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Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes, Seattle
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Seattle Transportation: Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes tips and advice posted by real travelers and Seattle locals.
Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes
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Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: I-5
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  • Traffic heliocpter from the Space Needle - Seattle
    Traffic heliocpter from the
    Space Needle
    by grandmaR
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    Interstate 5 is apparently the main traffic artery for Seattle.

    When I was up in the Space Needle I could see the commuter's traffic jam on I-5 and the TV reporter in the helicopter reporting on it.

    We did have some folks in the course who were commuting from the Olympic penninsula by car.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Traffic
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  • Yes I'm sure you've heard about the 'terrible traffic' in Seattle and I must say it's definetly gotten worse over the past 20 years but my suggestions if you happen to be driving in or around Seattle is to:
    1) During the week days avoid I-5 South from Northgate to past downtown between the hours of 3-5pm and avoid I-5 North from Boeing Field past Northgate from 4-6:30pm. If your here on vacation you probably are not too worried about the early morning hours if so just send me an email.
    2) Watch the news for any updates about Sonics games, Seahawks games or UW football games, the city is definetly affected by such happenings.
    3) If you want to check out downtown and the pike place park at the bottom of queen anne near Tower records and Mercer and take the monorail. It's only $3 a person round trip and it will save you money on parking and perhaps even a head ache from the traffic.
    Any other questions I always check my email here at VT and I'd love to help!

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Freeways
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  • off-peak travel is recommended - Seattle
    off-peak travel is recommended
    by yooperprof
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    Having experience in Chicago or Los Angeles will prepare you for the trauma of Seattle's freeway system. Seattle has "grown up" in recent years, and it's developed "big city" traffic, particularly during the morning and afternoon rushes. But if you are out and about in late morning or early afternoon, it's really not that bad, as this view of Aurora Way (Highway 99) heading downtown around 2 p.m. suggests.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: How I got around
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  • Take a car where you want to go, then just walk around the area... it'll save you a lot more time, when it comes to parking.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: take a cab! this is not a good...
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  • take a cab! this is not a good place to have a car (and not altogether necessary.) Downtown is a confusing mess of one way streets that not even the locals understand. If you stay in downtown, most things are within walking or cabbing distance anyway and you can always take the monorail to Seattle Center.
    see above.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Getting here all depends on...
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  • Getting here all depends on where you're traveling from! :-)
    Traffic is unsightly in the Seattle area. Major thoroughfares, such as I-5 and 405 are often stop and go and bottlenecked for no clear reason. The best advice I can give is to be patient when driving anywhere here. Parking rates downtown can also be rather expensive (day rates of $5-15 for all day). The metro (bus) system is pretty easy to get around on and travels throughout Seattle and the east side (Bellevue area). There's the new Sounder train that travels from Tacoma/Kent/Auburn to Seattle, but my friends that ride that note that the times are limited (e.g., if traveling from Tacoma to Seattle in the morning, the last train leaves at something like 7am — not necesssarily conducive to tourists). Travel from downtown to the Seattle Center (or vice-versa) on the monorail is a short trip (~90 seconds), but it beats the dozen blocks you'd have to otherwise walk. Taxis are also a fairly dependable way to get around. You'll find that most Seattlelites drive, bicycle, take metro, or walk in the downtown area.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Traffic Trouble Spots: ...
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  • Traffic Trouble Spots: Unfortunately, there are many. Seattle's topography means that new roads and transit are very difficult to build; the lack of a rail system means that most people rely on their cars. Although horrible traffic jams can happen anywhere, anytime, there are some particular spots to be avoided:

    I-5 southbound in the morning; the section between about NE 80th and the Ship Canal bridge is congested almost all the time.

    SR-520 both ways, during the morning and evening rush hours. The westbound backup in the evenings is the worst.

    I-405 between Renton and Bellevue (northbound in the mornings, southbound in the evenings).

    I-405 between the I-5 interchange in Lynnwood, and the I-90 interchange. (northbound in the mornings, southbound in the evenings).

    Montlake Blvd. through the UW campus. Southbound is usually worst. If there's a game at Husky Stadium, forget it.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Driving to Seattle from Vancouver
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  • Preparing for a drive to Seattle! - Seattle
    Preparing for a drive to
    Seattle!
    by Carmanah
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    I normally drive to Seattle from my home city of Vancouver, about a 3 hour drive north, in Canada. Unless you plan to fly, the fastest way into Seattle is by car, however you must take rush hour and border line-ups into consideration.

    First, there are no actual freeways running through the city of Vancouver. In order to leave the city limits, you must drive through regular city streets - typical stop and go traffic. Once out of the city limits, you would drive for about 40 minutes along Hwy 99 until you reach the border. During rush hour, Hwy 99 can be backed up, so tack on an extra 20 minutes. In general, I say it takes an hour to drive from Vancouver to the USA-Canada border.

    Second, even though Seattle has its freeways running through its core, it doesn't really move traffic any faster. Rush hour is brutal. You can sit in gridlock along I-5, moving one car length a minute, for over an hour. Heading southbound, I've been stuck in rush hour as far away as Everett! It's insane! Generally, I'd say it takes 2 hours to drive from the USA-Canada border to Seattle, but it can take 3 hours during rush hour.

    Now, the biggest factor to determine the length of the drive between Vancouver and Seattle is the border crossing time. On long weekends, regular weekends in the summer, and on holidays, expect major delays... up to one hour. Listen to the local radio stations for border reports. Be sure to bring your proof of citizenship. That's a photo ID with your birth certificate, or your passport. If everything is legal and you present the appropriate documentation, than the process of going through the border crossing shouldn't take longer than 2 minutes. Just be wary of the length of the border before you go!

    All in all, the drive between Vancouver and Seattle is very simple and easy. While it's not exactly the most scenic stretch of highway,The I-5 and Hwy 99 route between the cities is the most direct way or travelling without taking the farm roads or going out of your way.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: From Vancouver, take Highway...
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  • From Vancouver, take Highway 99 all the way down to the border (Peace Arch) and take I-5 all the way south. You'll know you're close once you see the Space Needle.
    Around downtown, walking or taking the bus is probably the way to go. Just pick up a free map from the tourist information center. Take the monorail to and from Seattle Center/downtown.

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    Cars / Taxis / Motorhomes: Don't go by car! Seattle is...
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  • Don't go by car! Seattle is famous for it's terrible traffic jams. If you do drive, try to avoid peak hours. Driving around the city centre can be a bit confusing because, although the streets are laid out quite nicely, a lot of them are one way. It can be frustrating sometimes trying to get where you want to go.

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