Only three major arterials run north-south through the heart of Maple Leaf, and they’re all increasingly clogged during the morning and afternoon commuter rushes.
It’s now not uncommon in the afternoon, for instance, to see a solid row of cars crawling southbound on Fifth Avenue all the way from Rick’s Chevron at 85th Street to the bridge over Interstate 5. Sometimes with the most unlikely vehicles.
Especially during the morning commute, 15th Avenue can pile up for blocks, and Roosevelt Way, which recently was stop and go northbound from N.E. 75 to Cloud City Coffee, will likely get worse within weeks when the 15th Avenue bridge closes for the next year or so.
Anybody know exactly what’s happened? Is it just population growth? I-5 commuters cutting through our neighborhoods? Are there hard statistics on traffic growth? Do we need more street lights?
How about a light w/ pedestrian crossing signals instead of a 4 way stop at 5th and Banner? Drivers are so flipping crazy to get out of there at that intersection that I have nearly been run down several times while on foot. How about a left turn arrow at 5th and 80th? How about a left turn arrow at Roosevelt and 80th? And the light at 75th and Roosevelt also needs to be reviewed. That intersection is nuts. Once you get past that light, you're fine. All in all, the commute time is not that tragic.