Some services get a snow-laden test

By Seattle Times staff

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Yesterday was one of those days schoolchildren will remember forever and many drivers and insurance adjusters won't soon forget.

From skidding buses to snowboarding young daredevils, yesterday's snow gave the Puget Sound region a chance to test both its emergency-preparedness and snow-sports talents.

Here's a look at some of what was — or wasn't — going on:

Public transportation

Many commuters anticipated the snow and traded their cars for crowded buses, which often ran late.

Metro Transit received more than 1,600 calls to its help line at 206-553-3000, many from people trying to figure out the system, said agency spokeswoman Linda Thielke.

"I got a lot of calls from friends saying, 'I don't normally take the bus. What bus do I take?' " Thielke said.

Electric trolley buses don't do well in the snow and were replaced with smaller diesel buses. Metro also replaced as many "articulated" buses (the ones that accordion in the middle) as it could, because they have trouble in the snow and tend to jackknife. And some did.

Sound Transit express-bus service was "surprisingly good," spokesman Geoff Patrick said. Sounder commuter trains ran on schedule.

In Pierce County, some buses left in the morning without chains and had to be recalled after slipping and sliding. One unchained bus crashed on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, snarling traffic. No one was hurt.

Snow plows

Seattle had 23 snowplows and sanders on the roads yesterday; if it's any consolation, more plows should be available later this year.

The city ordered six new trucks with detachable snowplows but they didn't arrive in time, said Roxanne Thomas, a manager with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Two other city snowplows were in for repairs, Thomas said.

SDOT has tried to gradually add more plows to the fleet, but it's not always the top priority in Rain City, where snow rarely falls.

"It's hard to balance the infrequent events and the cost of having equipment that's only used when it snows," she said.

Streets closed

Dozens were. All over the area, police and transportation officials declared hilly roads impassable and blocked them off.

The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the Interstate 90 express lanes for the duration of the storm. Commutes over both Lake Washington bridges were treacherous, and accidents slowed traffic even more. Bellevue tallied 100 accidents between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. and more than 300 disabled, abandoned and stuck vehicles.

A decision to close a street is made by a police officer on the scene or a transportation worker.

Garbage collection

Many cities canceled garbage and recycling collection because of the weather. Seattle and Bellevue officials said customers who were skipped yesterday should take their trash in and put it out next week. They won't be charged extra.

Some cities served by Waste Management — including much of the Eastside and unincorporated Snohomish County, Mukilteo and Stanwood — said the collection schedule has been set back a day. If Waste Management serves your home, leave the trash out. Crews will work into the weekend to get it.

Seattle Times staff reporters Ian Ith, Keith Ervin, Jim Brunner, Rachel Tuinstra, Natalie Singer and others contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company