Video: High gas prices bring decreased traffic

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SEATTLE - If you're headed to fill up your gas tank this week, get ready.

Drivers in Seattle-Bellevue-Everett are now paying an all-time high of $3.76 for a gallon of regular. In Tacoma, it's a record of $3.74 and in Bellingham, it's $3.83.

And it's having an effect on the commute.

For decades, traffic has grown at 3 percent each year. Not any more.

Traffic from last year is down on average 1.5 to 2 percent around Puget Sound.

But the pattern is inconsistent. On I-5 through Everett, weekday traffic is actually up 1 percent. Weekend traffic with similar volumes is down 5 percent.

On I-405 through Bothell, the northbound lanes on the weekdays are up 2.5 percent, but the southbound lanes are down 3 percent.

"That's why the weekend change is more dramatic than the weekdays, because people have a greater opportunity to say, 'yeah, I'll do something else,'" said Mark Hallenbeck, director of Washington state's Transportation Center.

To save gas and money, people are opting to stay home when they have a choice, or combine errands.

"It's not dramatic, but you probably notice it. It will not be a perfect day, ever, there's still too many people trying to travel in too little space, But you should see improvements in how many days it really is terrible," Hallenbeck said.

Bus ridership up

Snohomish County's Community Transit says if the trend holds up through this month, May will be the first month ever the agency has carried 1 million riders.

"We've seen ridership grow through the first three months of the year," said Tom Pearce, of Community Transit. "We've been up 11 percent on all of our routes combined."

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Traffic from last year is down on average 1.5 to 2 percent around Puget Sound.

But is there really a noticeable reduction in the number of cars on the road?  It depends on who you ask.

Naomi Love needs to commute in her car on some days.

"It's better than it has been a year ago," she said.

But for Sid Spinner, it just looks bad from where he sits.

"Seems to be more traffic, more traffic, more traffic," he said.