By Matt the Engineer on June 7, 2011
I have friends that live in the far suburbs, and spend quite a bit of time in their cars. They each drive seperate cars far away to work in the morning after dropping their kids off for school in a different direction, drive far for groceries, etc. Financially they just get by every month, and [...]
Posted in affordability, density, transit
By Matt the Engineer on May 23, 2011
Dear Washington, I know, we’ve started getting good at saving energy, and that’s a good thing – keep at it. Except maybe wait a month or two. You see, because we had a huge amount of snow this year we actually have too much energy – not a problem we’re used to having in our [...]
Posted in Real-Time Information, Weather
By Matt the Engineer on May 10, 2011
Martin on Seattle Transit Blog posted a priority list and spreadsheet about how Metro is planning to potentially cut service, given the current funding problems. I love how this group just dives right in and lists 174 (and counting) long comments describing how they’d improve on the experts’ work. We can do this because we’re [...]
Posted in Data, King County Metro, Transit Talk
By Matt the Engineer on April 28, 2011
I talk about density because it’s good for the environment, good for reducing resources, protects natural environemnts and farms, and builds a better city. But I don’t love density just because it’s good for me. I’ve found living and working close to others to be far more enjoyable than the alternative. The best living arrangement [...]
Posted in density
By Matt the Engineer on April 12, 2011
180sf. 2 people. 2 beds, 2 tables, 1 small closet. Shared bathroom with 30 others. Shared coin-operated laundry room. No kitchen. Rented 2′tall refrigerators (for beer). 2nd hand store smelly microwave (for popcorn). 1 small window with 2-pipe wall unit for heat and cooling. My dorm room was spartan, but I loved it. The high [...]
Posted in affordability, density
By Matt the Engineer on March 18, 2011
Please excuse my recent gondola craze, but here’s a little daydream. Imagine you have a half day stopover as Seatac and are looking for something to do. The information desk gives you a few tips, and you find this route interesting. Start by hopping on the light rail and riding it to Westlake. Go up [...]
Posted in carless, ifyoubuildit, landmarks, Streetcar, The Grand Tour, trolley bus, walkability
By Matt the Engineer on March 15, 2011
1. Bike racks. You probably only need one for every 5th car or so, but it should be easy to add. Would probably get more use up hills than down. 2. Perth Australia is renovating its waterfront, and has just proposed a $30M gondola system to connect it to Kings Park (called a “cable car” [...]
Posted in mass transit, seattle, transit
By Matt the Engineer on March 9, 2011
Seattle is a wonderful city for walking. Each of the neighborhoods have interesting lively main streets, beautiful old houses, parks, pools, libraries, and many other amenities. However, thanks to our hub-and-spoke commuter-based bus system it can be very difficult to get from neighborhood to neighborhood without a car. Connecting our neighborhoods with grade separated high [...]
Posted in alternative commute, mass transit, rapid transit
By Matt the Engineer on March 2, 2011
There’s a great set of data that deserves a link. It turns out that a BC bridge is failing to pay for itself through tolling, and the Columbia River Crossing project might not pay for itself. Why? Because traffic volumes have been falling in the Pacific Northwest. Clark Williams-Derry presents data showing that driving has [...]
Posted in Uncategorized
By Matt the Engineer on February 18, 2011
As Seattle cuts school bus service, I thought I’d point out the upside. Costal states – especially western costal states - seem to spend a lot less of their leisure time inactive than most of the rest of the country. Maybe a bit of walking to school will help us keep ahead on the activity front. [...]
Posted in bus, schools, walking
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