West - Tips for driving to Seattle from Vancouver?

I haven't driven to Seattle in a very long time. I'm wondering if someone here can give me some tips and advice so that I can get there without getting in trouble with the police and or getting lost?

There are a number of threads in the Canada forum that you might find useful:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/299507-drive-time-vancouver-seattle.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/1121383-border-crossing-time-car.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/717369-driving-sea-vancouver.html

We drive in that area quite regularly and I can't think of anything particularly new to report.

Are you leaving from Vancouver, WA or Vancouver, BC? It's hard to get lost in either case, drive due north on I-5 from Vancouver, WA until you get to Seattle, drive due south from Vancouver, BC on 99 to the border, then continue due south in I-5 until you get to Seattle. As far as avoiding the police, don't speed and don't run into anyone and you'll be fine.

Are you leaving from Vancouver, WA or Vancouver, BC?

Good point! :) To get to either of Captain George's namesake cities without drawing the attention of the constabulary or getting lost, don't exceed the posted speed limit by too many mph/kph, stay right except to pass (okay, the police don't enforce that but I'd appreciate it anyway ;) ) and I-5 is the major route, busy as it is at times (Hwy 99 in B.C.).

Are you leaving from Vancouver, WA or Vancouver, BC? It's hard to get lost in either case, drive due north on I-5 from Vancouver, WA until you get to Seattle, drive due south from Vancouver, BC on 99 to the border, then continue due south in I-5 until you get to Seattle. As far as avoiding the police, don't speed and don't run into anyone and you'll be fine.

Sorry, I meant Vancouver, BC. What's the speed limit in Washington State? I know it'll be in miles vs. km in Canada.

Also, when is the best time to cross the border? I'm trying to avoid the lineup at the peace arch border crossing.

Sorry, I meant Vancouver, BC. What's the speed limit in Washington State? I know it'll be in miles vs. km in Canada.

Also, when is the best time to cross the border? I'm trying to avoid the lineup at the peace arch border crossing.

70 MPH except in urban areas, then 60/55. Doesn't seem to apply to cars with BC plates. :p

4 AM. Depends on day of week, too. In the autumn/winter things don't tend to be terrible in either direction, except on Fri/Sun evenings etc., or holiday weekends. Listen to the radio for border reports. IIRC there are now reader boards over both I-5 and BC 99 advising on delays at the Peace Arch or Truck Crossing (Pacific Highway) points. I'd allow 30 min. and be surprised if it takes more than 10.

You can also go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/ or http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/ and check out the border cameras and wait times to get an idea of what you're in for.

You can also go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/ or http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/ and check out the border cameras and wait times to get an idea of what you're in for.

Unless the OP has a passenger who can check the video while driving, that might be outdated information by the time he/she gets to The Border.

You have to work hard at getting lost when you clear downtown Vancouver. Like others said, Highway 99 turns into I-5 at the border.

Some notes:
- Border wait times are usually minimal until about 9:00 a.m. From 9:00 a.m. afterward, it can take awhile. Last time I was there, the checkpoint was still under construction.
- In Vancouver tune into 1130 AM on the radio, they have frequent border updates embedded with their traffic reports.
- In Washington, definitely stick to the 65 mph limit when going through Bellingham. Also watch it about 30 minutes south of Bellingham. I forget the area, but there's wide open spaces with an extremely wide median with lots of trees. Washington State Patrol likes to hide there. I think it's just south of Sedro Woolley.

Safe travels.

70 MPH except in urban areas, then 60/55. Doesn't seem to apply to cars with BC plates. :p

4 AM. Depends on day of week, too. In the autumn/winter things don't tend to be terrible in either direction, except on Fri/Sun evenings etc., or holiday weekends. Listen to the radio for border reports. IIRC there are now reader boards over both I-5 and BC 99 advising on delays at the Peace Arch or Truck Crossing (Pacific Highway) points. I'd allow 30 min. and be surprised if it takes more than 10.

SO true; I did not have to wait in line the last time I drove SEA YVR crossing the border at 3am.

- In Washington, definitely stick to the 65 mph limit when going through Bellingham. Also watch it about 30 minutes south of Bellingham. I forget the area, but there's wide open spaces with an extremely wide median with lots of trees. Washington State Patrol likes to hide there. I think it's just south of Sedro Woolley.

Safe travels.

Actually the speed limit is 60 mph through urban areas such as Bellingham. :) The advice to be aware of the State Patrol is excellent. They also hang out a lot immediately south of Bellingham, where there is a long stretch of 60 mph limit.

Thx for the tip guys. So as long as I stay 60mph or less throughout Washington State then I should be fine right?

Thx for the tip guys. So as long as I stay 60mph or less throughout Washington State then I should be fine right?Yes but you run the risk of being run over in the two-lane portions of the 70 mph zones.

So as long as I stay 60mph or less throughout Washington State then I should be fine right? You could be cited for obstructing traffic. :) Keep it to 60-65mph through Bellingham and, further south, through Everett; 70mph or so is minimum standard practice otherwise. You'll see the flow of traffic outside settled areas is 75mph or a little more; technically over the limit but the cops can't stop everyone at once.

There's a long, flat stretch through the Skagit Valley around LaConner, 40 or 50 miles south of Bellingham, where there's a temptation to open it up... I've snuck it up to 90 or 95mph when the road is dry and lightly trafficked... but the state police does patrol the valley pretty heavily, in part because there have been several terrible accidents tied to speed and drink.

Finally, between Vancouver and the border, stick to the BC limit of 80 or 100kph, whatever's posted -- I see a lot of police presence on that stretch.

Having lived many years in both Washington State and British Columbia, I echo most of these comments and emphasize that there is a distinct difference in driving cultures between WA and BC.

You will observe that Washington drivers are notably slow drivers (compared to Canadians and other Americans), who merge onto the freeway often well below the speed limit, cruise on the freeway below the speed limit, and many will purposively occupy the left lanes of the freeway when not passing. Many will simply not move right to allow others to pass.

The Washington State Patrol is zero tolerance and this probably contributes to a culture of fear of even driving the speed limits in Washington.

In British Columbia, speed limits are more reasonably enforced and there is a more sophisticated driving culture, which notably involves keeping to the right, except to pass, and moving to a right lane when another vehicle is travelling faster without getting personally upset or offended by the other driver.

In my opinion, Washington drivers have developed a culture whereby they get emotionally involved in how others are driving on the freeway and this causes them to get angry if others want to drive faster than them. I believe that this poses a serious safety issue. They will sometimes occupy and block the left lane on purpose so as to make a point. You will observe quicker drivers having to pass on the right or resort to other moves. This type of passive-aggressive culture is rare if non-existent in British Columbia (or California, etcetera).

In British Columbia, speed limits are more reasonably enforced and there is a more sophisticated driving culture, which notably involves keeping to the right, except to pass, and moving to a right lane when another vehicle is travelling faster without getting personally upset or offended by the other driver.

You will observe quicker drivers having to pass on the right or resort to other moves. This type of passive-aggressive culture is rare if non-existent in British Columbia (or California, etcetera).

Having also lived and driven for many years in both British Columbia and Washington State, I agree with you in part.

The average driving speed in BC does seem to have increased over the past several years now that the radar vans are a long-faded memory, and at my usual 10-15 kph over the posted limit I'm still surprised at how regularly I'm passed by other drivers going 20 or more kph over. 20 years ago in BC the RCMP speed traps were quite elaborate, and they were also using planes to spot and ticket fast drivers on Hwy 1 between Langley and Hope. I haven't seen any of those for a long time.

In Washington State, when I drive 5-7 mph over the posted limit I'm seldom passed. It is very common to see drivers pulled over and ticketed on I-5 and I-90. Around Issaquah, for example, just east of Seattle on I-90, more than once I've seen a half-dozen State Patrol officers on motorcycles enjoying themselves.

IMHO too many drivers in both jurisdictions hog the left lane. I theorize that this behavior is due in large part to overcrowded highways. e.g I-5 in WA, 99 and Hwy 1 in BC, not to mention the "Pat Bay" between the ferry terminal and Victoria. At certain times of the day, if you don't stay in the left lane on those and other four-lane "freeways" you'll be consigned to a very slow drive with little possibility to move into the so-called passing lane.

I'm repeatedly frustrated (Mrs. Fredd would attest to that ;) ) by WA and BC drivers who sit in the left lane even when those conditions don't apply. Mrs. Fredd and I play our own license-plate game in WA State to note how many BC license plates we see sitting in the left lane on I-5, and they are a definite presence, I'm sorry to say - anecdotal and not a scientific survey. I'd hate to see them on, say, a German autobahn.

Oh, and of my four speeding tickets in 50 years of driving, one was in an elaborate RCMP speed trap near Abbotsford on Hwy 1 in BC 30 years ago, and another about 5 years ago was, yup, while passing an idiot sitting in the left lane just south of Bellingham. :o :p

In my opinion, Washington drivers have developed a culture whereby they get emotionally involved in how others are driving on the freeway and this causes them to get angry if others want to drive faster than them. I believe that this poses a serious safety issue. They will sometimes occupy and block the left lane on purpose so as to make a point.

IMHO too many drivers in both jurisdictions hog the left lane. I theorize that this behavior is due in large part to overcrowded highways... I'm repeatedly frustrated (Mrs. Fredd would attest to that ;) ) by WA and BC drivers who sit in the left lane even when those conditions don't apply.

I agree with both of you, in part. I see more left-land banditry in Washington state than anyplace else I've ever driven. But I put most of it down to oblivious, self-centered driving, oddly peculiar to Washington.

On most roads in most places, motorists form a conscious, interconnected flow. They pay attention to each others' speed and intentions, and make little tiny adjustments all the time. You're part of an organic whole.

In Washington there's none of this. People chug along in the left lane at 55 mph, not necessarily to upset drivers behind them, but because they have no concept of cohesive traffic flow. They just don't care. This is the only place I know where motorists will give you a strenuous argument against "keep right except to pass" conventions, and all the other practices that promote safe, interconnected traffic flow.

For this reason I tell people Washington is perhaps the most dangerous place for highway driving in the US. Everyone is out for themselves, and you have to defend yourself against a pell-mell mess of oblivious drivers. A lot of what passes as standard practice here would get you jailed on the Autobahn.

<snip>In Washington State, when I drive 5-7 mph over the posted limit I'm seldom passed.

Ditto. Found that to be the case also during our recent trips down to Portland and Seattle.

IMHO too many drivers in both jurisdictions hog the left lane. I theorize that this behavior is due in large part to overcrowded highways. e.g I-5 in WA, 99 and Hwy 1 in BC, not to mention the "Pat Bay" between the ferry terminal and Victoria. At certain times of the day, if you don't stay in the left lane on those and other four-lane "freeways" you'll be consigned to a very slow drive with little possibility to move into the so-called passing lane.


Yep, personally, I think both BC and WA have issues with drivers hogging the left lane. I haven't driven in a lot of place but the most courteous I've experienced has been in the UK.
What I hate is when I'm in the back of a pack in the left lane of a congested stretch and the left lane is moving slightly faster than the right. Then some jerk catches up to the pack and rides my rear cuz I'm in the left lane; but there's no where to go cuz it's congested up front. And if I do move to the right lane let him pass (even tho there's really no place to go, otherwise, I'd try to pass myself), I get stuck in the slower moving right lane and pushed back as other cars enter the pack. That's the only time I loathe moving over to the right. Otherwise, I'm regularly hopping btw left and right lane to pass or cruise.

70 MPH except in urban areas, then 60/55. Doesn't seem to apply to cars with BC plates. :p

4 AM. Depends on day of week, too. In the autumn/winter things don't tend to be terrible in either direction, except on Fri/Sun evenings etc., or holiday weekends. Listen to the radio for border reports. IIRC there are now reader boards over both I-5 and BC 99 advising on delays at the Peace Arch or Truck Crossing (Pacific Highway) points. I'd allow 30 min. and be surprised if it takes more than 10.

So I went down to Seattle last weekend and I can confirm that you're right, but only to a certain extent. The I-5 have various speed limits. Sometimes it's 70mph and I would say most of the time it's 60mph. It's still plenty fast, but I would appreciate if the speed limit was consistent and didn't change throughout the entire I-5.

I overslept and as a result I arrived at the border at around 11:30 AM and by then the wait was well over 1.5 hours at the Peace Arch.

Actually the speed limit is 60 mph through urban areas such as Bellingham. :) The advice to be aware of the State Patrol is excellent. They also hang out a lot immediately south of Bellingham, where there is a long stretch of 60 mph limit.

I saw 3 state patrol cars issuing tickets during my drive from Vancouver to Seattle. I was very careful to stay within the speed limit. I don't think I can afford another speeding ticket.

Yes but you run the risk of being run over in the two-lane portions of the 70 mph zones.

lol! :D

While I didn't get run over, lots of cars went to the other lane to pass me. It did felt like I was being run over though!