KING 5's headline says it all: "Business owner wanted snow plows, got umbrellas." In a nice gesture, badly timed right in the wake of this year's snowpocalypse, city lack of preparedness and the inevitable citizen wrath, Seattle Department of Transportation has begun handing out umbrellas to local businesses as part of their Holiday Pedestrian Safety Campaign. The cost? Around $5,000 for the umbrella arm of the campaign, and $47,000 for the whole shebang. The justification for these brightly-colored umbrellas, which read, cutely, "See You in the Crosswalk," are distributed from local retail outlets and returned, theoretically, on the honor system. The goal is to increase pedestrian safety during the winter months' darkness and inclement weather. From KING: more ›

In response to Seattle's 2008 snowpocalypse (which had everyone in the Midwest laughing at us -- three to five inches!), Metro has released its new snow plan, which, in the event of a dangerous level of snow, will reduce service to the "Emergency Service Network"--70 routes that follow main arterials that are the top priority for snowplows, Publicola reported last week. more ›

Assigned to pick up the lunch run? If so, avoid the Aurora Bridge at all costs today till 2 p.m. The Seattle Department of Transportation has closed down the two northbound lanes on the Aurora Bridge, leaving the right lane open for traffic. The bridge's expansion joints are undergoing an emergency round of temporary repairs. more ›

In a grim, darkly hilarious special report, the Times has confirmed that the guys in charge of dealing with Snowmageddon in December didn't know what they were doing--as in, they had no experience dealing with a major snowstorm and they made "questionable calls" right and left. From the report:

"Mr. Jackson had no idea of what was going on," said Sione Kongaika, a plow driver who recently retired after 31 years with the Seattle Department of Transportation. Two or three days into the first major snowfall, "all he was doing is yelling, 'We have to get more plows downtown. The mayor can't get to the office.' "

The Fremont Bridge, gateway to the Center of the Universe, could be your future art studio. Some lucky Seattle-area creative type is going to get a workshop in one of the bridge towers, in which to create a diverse, in-depth exploration of what it means to be the city’s busiest bridge 'n' stuff. All that and a $20,000 grant from SDOT. Apply by Jan. 5. Or don’t--we don’t need the competition! more ›