replicate the look of the old bridge, so the new bridge wouldn't detract from the historical significance of the 1950 bridge."

The only architectural nod to the 1950 bridge is the "Xs" that are imprinted in the horizontal concrete structures that join the tower legs on the new bridge, which has been open just shy of a month.

Q: Everett Weller of Auburn finds it distressing that there's no left-turn signal for northbound traffic on 14th Avenue South at South Cloverdale Street in Seattle's South Park neighborhood.

But there is a left-turn signal there for traffic on Cloverdale.

Because he works in the area, and drives a 45-foot motor coach, he's found the intersection difficult and dangerous.

"You can wait several light cycles before you can make your turn from northbound 14th Avenue South to go west on South Cloverdale," he pointed out. "It can be a very dangerous situation, and quite often two and sometimes three cars will make that turn after the light has turned red."

That's why he avoids that intersection as much as possible. But he thinks the intersection needs a better setup.

A: Wayne Wentz, traffic management director for Seattle's transportation department, says the city is designing a modest repaving project at 14th Avenue South and would like very much to add a left-turn pocket there.

The department is presently evaluating the possibility of reconfiguring the layout of the travel lanes. But one challenge is balancing that with the need for parking.

If department planners are successful in adding a left-turn pocket, a left-turn green arrow will be installed, said Wentz.

Q: Times reporter Maureen O'Hagan was returning to Seattle from an assignment in Woodinville during the afternoon rush hour a few days ago and, not surprisingly, was stuck in traffic.

"At a standstill, I looked up and saw the guy in the car ahead of me taking photos of cars in the carpool lane with only one passenger," she said.
Was this the police? Can a driver be ticketed based on a photo like that?

But that's not all. The photographer's car bore a sticker with a Canadian flag on it. Foreign surveillance? "Why would an ordinary citizen be taking these photos?"

A: Washington State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill wonders, too. He swears the State Patrol does not use cameras for that kind of enforcement. And the agency has no spies on retainer to watch for HOV lane scofflaws.

Merrill says the agency has not made a practice of promoting or encouraging camera surveillance by citizens, and the Patrol doesn't send a warning letter to anyone caught on camera using the carpool lane illegally. So, he says he has no idea who was taking photos of traffic, or why.

But wait a minute. Doesn't the State Patrol have a hotline (206-764-HERO) for reporting a vehicle violating HOV lane restrictions?

How does the State Patrol handle those reports of violators? "If we receive several complaints on the same vehicle, a letter will be sent to the registered owner of the car informing them of the dates, times and locations of the observed violation, and advising them of the law and warning that continued violation will result in enforcement actions," said Merrill. "If that doesn't work, we'll send a trooper to the residence and contact them personally."

Is there a reward for ratting on a rat? "No, there's no reward associated with that," Merrill said.

Q: West Seattle resident Cheyenne Woolley is already dreading the worst when the biggest freeway reconstruction project the state has ever planned consumes the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle for 19 days, starting late next week.

Woolley, who works in Bellevue, is trying to figure out a good alternative to her regular commute, from the West Seattle Bridge to I-5 to Interstate 90 and then Highway 405.

"Is there a better way to go during this time of construction?" she asked. "I want to be able to get to work on time but don't want to have to get up at 5 a.m. to get to work by 8 or 8:30.

"What is the predicted commute time during the construction and can you make some recommendations for me?"

A: Only time will tell how many drivers change their plans when the northbound I-5 lanes are closed between South Spokane Street and Interstate 90, starting Aug. 10, so there's no good way at this point to predict how long it will take drivers to travel between West Seattle and Bellevue during the lane closures.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meghan Soptich says her best advice is to plan for the worst, monitor traffic conditions on the first day or two, and adjust accordingly.

The state projects that at least half of regular freeway drivers — that would be about 65,000 vehicles — will need to take other routes during construction to avoid worse-than-usual congestion on I-5.

"I encourage drivers to consider taking the bus, vanpooling or carpooling, taking the Sounder train or the Elliott Bay water taxi or working from home," she said. "Whether you drive or take transit, altering your commute schedule can be one of the best ways to avoid the worst congestion."

West Seattle commuters can take alternate routes, such as First Avenue South, to access I-90. The city is changing signal timing on many streets to give more green time to traffic moving northbound. But many drivers likely will be diverting to those streets, so Soptich recommends you make plans to leave early.

Information on vanpools, which could help commuters make up some lost time by getting access to the I-90 and I-405 carpool lanes, is online at www.rideshareonline.com.

Perhaps now is the time to make your last-ditch pitch to your boss to temporarily adjust your work schedule to avoid the worst traffic times.

Q: Northwest 85th Street in Ballard is one of those busy streets where speeding is a recurring problem, particularly between 15th Avenue Northwest and 32nd Avenue Northwest, says Seattle resident Beverly Molloy. So, she'd like to know the best way to get one of those big speed monitors that boldly and publicly displays the speed drivers are actually traveling, in hopes of slowing traffic down.

A: Seattle's transportation department says the first step would be to call 206-684-ROAD, the department's general information line. You should be connected to someone in the department's neighborhood traffic operations section to steer you in the right direction.

The transportation department has a mobile radar speed watch trailer that it rotates throughout the city to monitor traffic speeds. But there's only one, and there's a short waiting list. Typically the trailer is set up at a location from 24 to 48 hours.

The department also has radar speed guns that can be loaned out to residents to monitor speeds. Those can usually be signed out for two to three days. Mike Hendrix, who heads the neighborhood traffic operations section, says concerned residents can record vehicle speeds and then return that information to the neighborhood speed watch program to help the department work on a solution.

Then, too, there are permanent radar speed signs, such as the one on Fauntleroy Way Southwest just north of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in West Seattle that has been there for almost two years, and two others recently installed along Rainier Avenue South. Those are for areas with chronic speed problems. And there's more involved in getting a permanent sign.

But here's better news, Beverly:

Wayne Wentz, the transportation department's traffic management director, says Northwest 85th Street just west of 15th Avenue Northwest has already been added to the request list for the mobile trailer. It should be set up there within weeks, quite likely sometime in August, he said.

The transportation department views radar speed display signs as an effective means of curbing speeding "in certain situations," said Wentz. They work best where vehicle speeds are much higher than the posted speed limit.

Those signs detect and display the speed of an approaching vehicle. The driver, and anybody else watching, can see what a vehicle's actual speed is. But those signs don't issue speeding tickets.

Wentz said more permanent signs could be installed. The data that's collected from the first three will help measure those signs' effectiveness and aid the department in coming up with a policy for picking future locations to be monitored.

The neighborhood traffic operations section has information about speed monitoring on its Web site: www.seattle.gov/transportation/speedwatch.htm.