Greenways in West Seattle: Help lead the way, this Sunday

| How to help | Transportation | West Seattle news

(October 2011 photo courtesy Mike Dady)
What started as a seed of an idea in North Delridge last fall – turning 26th SW into a “neighborhood greenway,” an idea that drew City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw to the bicycle tour in the photo above – is now sprouting into something bigger, involving more of West Seattle, and you’re invited to a gathering this Sunday to help the idea keep growing. The announcement comes from local bicycling activist Stu Hennessey:

The neighborhood greenway movement in Seattle has been gaining a lot of momentum lately. Neighborhood greenways are routes which provide safe connections for bicyclists and pedestrians between neighborhoods, and to schools, parks, shopping and other destinations. Often they are located on quiet streets parallel to busy arterials, and include traffic calming measures, protected crossings, pocket parks, and other elements that make the route safer and more pleasant for everybody.

The city of Seattle has committed to funding eleven miles of greenways in 2012, and twelve new miles per year thereafter. Because of the work of several local advocates, two West Seattle routes are under consideration for 2012: 21st ave SW between the West Seattle Bridge and White Center, and 26th Ave SW along the Longfellow Creek Trail through North Delridge. This is just a beginning: we hope to form a vision of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity through West Seattle as a whole, and prioritize greenway routes for future development.

Please join us at Pearl’s Coffee this Sunday, Feb 19 at 3 pm (Pearl’s is located at 4800 Delridge Way SW). We’ll meet with neighbors from around West Seattle to begin discussing our vision for bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout our part of the city. Hope to see you there!

R-smoke February 14, 2012 (12:08 am)

What about the Revine behind 33rd and 32nd place and 102nd? I’n shorewood area. All they do is cut down trees but id like to see some more Trees and foiliage of some sort. Maybe a nice little stream or some flowers. It could be a wildlife habitat even. I’d love that. Rather then watching them chop ‘er down little by Lil every year! :(

JN February 14, 2012 (1:01 am)

This sounds awesome! Greenways are a great base for better pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure for little cost/effort.

Jill February 14, 2012 (4:49 am)

Nice work, guys! I’m out of town, but will be there in spirit to support the efforts. I’ll watch for more gatherings in the future.

Marie M February 14, 2012 (9:21 am)

What a great idea. This would be so much safer for bicyclists and a lot less nerve-wracking for motorists. Everybody benefits.

Joan February 14, 2012 (9:26 am)

I’m curious about cross traffic on the greenways. I generally ride off arterials on secondary streets but every intersection is a potential collision from cross traffic. How is that managed on a greenway? Would love more info.

Jeff February 14, 2012 (10:04 am)

21st is wonderful to ride between Myrtle and the low bridge, for anyone connecting to the Highland Park area.

Amber February 14, 2012 (11:49 am)

I would love to attend, but I’ll be out of town. What, if any, attention will be paid to Delridge south of Juneau, where there are precious few sidewalks on the side streets (even those that are part of the Longfellow Creek Trail) and the trail itself occasionally hops onto Delridge? This is a rapidly densifying area, too – and Delridge narrows toward the south, becoming even less appealing to “willing but wary” cyclists and pedestrians.

A February 14, 2012 (7:31 pm)

26th Ave SW in delridge is a poor choice because it’s the only alternative for cars thru Delridge. Please consider that bike use in this city is only 10% and car use is over 50%
Delridge resident

JN February 14, 2012 (8:31 pm)

A, please consider that pedestrians/cyclists are killed at a disproportionate rate to their overall modal use. Making streets safer for people walking and riding bikes should be the ultimate priority in any street improvement.

Been There February 14, 2012 (9:19 pm)

A, motor vehicles would still be able to use 26th. However the changes to the street would be such that it would prevent motor vehicles from racing through at ridiculous speeds like they currently do. If a driver finds it necessary to take side-streets like 26th, or 25th versus the designated arterial Delridge Way, then please have the courtesy to drive slow and safe.

AJP February 14, 2012 (10:09 pm)

Hooray! I like bikes!

WS Mom February 15, 2012 (8:09 am)

I second Been There’s comment. As a 26th Ave. resident, I get so sick of people treating our street like an arterial. It is not. It is a neighborhood street and not a way to speed around the backups on Delridge. I am fortunate to live by a traffic circle on 26th which helps, but even there people go ridiculously fast. It is very stressful trying to go for a walk with small children and/or waiting for the bus with a group of kids when you never know when someone is going to fly down our street at 45-50 mph. I think it is the perfect spot for a Greenway for just this reason. Slow people down.

A February 15, 2012 (6:39 pm)

These community will contuine to be the thru road for the cars on delridge and now the bikes on 26th ave. Nice work fools!!

JN February 15, 2012 (9:09 pm)

A, the greenway is designed such so that traffic will be diverted from it, since it will be much slower (thankfully!) than the Delridge arterial. And people would MUCH rather have their street be a through route for bicycles then cars. Bicycles don’t spew exhaust in thorough your doors and windows, bicycles don’t plow into parked cars and knock down power poles, and bicycles don’t run down your children and kill them. Fools, indeed.

a February 15, 2012 (11:00 pm)

JN, you don’t get it! Green-ways are great for cities like Portland which are much flatter! You want the greenway because you live on 26th Ave.
The other WS residents that don’t live in Delridge don’t care about Delridge and use it as the blvd to go between work and home and I don’t want another group(bikes)traveling thru Delridge too.
just want until the next 12 hour stand-off on Delridge and where will the cars go, lets see 26th ave along with the bikes. that’s a mess waiting to happen. I’m happy to get another slow bike/Prius loving person off the car streets!!!!!!!

Yardvark February 16, 2012 (7:35 am)

You’re disturbed, a. Take a breath.

JN February 16, 2012 (11:57 am)

a, you are the perfect illustration of WHY greenways exist: they are residential streets not meant to be used as arterials or through routes for speeding vehicles. Arterials exist for the express purpose to move more quickly from point to point. And no, I do not live on Delridge. You also seem to not realize that this is NOT happening on Delridge, the arterial street. This is occurring on 26th Ave, a purely residential street, not meant or designed to be used as a high speed automobile through route. Now it will be explicitly designed to thwart attempts to misuse it.

JanS February 19, 2012 (2:34 pm)

I drive on 26th regularly going to the dialysis clinic on Dellridge. There isn’t a whole lot of auto traffic from what I see. It’s a great alternative. Glad they are considering all angles.

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