Frustration in Fremont | Parking forbidden on sidewalk | Why buses idling

Q: There has been no shortage of commuter complaints since Seattle transportation-department contractors started tearing up Bridge Way North in Fremont next to the Aurora Bridge back in September to improve traffic flow and safety near Aurora — a $5 million project.

There have been questions about one entrance to the bridge being closed for a time. There was frustration over traffic backups in the neighborhood. Now motorists just want to know why contractors are tearing up the middle of Bridge Way, and if the work will ever end.

A: There may be some good news, finally. Lorelei Mesic, project manager for the city's Fremont work, says new traffic signals at the Aurora on- and offramps will be activated this week. For the first week, they'll blink red only, and the next week be changed to normal cycle. Most of the Bridge Way work should be completed by the end of this month.

The reason the middle of the street was torn up, Mesic says, was to build a divider. There's also construction work still going on at Stone Way North.

But get ready for more headaches. On May 22, Fremont Bridge traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the next year while approaches to the bridge — the commute route of choice for hundreds of motorists — are rebuilt. And in addition to the lane reductions, pedestrians and bicyclists will be required to share one walkway, and large vehicles such as buses and trucks will not be allowed to use the bridge. Also, cars traveling north over the bridge will not be able to turn right or left onto North 34th Street.

Construction work will require a number of weekend closures or nighttime closures of the bridge.

Transportation staff members say the elevated roadway sections that lead to the double-leafed portion of the bridge need to be replaced. Completion of bridge approaches is anticipated next spring. But after that, the city plans to replace the mechanical and electrical parts of the bridge. That work may last until next winter.

Q: The rising cost of gas and parking has Hovie Hawk, a graphic designer who lives in Seattle's Ballard area, thinking about purchasing a motor scooter. But he's wondering about the parking regulations for scooters.

"I see them parked and chained to sidewalk bike racks all the time, but want to make sure this is legal before spending the money on a new Vespa," he said.

A: It would be a shame to blow the money you save on gas paying parking tickets. In short, a motorized vehicle that is legal to drive on the street is illegal to park on a sidewalk. So says Seattle Police Department spokeswoman Debra Brown.

City code backs her up. It says: "No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle on or over a sidewalk... ," and a motor scooter is considered a vehicle.

You could get a $38 ticket for parking on a sidewalk.

Q: Seattle resident Nancy Toland has spotted white-and-blue signs posted near the Ballard Bridge directing motorists to turn off their engines if they are waiting for the bridge to close. The signs say: "Waiting? Please turn off your engine. Idling pollutes."

But she says she's noticed Metro buses idling on several occasions when waiting for the bridge to close, while the cars and trucks around them have shut down. "Why don't the buses shut down?"

A: Metro Transit says drivers do not shut off buses because of the possibility the coach would not restart, thus creating a safety issue for bus riders and increased traffic congestion.

Bumper notes

• This is the first day of new, higher fares on state ferries — the result of an annual peak-season surcharge and a roughly 6 percent rate increase approved by the state Transportation Commission.

The increase raises the price of passenger travel across Puget Sound to $6.50 from $6.10. Car-and-driver fares will increase from $13.30 to $14.10 during peak season, which runs through Oct. 7.

The peak-season surcharge applies only to full-fare vehicle and driver tickets, not to passenger fares or frequent-user fares, except for the Anacortes-to-San Juan Islands routes. Fare information is online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.

• If you plan to leave your car at the Anacortes ferry terminal while you take a foot excursion to the San Juan Islands or British Columbia, plan on paying the seasonal parking charge for that privilege. Starting today, parking rates at the terminal lot are $10 a day, $25 for three days and $40 for a week. Paid parking is in effect until the end of September. Information about parking also is online at the Web site listed above.