SOLO DRIVER
KELLY, 1999 Nissan Altima
Time 1 hour, 18 minutes
Distance 21.3 miles
Fuel Cost $2.59
Other Vehicle Costs, including amortized purchase $2,500 for 3,750 miles of use per year
Stress and Discomfort Extremely high
Fun Factor None
I grew up on the Eastside, so I should have had an advantage over the Seattleites in the race. But the terrain keeps changing; road construction can scarcely keep up with growth. I turned south on 228th, hoping for light traffic because school was out for summer. Skittering between lanes to avoid cars slowing to turn, I suddenly remembered East Lake Sammamish Parkway was closed for construction, pushing traffic onto other roads.
I considered taking my dad’s favorite detour—approaching I-90 east of Issaquah to get over to the left lane before everyone else enters. But that route had more stoplights, and I hate backtracking; I stayed on 228th. Traffic got heavy, so I cut through Microsoft’s Sammamish Campus. So did many other drivers. It still took 40 minutes to reach I-90—slightly longer than usual.
I had to fight my way onto the freeway and over to the (relatively) fast lane; morning commuters are so intent on getting there, they ride each other’s tails to stop others from cutting in. Our rate rarely reached 25 miles per hour. My foot got tired pumping the brake and accelerator in turn. I was sick of the CD I had with me; fortunately KEXP was playing decent music this morning.
Traffic cleared after Bellevue Way, and I cruised all the way to I-5, which was crowded as usual. I made a quick exit onto James Street, though it wasn’t the most direct route to the office. The same panhandler as always stood at the corner of James. I rolled down the hill, dodging the cars that turned without signaling or stopped to disgorge passengers. Right on Yesler, right on Western, almost there… Then I waited 10 minutes at Marion Street because a ferry had just unloaded.
Finally I arrived, frazzled and weary before the workday began.
Published: November 2009
Great article, but the scooter guy turned in a really pathetic performance. Everyone else took I-90, so why did this guy make the boneheaded choice to go up Lake Sammamish to Hwy 520? If his scooter was fast enough to get him to the starting point via I-90, why not take that route back to Seattle? If he had, he could’ve used the same HOV lane as your carpoolers, and probably won the Derby. As it was, he barely beat the cyclist (who stopped a few times for sightseeing!). That is so many flavors of sad, it’s not funny.
Motorcycles and scooters are efficient and fun alternatives to the ‘cager’ grind, and they can seriously reduce parking congestion downtown as well. Too bad you couldn’t have found someone with a little more ‘street savvy’ and common sense than this loser.