Traffic

Do you have an old unpaid ticket in Seattle? It's about to get more expensive

If you have any old unpaid traffic or parking tickets from the City of Seattle, you have until January 30th to avoid a late fee. You can pay your tickets here. Right now, there are no fees to pay your ticket with a card. 350,000 unpaid tickets in Seattle are about to be affected.

A look at one of Seattle's worst intersections

Here’s a worrying statistic: pedestrian deaths in Seattle are increasing, even though the city has been working for years to make streets safer for people walking and biking. The intersection at Rainier Avenue and South Walden Street is one of the most dangerous in the city. On today's episode, KUOW Reporter Casey Martin dives into the problems with the intersection and tells us what might help.

Government

Hear It Again: Transit Woes

The Soundside team is taking some time off this week, and while we’re away, we’re revisiting some of the episodes that made us think about the way we move throughout our region. We’ll explore why the U.S. is one of the only wealthy countries to be moving in the wrong direction on traffic deaths. Plus, those escalators in the light rail stations, they’re still giving us grief!

Health

Traffic fatalities spike in Washington state

Ryan Packer of The Urbanist and Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute join Soundside to discuss traffic fatalities both nationally and here in Washington state.

Technology

Commuters beware: traffic ahead!

Oof! Traffic in the Seattle area... You can’t get over it, you can’t go through it, and sometimes you can’t even get around it. The push to revive the city comes with unpredictable traffic jams. Mark Hallenbeck, the director of the Washington State Transportation Center is here today to help us navigate the congestion.

Technology

Why more e-scooters are slated for Seattle streets

The city of Seattle will allow a new scooter share program following a recent report on their use, so far, within the city. Companies will now compete to be among the few operators allowed in Seattle.

New bridges and ferries, wider highways, and free fares in freshly passed WA transportation package

Majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature drove the largest transportation spending roadmap in state history across the finish line on Thursday on nearly party line votes. The revenue and spending package funds new spans over the Columbia River, wider highways, four new ferries, bus rapid transit expansions, free fares for youth, fish-friendly culverts and new bike trails and pedestrian bridges.

Technology

Stuck in KUOW purgatory: Seattle Mazda drivers can't change the radio dial

Over the past couple of weeks some people who listen to KUOW in their Mazdas say their car radio is permanently stuck on 94.9. It’s only affecting KUOW, Mazdas from 2016, and we have no idea why.

Highway traffic has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, but transit still way down

You're not imagining things if driving in Pacific Northwest traffic feels as busy these days as it was before the pandemic. Traffic data from the Oregon and Washington transportation departments show highway volumes are nearly back to 2019 levels.

Science

There's no concrete solution for roads buckling in the heat... it's actually asphalt

This heatwave has been trouble for our roads. Stretches of I-5 have actually buckled, a stunning sight in the Pacific Northwest. But as odd as this may sound, stretches of I-5 actually buckled at the best time.