Michael Smith
@mesmith35673.bsky.social
Seattle, WA
Software engineer, safe streets advocate, and occasional Seattle Transit Blog writer
You’ll find me exploring the city by bike/bus or analyzing transit ridership data.
He/him
Software engineer, safe streets advocate, and occasional Seattle Transit Blog writer
You’ll find me exploring the city by bike/bus or analyzing transit ridership data.
He/him
Hey @lynnwoodwa.bsky.social - instead of victim blaming someone who was killed on your streets, the City should take concrete steps to make it safe to do so. I was nearly hit by a car at this same intersection when a driver decided to make a right turn on red without stopping.
February 7, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Hey @lynnwoodwa.bsky.social - instead of victim blaming someone who was killed on your streets, the City should take concrete steps to make it safe to do so. I was nearly hit by a car at this same intersection when a driver decided to make a right turn on red without stopping.
6/29: Community Transit Swift on the Orange Line
February 7, 2026 at 6:59 PM
6/29: Community Transit Swift on the Orange Line
I’ve always thought the cat stuck in tree trope was just a made up story. It turns out, cats (or at least this one) can and do climb trees!
February 7, 2026 at 4:01 PM
I’ve always thought the cat stuck in tree trope was just a made up story. It turns out, cats (or at least this one) can and do climb trees!
Sound Transit is re-installing the stop line signs for 2-car trains. It looks like 2 and 3 car trains will be making a comeback in 2026.
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 AM
Sound Transit is re-installing the stop line signs for 2-car trains. It looks like 2 and 3 car trains will be making a comeback in 2026.
Human scale vs automotive scale signs
February 6, 2026 at 2:20 AM
Human scale vs automotive scale signs
I’m a few days late, but it works!!
February 5, 2026 at 4:56 PM
I’m a few days late, but it works!!
The new Renton TC broke ground today. Its location at Rainier&Grady is worse for most Renton-bound passengers, but better for Stride S1 through riders. That is ok because walking to the TC will be super nice. Conveniently, the trees on the left are hiding 6 lanes of high speed traffic on Grady Way.
February 4, 2026 at 8:28 PM
The new Renton TC broke ground today. Its location at Rainier&Grady is worse for most Renton-bound passengers, but better for Stride S1 through riders. That is ok because walking to the TC will be super nice. Conveniently, the trees on the left are hiding 6 lanes of high speed traffic on Grady Way.
Good morning from a battery electric GILLIG bus on Route 128. This bus has the new Metro livery and an upgraded operator safety partition.
February 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Good morning from a battery electric GILLIG bus on Route 128. This bus has the new Metro livery and an upgraded operator safety partition.
As a side note, Alaskan Way has never moved people so efficiently.
January 31, 2026 at 5:20 PM
As a side note, Alaskan Way has never moved people so efficiently.
Seattle rides for Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Parady La, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz and many others.
Abolish ICE
Abolish ICE
January 31, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Seattle rides for Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Parady La, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz and many others.
Abolish ICE
Abolish ICE
One of the goals of paid parking is to ensure there will be a few spots open for people in a hurry or who want to park close to their destination. When on-street parking is free and always full, drivers will resort to more creative parking options that inconvenience or completely block others.
January 30, 2026 at 1:23 AM
One of the goals of paid parking is to ensure there will be a few spots open for people in a hurry or who want to park close to their destination. When on-street parking is free and always full, drivers will resort to more creative parking options that inconvenience or completely block others.
This is the area around the proposed store location. I wonder why most people will drive to get their groceries.
January 28, 2026 at 4:52 AM
This is the area around the proposed store location. I wonder why most people will drive to get their groceries.
I mixed up Rainier Ave overhead wire projects. The one I was thinking of is to move the wire on Rainier between Henderson and Graham.
I'll check with Metro to see if they have a timeline for opening these stops.
I'll check with Metro to see if they have a timeline for opening these stops.
January 28, 2026 at 12:45 AM
I mixed up Rainier Ave overhead wire projects. The one I was thinking of is to move the wire on Rainier between Henderson and Graham.
I'll check with Metro to see if they have a timeline for opening these stops.
I'll check with Metro to see if they have a timeline for opening these stops.
I dove a bit deeper into FWLE ridership data. Federal Way Downtown is now the 10th busiest 1 Line station with 4.5k average weekday boardings (adjusted for operational days). Kent Des Moines and Star Lake are the lowest ridership stations on the 1 Line.
seattletransitblog.com/2026/01/26/e...
seattletransitblog.com/2026/01/26/e...
January 26, 2026 at 4:00 PM
I dove a bit deeper into FWLE ridership data. Federal Way Downtown is now the 10th busiest 1 Line station with 4.5k average weekday boardings (adjusted for operational days). Kent Des Moines and Star Lake are the lowest ridership stations on the 1 Line.
seattletransitblog.com/2026/01/26/e...
seattletransitblog.com/2026/01/26/e...
5/29: Seattle Streetcar on the First Hill Line
January 24, 2026 at 7:39 PM
5/29: Seattle Streetcar on the First Hill Line
Spent way too much time making the ridership plots interactive.
January 24, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Spent way too much time making the ridership plots interactive.
The only acceptable incorrect sign.
January 24, 2026 at 5:09 AM
The only acceptable incorrect sign.
FWLE ridership data for December is now published. Federal Way Downtown had 12k daily boardings, on par with Northgate and Roosevelt. Kent Des Moines and Star Lake are now the two lowest ridership stations on the 1 Line with 2.8k and 2.6k daily boardings respectively.
January 23, 2026 at 8:10 PM
FWLE ridership data for December is now published. Federal Way Downtown had 12k daily boardings, on par with Northgate and Roosevelt. Kent Des Moines and Star Lake are now the two lowest ridership stations on the 1 Line with 2.8k and 2.6k daily boardings respectively.
We love to see a nice modal filter. Is that on 135th? If so, it must have been recently cleared since street view shows the gap in the road filled with bushes and grass.
January 23, 2026 at 4:03 AM
We love to see a nice modal filter. Is that on 135th? If so, it must have been recently cleared since street view shows the gap in the road filled with bushes and grass.
Tap to pay will soft launch on the G Line February 2, and should launch on the rest of the system by the end of February. Tap to pay will allow passengers to use credit/debit cards and cards stored digitally (eg: Apple Wallet).
January 22, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Tap to pay will soft launch on the G Line February 2, and should launch on the rest of the system by the end of February. Tap to pay will allow passengers to use credit/debit cards and cards stored digitally (eg: Apple Wallet).
East Link project page is updated to say “early 2026”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the official opening date is announced at the Board meeting tomorrow.
January 22, 2026 at 5:14 AM
East Link project page is updated to say “early 2026”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the official opening date is announced at the Board meeting tomorrow.
The East Link project page has been updated to say the full 2 Line will open on March 28! I’ve reached out to Sound Transit to confirm if this is accurate.
www.soundtransit.org/system-expan...
www.soundtransit.org/system-expan...
January 22, 2026 at 4:23 AM
The East Link project page has been updated to say the full 2 Line will open on March 28! I’ve reached out to Sound Transit to confirm if this is accurate.
www.soundtransit.org/system-expan...
www.soundtransit.org/system-expan...
The only sign at ground level that indicates platform direction at Mount Baker station is an A-frame sandwich board. And the sign for the southbound platform says “Angle Lake”. This is ridiculous.
January 20, 2026 at 3:31 AM
The only sign at ground level that indicates platform direction at Mount Baker station is an A-frame sandwich board. And the sign for the southbound platform says “Angle Lake”. This is ridiculous.
Am I the only one who has a favorite sidewalk? The southern sidewalk on S Americus St between 39th Ave and 42nd Ave has it all. This grade separated sidewalk has greenery on both sides and offers great views of Seattle’s skyline, Lake Washington, and Mount Baker (the neighborhood and mountain).
January 20, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Am I the only one who has a favorite sidewalk? The southern sidewalk on S Americus St between 39th Ave and 42nd Ave has it all. This grade separated sidewalk has greenery on both sides and offers great views of Seattle’s skyline, Lake Washington, and Mount Baker (the neighborhood and mountain).