Pet Peeves - People Who Park in No Parking Zones

Filed Under Blog, Issaquah Highlands | 2 Comments

I love the Issaquah Highlands community. I love the neighborhoods. I love the parks. I love that I can walk to the few shops that are currently here with relative ease. I love the fact that we have narrow streets which causes people to slow down and encourages more walking. Starting to get the idea? Just wait a second then…

While I love all of these things about the neighborhood, one thing that I HATE, is people who IGNORE the No Parking signs. Specifically, the people that ignore the signs that are on the corners of each intersection.

Normally I am a pretty relaxed person and don’t get to pissy about people breaking rules. But this one not only one that affects safety, but one’s ability to drive throughout the neighborhoods.

Example - Down by Cafe Ladro at the corner of Park and 10th, there is a No Parking sign on the East side of 10th that covers about 15 feet North from the intersection. Every Saturday morning, I go down for my morning hot chocolate (I know, I am a NW freak that doesn’t drink coffee). Half the time, I can’t turn right onto 10th because someone decides that they don’t need to pay attention to the No Parking sign. If there is a car already stopped at the light on 10th, trying to turn left onto Park and there is a car parked in this no parking area, it leaves about a 6 foot spot for someone to try to squeeze through.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Sure, the streets could be wider to solve this problem, but that isn’t the point. There are some rules that people should just respect. So if you are one of these people, please find a legal parking spot. I really get grouchy when I can’t get to my morning chocolate.

May

11

A 30 Minute Commute to Seattle?

Filed Under Blog, Issaquah Highlands | 2 Comments

One of the great things about living in the Issaquah Highlands is the proximity to mass transit. Let’s face it, the Puget Sound Region is not well known for it’s extensive network mass transit. Fortunately for the residents of the Highlands, a 1000 parking stall Park and Ride is located right on the edge of what will become the retail village (or Lifestyle Center).

Like a lot of people, I have a typical office job. I work somewhat regular hours Monday through Friday. My company is located in downtown Seattle. Like many Eastsiders, I have the privilege of braving the daily commute over one of our famous bridges. Fortunately for me, since moving to the Highlands, the location of our Park and Ride has made my life much simpler. I can now leave my car at home and let someone else take the wheel.

Every morning, I make my way down to the Park and Ride to catch the 218 Express from Issaquah to Seattle. If it is a nice sunny day, I usually ride my bike down the hill. I won’t say that I always ride it all the way back up the hill though (i’m working on it ;>)). If the weather is looking less than ideal or I am running a bit late, I usually drive down and park. $2.00 and one three stops later I am in downtown Seattle. The 218 makes one stop in Bellevue at the Eastgate Freeway Station and one stop at the Rainier/I-90 Freeway Station. From my front door to my office in Westlake, the total commute time over the last year has averaged about 32 minutes. Not bad considering it is about 20 miles. When I was driving it it would take me about 27 minutes on a good day after 9:00am. Any earlier or during rush hour and I was sitting for 45+ minutes.

Given the price of gas today, and the added expense of parking downtown, taking the bus makes a lot of financial sense as well. Prior to taking the bus, and when gas was still around $2.00 a gallon, I was spending $4.00 in gas and $10.00 for parking per day. That’s $14.00. Now I spend $4.00. That’s around $200 a month.

Now only if they served breakfast too…