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verbicideWhen we got an early dismissal today, Sarah and I rejoiced. We walked outside, marveling that it was still light at 4:15. Sarah dashed up to her bus and I dashed down to mine. Hustling down 1st Ave, I saw the #18 only a light away. I started to run. The bus driver was nice and even waited the extra 40 seconds it took me to catch him. I noted that the bus wasn't an Express, but figured--how much longer could it possibly take? 15-20 minutes? It'd be that long just sitting at the stop waiting for another bus.
Yeah. Try four hours.
Due to some insane crash on the Ballard Bridge, all traffic was diverted through Fremont. It took four hours. No seriously. FOUR HOURS. To complete a 25 minute route. At first I didn't notice much. I was reading my book and not paying attenion. Eventually I noticed that we kept stopping and starting--but only at a crawl. Finally looked out to realize I had no idea where we were. The traffic was so indescribably bad. It took an hour to travel between 3rd and Dravus on Nickerson. It was a giant parking lot everywhere we looked. I was trying to figure out my location, thinking it better to walk, but the area was completely unfamiliar in the dark (especially since we'd already diverted). I wish the bus driver had actually told us what was going on when he first realized he was going to have to change his route. I could have gotten off the bus and called Sarah. But nope. By the time I realized what was going on, there was no place to have Sarah rescue me without involving her in some serious traffic hell.
A lot of people gradually (after hours 2 and 3) got off. I have no idea where their final destinations were, but it was tragically not practical for me. And I'm just not studly enough to take on an unfamiliar route in the drizzly dark.
Four hours later I made it home. I was surprisingly calm. But I mean, when you're that badly stuck and you know you have no options, there's nothing to do but be calm.
And as sucky as my ride home was, it was certainly better than the people involved in the crash. KiRO still doesn't have any information about what the fuck even happened (beyond a car careening across two lanes into oncoming traffic for a head-on collision). No word on injuries, but the picture's pretty grim.
I can't imagine why they didn't just have us wait while they cleared the cars and bodies out of the way. I can't imagine it would have been longer than the snarling, insane traffic jam that ensued by sending everyone in the known universe to Fremont during rush hour.
And now to bed so that I can be sure to hop on my bus tomorrow morning. Can't wait.
Yeah. Try four hours.
Due to some insane crash on the Ballard Bridge, all traffic was diverted through Fremont. It took four hours. No seriously. FOUR HOURS. To complete a 25 minute route. At first I didn't notice much. I was reading my book and not paying attenion. Eventually I noticed that we kept stopping and starting--but only at a crawl. Finally looked out to realize I had no idea where we were. The traffic was so indescribably bad. It took an hour to travel between 3rd and Dravus on Nickerson. It was a giant parking lot everywhere we looked. I was trying to figure out my location, thinking it better to walk, but the area was completely unfamiliar in the dark (especially since we'd already diverted). I wish the bus driver had actually told us what was going on when he first realized he was going to have to change his route. I could have gotten off the bus and called Sarah. But nope. By the time I realized what was going on, there was no place to have Sarah rescue me without involving her in some serious traffic hell.
A lot of people gradually (after hours 2 and 3) got off. I have no idea where their final destinations were, but it was tragically not practical for me. And I'm just not studly enough to take on an unfamiliar route in the drizzly dark.
Four hours later I made it home. I was surprisingly calm. But I mean, when you're that badly stuck and you know you have no options, there's nothing to do but be calm.
And as sucky as my ride home was, it was certainly better than the people involved in the crash. KiRO still doesn't have any information about what the fuck even happened (beyond a car careening across two lanes into oncoming traffic for a head-on collision). No word on injuries, but the picture's pretty grim.
I can't imagine why they didn't just have us wait while they cleared the cars and bodies out of the way. I can't imagine it would have been longer than the snarling, insane traffic jam that ensued by sending everyone in the known universe to Fremont during rush hour.
And now to bed so that I can be sure to hop on my bus tomorrow morning. Can't wait.
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Date: 2004-12-09 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-24 08:29 pm (UTC)Absolutely --so glad I wasn't on the bridge at the time! Better to be stuck in traffic than um.. dead.