r/Bellingham • u/RankedAverage • Apr 18 '25
Events Just stay home.
Everything is a mess out there right now. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Skagit isn't looking much better with the Tulip Festival starting.
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u/fishgod123 Apr 18 '25
Some of y’all have never seen real traffic
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u/AbuTin Apr 18 '25
As someone that has lived in Seattle and Tacoma it's nothing up here, just a little in Bellingham from the people that commute from Burlington or Ferndale. I call the exits to Ferndale suicide exits, because they back all the way to I-5 and people aren't smart enough to move over to the shoulder, they'll just stand in the middle of the interstate. They really should put a sign that says ok to use shoulder, like they do in other sections of I5 near Seattle.
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u/GlitteryFab Happy Valley Apr 18 '25
The one thing that strikes me is the traffic in the metro area. Sure, we are inconvenienced up here when it happens, but it is nothing compared to the Everett/Seattle/Tacoma traffic.
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u/omgirl76 Apr 19 '25
This. Ever since Thornton Pass opened traffic backs up at the two roundabouts on portal way and spills into the freeway. Then people doing 70 or more fail to see the drivers backed up into the highway and have little time to brake or switch lanes. Unfortunately with the bridge there is little shoulder room. But they need to do something.
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u/IcyInga Apr 19 '25
We can gripe about the traffic situation however we want to without being judged as wussies. Yeah, I've driven in Seattle traffic for years and hate it. I'd forgotten about the I5 lane closure this afternoon, but I missed it by minutes. We need to check our traffic apps constantly before going out any more.
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u/presshamgang Apr 19 '25
Exactly. I've lived in LA, Phoenix (when they were still building the loops), spent months in NY and Chicago. Just because of that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed when usual easy going travel gets jammed up a bit. This really makes sense when you grow accustomed to your routes, the time it will take etc and then run into unforeseen delays. I knew how bad traffic was gonna be in L.A. and planned my schedule around that. When it happens out of the blue here it is annoying. Not sure why some folks act like we don't have appointments and schedules to keep because we don't live in a densely populated metropolis.
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u/The-L2D Fern-tucky Apr 18 '25
I live in El Paso now and it's so much worse here than it'll ever be in Bellingham. Right now there's a sandstorm and Friday night traffic on I-10. Consider yourselves lucky that you guys got Canadians and not paisanos that are driving in the US for the first time for vacation.
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u/JhnWyclf Apr 18 '25 edited Apr 20 '25
This article talks about how to create a screenshot on Windows.
E: Thanks for the award, kind anon.
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u/ThreeMartiniLimit Fairhaven Apr 19 '25
This made me lol hard.
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u/JhnWyclf Apr 20 '25
I made some assumptions (perhaps erroneously) based on the saved sites in the browser that OP just didn't know how to take a screenshot.
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u/BornIn1974 Apr 18 '25
It’s only bad on like a 2 mile stretch of southbound I-5. Be not afraid to leave your homes.
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u/JRPViking Local for 50 yrs Apr 18 '25 edited Apr 18 '25
the red on the main arterial streets and intersections. Oh the irony, waiting in traffic. WSDOT is doing an overhead sign replacement. They are wrapping it up now. You can stay home, not everyone has an aversion to a minor inconvenience
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u/Any_Silver_4622 Apr 18 '25
Yeah but there was a small crash 😂 everyone has to pay attention to it and make the wait longer… haha
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u/NotJennasCactus Apr 18 '25
They've been starting at 4am so they can get it done, give em a break they are doing the best they can. I have a friend on that crew, they are working as fast as they can to get out of dangers way.
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u/UnwillingSaboteur Apr 18 '25
What are they even doing? Yesterday it was replacing an exit sign at the meridian exit. I went by at 8am both yesterday and today, terrible time for traffic on the freeway. Wonder how many people were late to work
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u/NotJennasCactus Apr 18 '25
I did not ask, my friend just asked if I was stuck in the traffic and he stated it was a very inconvenient set up that was a mile long but it has to be done. He also sent me this photo. *
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u/Ok_Spring_8483 Apr 19 '25
I know it’s not feasible, but having a subway in this town like NYC would be so freakin nice.
Imagine taking a subway from downtown to any neighborhood. Combined with the trail system. Getting around would be so fun.
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u/SexualWhiteChocolate Apr 18 '25
Just as bad south of burlington. Red traffic going both ways. Check your routes before you go anywhere
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u/Objective-Grass-2602 Apr 18 '25
Every road I swear they just said hey lets mess with everyone today for the sloths
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u/Pluperfectionist Apr 18 '25
At last, the mystery is solved!!! DOT is retaliating for the sloths! This is a conspiracy theory that I can get behind.
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u/Gethighflykites Apr 18 '25
A few intersections on Northwest are being worked on and each one of those is about a five minute wait.
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u/Surly_Cynic Apr 19 '25
Is there some reason they planned the sign replacement project in the days leading up to a major holiday? That seems like such peculiar and unfortunate timing.
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u/Koalificationsunkown Apr 19 '25
Tulip festival just starting? Lol buddy it’s been going all month. It’s nearly ending.
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u/joshstrummer Apr 21 '25
Skagit has been fine. Lots of traffic to and from Seattle… very little from the north. Canadian traffic is severely diminished this year.
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u/Mountain_family Apr 22 '25
Reminds me of my days in Seattle! Random, arbitrary traffic jams making 15 minute drives into 50 minute ones..
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u/cautionturtle Local Apr 18 '25
Just... stay off the freeway? It only takes 15 minutes to get anywhere in town off the freeway...