Signal priority--with eggnog

RantWoman did not know in advance that Sunday's bus adventure would result in eggnog; RantWoman is glad it did.

A recurring holiday theme for RantWoman is the quest for eggnog. RantWoman actually is not so interested in the most common raw egg whipped cream and rum orgy of cholesterol and alcohol. RantWoman does favor custardy flavor and sometimes rum. This journey did result in satisfactory holiday party eggnog compete with spiced rum. RantWoman also decided she needed and is entitled to eggnog! Here's why.

RantWoman got on a #7 bus, a route she rides all the time and asked to get off at a stop she thought she knew, at Dearborn, on the way to a party at a large cohousing community where a number of bus riders RantWoman knows also live.

Oh RantWoman of little habit of reading bus schedules after EVERY single shakeup.

THANK YOU knowledgeable and courteous driver for telling RantWoman no, that stop no longer exists. Instead RantWoman needs to get off at King Street, but look now, the southbound bus has signal priority at Dearborn.

Okayyy.

Signal priority is a great good thing. It allows buses to make better time in congested conditions by influencing the timing of traffic signal cycles. Readers who want more detail are invited to use your own search engines.

Vehicle traffic wise, RantWoman can totally see the logic of signal priority at Rainier and Dearborn. But pedestrian wise, RantWoman really wants to hear others' views.

Do all the people coming and going from Goodwill mind having to walk up or down a hill from Dearborn to get a southbound bus? What about car vs ped issues for people who have to cross Dearborn and walk a block to get a southbound bus? RantWoman would definitely think to look for data about this. (Sigh).

What about all the people who come and go by bus from nearby multifamily housing of various kinds?

See, if RantWoman is the only person complaining....

RantWoman did find her party and had a great good time. But then RantWoman was due at RantMom's to help grow holiday spirit there too. No, RantWoman was not going to walk back up the hill to catch a southbound bus. Yes, RantWoman did manage to find tolerable though aged sidewalk on the east side of Rainier, a signal to cross rainier and a bus stop for the southbound bus BEFORE the ramps to I-90.

So off it was to party wildly and deliver some delicate squash to RantMom.