Following up on the Seattle Public Utilities announcement published here last night regarding work starting today to place reflective red rings on the city’s 70 remaining low-flow hydrants, so firefighters can make fast decisions when arriving at fire scenes – we now have the map and list of locations from SPU. What you see above is the West Seattle section of the map; click it to get a PDF of the full-size citywide map. And if you see one you want to know more about, click here for the PDF list of exact addresses. We count 28 served by West Seattle fire engines (note the E37, E32, and E29 designations). Three are listed as being in the unincorporated North Highline area just south of West Seattle, and one is in the area served by South Park’s Engine 26. SPU says it expects to have all of the low-flow hydrants – which, it stresses, are fully operational, but just deliver less than 500 gallons per minute – marked by the end of the month.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews will install a red reflective ring on low-flow fire hydrants in your neighborhood. Low-flow hydrants are defined as those that deliver less than 500 gallons of water per minute.

The red ring provides a distinct and very visible way for Seattle Fire Department personnel to quickly and easily identify low-flow hydrants in cases of emergency.

Low-flow hydrants are fully operational, but output less water per minute than other hydrants.

The clearly marked hydrants aid firefighters by helping ensure that the best fire-suppression tactics are chosen when operating a low-flow hydrant.

More than 18,000 fire hydrants are located throughout the City of Seattle, of which about 70 are classified as low-flow hydrants and will be tagged with the red ring.

Dates/Times: Crews will begin installing the rings the week of May 20 and expect to have all low-flow hydrants throughout the city marked by the end of May 2013.

If you have questions about this work, please contact SPU Hydrant Crew Chief Charles Jackson at (206) 396-1826 or charles.jackson@seattle.gov.

SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin says about half those 70 low-flow hydrants are in West Seattle. We’re hoping to hear tomorrow about a map or list of their locations – but please let us know if and when you see any of these rings being installed in your area!

This morning, Roxhill Elementary principal Sahnica Washington greeted scholars arriving by bus – two blocks north of campus! Here’s why: All month, Roxhill families have been part of “walking school buses” – and today was a chance for bus-transported scholars to join in too, with the help of Feet First and the state Transportation Department:

FF even brought along its famous giant Chicken (as in, “why did the chicken cross the road …”)

Crossing the road – and walking along it – will soon be even safer for kids headed toward Roxhill, which, as explained in the Feet First announcement, “is the recipient of a Safe Routes to School grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. This grant will fund a new sidewalk on SW 30th immediately south of Roxbury, and improvements to the intersection of SW 30th Ave and SW Roxbury, due for construction in the summer of 2013.”

(5/7/2013 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Less than two weeks after 54-year-old Lance David died at East Marginal and Hanford after his bicycle collided with a truck, and one week after participating in a memorial ride to that site, Mayor McGinn says today that he’s asking the City Council to approve $900,000 in safety improvements to that area, and about half a million for lower Spokane St. and feeder roads such as Delridge and Admiral. Read on for the official announcement, which includes other proposed work around the city:

Mayor Mike McGinn today announced a proposal for $3.25 million in transportation investments made possible by additional savings from the Spokane Street viaduct project. These investments include pavement maintenance and bicycle safety improvements on East Marginal Way in SoDo, improvements to Lower Spokane Street, a cycle track on the Westlake Avenue corridor on the west side of Lake Union, pedestrian projects, and funding for transit-oriented design near light rail stations.

Last month McGinn announced $11.75 million in transportation investments resulting from savings on the Spokane Street Viaduct project. Those savings occurred because of cost savings due to a favorable bidding climate and strong management of this $163 million project. Today’s funding comes from additional project savings, bringing the total savings to $15 million.

“We have heard from the public that they want safety improvements on our roads,” said McGinn. “These improvements will help protect safety for people on these busy corridors whether they’re in their cars and trucks, on foot, or on a bicycle.”

The $3.25 million in funding will be used for the following projects:

· Improvements to East Marginal Way in SoDo

o $700,000 for pavement maintenance, restriping, and exploring interim cycle track options to provide further separation of bicycles and auto traffic.

o $200,000 will be included for conceptual planning and pre-design for a permanent reconstruction to the road, which will also include a long-term design of separated bicycle facilities such as a cycle track.

· Westlake Avenue Cycle Track

o $1.2 million for final design and construction of this project to improve separation between bicycles and vehicles and link the Ship Canal trail to South Lake Union. When combined with previous funding from the City and Puget Sound Regional Council, this project will have $2.3 million of funding which may be enough to build the facility depending on final design.

· $500,000 for Lower Spokane Street Safety Improvements. Project elements will be developed with input from the community, the Port, and other stakeholders and may include:

o Improving pavement conditions along the pathway.

o Improving crossing at Port driveways

o Improving crossing for bicyclists at Chelan (5-way) intersection.

o Improving crossing for bicyclists from the path to SW Avalon Way/SW Admiral Way.

o Increase separation for bicyclists on SW Admiral Way.

o Improving Delridge to Andover connection to the bicycle path.

· $400,000 for implementation of the Pedestrian Master Plan

· $250,000 for transit-oriented design in multiple neighborhoods:

o Study at Rainier Avenue South and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South to identify alternatives, conduct a traffic analysis, conceptual design, develop conceptual cost estimates and conduct public outreach

o New transportation analysis near Roosevelt light rail station, assessing station area access issues including evaluation of the Roosevelt/11th one-way couplet

o Station access and transit-oriented design near Othello Station

This is in addition to the previously announced $11.75 million in transportation investments from Spokane Street Viaduct savings. That funding was included in the First Quarter Supplemental Budget, and includes:

· $4.5 million for major road improvements on Northgate Way, closing the funding gap for this approximately $14 million project. This project includes paving, sidewalks and curb ramps, traffic signals, and lighting.

· $1 million in new funding for Pedestrian Master Plan implementation

· Design work on pedestrian projects currently being identified through the Lake City Way Traffic Safety Corridor Project and other community processes, and additional pedestrian mobility improvements along the length of the corridor and intersecting streets.

· Planning for intersection improvements at Rainier Avenue South and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, which was identified as a high priority in the Southeast Transportation Study.

· Installation of a special pedestrian flashing beacon at 47th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Admiral Way. We will also work with the community to begin the technical design process for a permanent traffic signal at that location, and are working to identify funding sources for its construction.

· Installation of safety improvements on Northeast 75th Street near Nathan Eckstein Middle School. In April we described these improvements in greater detail. They include a flashing school zone beacon, evaluation of this site for a school zone speed camera, remarking of crosswalks, evaluation of Northeast 68th Street and 25th Avenue Northeast for a traffic signal, and new pedestrian countdown heads at existing traffic signals in the area. We have also been working with the community to examine possible physical changes to the roadway to reduce speeds. SDOT is currently analyzing this feedback and will develop a proposal in the coming weeks.

We asked the mayor’s spokesperson Aaron Pickus about the next step for all this – his reply:

This is subject to council approval. The previously announced funds are included in the Q1 Supplemental Budget currently before council. The additional funds announced today will be in the Q2 Supplemental Budget, which will be transmitted to council shortly.

The mayor, by the way, will be in West Seattle in a little more than an hour, for an announcement at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center regarding education/arts funding.

(Tuesday photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Since the deadly crash on East Marginal Way eight days ago, much has been said about improving the route bicyclists from West Seattle (and points southward) take to get downtown and beyond. This morning, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – shown above during Tuesday evening’s memorial ride/gathering (WSB coverage here) – asked us to share this update:

Plans to Improve Bicycle Route from West Seattle to Downtown
Tom Rasmussen, Transportation Committee Chair, Seattle City Council

Last week’s fatal collision between a bicyclist and a truck resulted in an outpouring of grief for the death of Lance David and sympathy for his family. While we are not certain what led to the collision, I am determined to improve conditions on this route that will benefit bicyclists and motorists.

Last week I completed and posted my newsletter. The main subject is Seattle’s bicycle plans and policies. Here is a link to the newsletter.

A few days after the article was posted, I held a work session with SDOT staff. We pored over a large map of the route to identify options for improvements. I know this route, and I bicycle along this route to and from work when my meeting schedule permits. It is very challenging because of the heavy traffic and the many and sometimes confusing crossings. There are long stretches where the streets have been pulverized by the mammoth trucks going to and from the Port. The conditions require extra caution on everyone’s part, whether they bicycle or drive this route.

Please know that it did not take this heartbreaking fatality to bring attention for the need to improve this route. Last fall, the City Council increased the 2013 SDOT budget for bicycle improvements city-wide. We specifically funded planning for improvements to portions of the West Seattle route to downtown.

During the next several weeks I will continue to work with SDOT and members of the community to develop a plan for improvements to the West Seattle – East Marginal Way bike corridor. I am determined to implement those plans as soon as possible.

The many suggestions during the past week in the comments section of the West Seattle Blog are very helpful. If you have other suggestions for improvement, please post them in the comment section or write me at tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov. Thank you.

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:42 PM: At a time when most people riding their bicycles on the low bridge are headed westbound for home, dozens were eastbound this evening, riding in memory of Lance David. He’s the 54-year-old Federal Way man killed last Wednesday morning when his bike collided with a semi-truck on East Marginal Way, along the route so many West Seattle riders take toward the port and downtown. The deadly crash has brought both mourning and calls for action, and SDOT is evaluating the area to see what safety measures can be taken relatively quickly. Local bicycling/safety advocates from West Seattle Bike Connections and West Seattle Greenways organized tonight’s ride to both honor a fellow rider and emphasize the urgent need for safety improvements.

(More of Christopher’s photos added 7:36 pm)
ADDED: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports that the participants included Mayor McGinn and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.

Seattle Police bicycle officers also accompanied the riders:

City Bicycle Advisory Board member Jodi Connolly of West Seattle participated too, and spoke at the site where the crash happened:

The board regularly meets on first Wednesdays, which meant its May meeting was hours after the deadly crash, discussed several times that night, as we reported afterward.

(Photo by Eric Shalit – rough pavement at E. Marginal/Hanford; ‘ghost bike’ in background)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The bicycle rider killed in the East Marginal Way crash on Wednesday has just been officially identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as 54-year-old Lance David of Federal Way.

We also have learned that a memorial ride for Mr. David is being organized for this Sunday, 1 pm, from Marymoor Park – full details are on this Facebook event page.

Meantime, since the crash, safety concerns continue to percolate, with two crashes today leaving riders hurt.

First, what happened today: Just before 9:30 am in the 400 block of Alaskan Way, blocks from yesterday morning’s crash, a 53-year-old man lost control of his bicycle and crashed to the ground, the impact breaking his helmet, according to public-safety radio communications. So far, authorities have not reported any other vehicles involved; the man was taken to the hospital.

A few minutes before that, we later learned, a 32-year-old woman had fallen from her bike after colliding with a car on Delridge Way SW alongside the Boren school building. Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore says she “suffered minor scrapes and bruises” and didn’t want to go to a hospital, so firefighters took her home.

Bicycle safety was already on many people’s minds since the deadly crash on Wednesday morning. Many bicycling advocates are reaching out – May has long been Bike to Work Month and Bike to School Month, so some events already were scheduled; for example, tonight, riders can stop by the West Seattle Tool Library for free bicycle repairs, 6-9 pm (northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW). Says Stu Hennessey, “Our goal is to help our bicycle community ride smooth and safe.”

And there’s a bigger picture to safety, as discussed at last night’s Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board regular monthly meeting downtown – which began with a moment of silence in honor of Mr. David.

Before key points about the meeting, here’s the latest from police regarding the Wednesday crash, investigated by the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad, which handles cases involving death and/or serious injury.

We inquired with SPD first thing this morning and they pointed us to this update added to their original SPD Blotter report:

Preliminary investigation indicates that a 53-year-old man driving a flatbed semi-truck was attempting a right turn from westbound South Hanford Street to northbound East Marginal Way South. At the same time a 54-year-old male bicyclist was northbound on East Marginal Way South approaching South Hanford Street. For reasons that have yet to be determined, the bicyclist collided with the truck-trailer’s left side wheels in or near the intersection and went down. … There were no citations issued at the scene, which is standard procedure in serious traffic collisions requiring extensive follow up investigation and collision reconstruction.

The extensive discussion in the comment section following WSB coverage took on multiple safety issues at the scene. One is shown in photos shared with us last night by West Seattle bicyclist Eric Shalit – the one atop this story, and this next one:

Eric says he went to the scene yesterday for a closer look at the road, and he believes “a likely contributing factor in the accident and death is not comingling of trucks and bicycles, but that the cyclist had to simultaneously navigate a road surface of crevasses, potholes, exposed partially buried railroad tracks.”

Over that surface, as shown in the top photo and in Kathy Dunn’s photo added to our Wednesday report, a “ghost bike” now watches. Kathy also shared this photo of a notice on the pole beneath it:

The memorial went up sometime in the early evening, which is also when the Bicycle Advisory Board was convened at City Hall for its regular monthly meeting. Chair Allegra Calder, in calling for the moment of silence, called it a “terrible day.”

The events of the day led to an unscheduled agenda addition right after that, with a brief appearance by SDOT’s Dongho Chang. He remarked – as did many yesterday – that it was a tragic coincidence that a bicyclist was killed in the first hours of this year’s Bike to Work Month.

He noted that East Marginal Way, “a critical link to West Seattle,” shifts in the area from what he called “a nice bicycle facility” to an “onroad facility, and then an offroad facility.” He also acknowledged that while the city’s Bicycle Master Plan calls for “major separation” of bicycle traffic from motorized-vehicle traffic in the area, there are “obviously some competing interests,” but, he said, they’ve been working with the Port of Seattle to address that.

More urgently, he elaborated on Mayor McGinn‘s statement following Wednesday’s crash (as published in the Seattle Bike Blog‘s report), saying that SDOT will “get back to the mayor within 30 days” on recommendations for safety improvements in that area. “It could be as simple as restriping,” Chang said. “… We’ll see what we could do with existing resources, as well as (with the) pavement.” He promised the SBAB would be briefed.

A meeting attendee asked what the timeline would be for action, following that 30-day timeline for reporting back to the mayor. Chang said it was too soon to say, but he hoped there would be some “easy implementation,” adding that his co-workers can be “pretty innovative.”

A board member subsequently observed that fast action would go “a long way toward helping people deal with the tragedy.”

As the meeting moved on to its central scheduled topic, the city’s Bicycle Master Plan Update, the crash was mentioned multiple times over the course of the evening. It was observed that the update must be seen as a “living document,” knowing that circumstances will change, as will priorities, as seen in the discussion of the East Marginal Way safety challenges.

The ensuing discussion touched more on process points than on the contents of the update itself, which has been in progress for some months, and will be public soon, since the SDOT reps said a draft version of the BMP update will be available within a month, so that it can be reviewed before summer sweeps in and takes centerstage in most people’s attention, with a “final” draft in the fall.

Board members urged them to be sure it focuses on looking ahead, not so much on recapping what’s happened since the plan itself was issued in 2007. And there was some discussion that even though plans are supposed to look way ahead, updates like this one are inevitable every five to seven years or so. The updated plan’s prioritization, in fact, might even need to be revisited annually, within “a framework,” it was suggested.

They also discussed “getting projects moving” with initial funding, instead of waiting until a giant pot of money is available – if it ever is. And there was talk of a reality check – realizing that the city, for example, can’t be the “lead agency on everything” – it can’t, for example, be the lead agency for “teaching people how to ride.”

Instead, the city should focus on where it might get the most bang for its buck, such as educating people about how different types of bicycle facilities work (one example: the bike boxes, like the one that popped up at Andover/Delridge before signage), and supporting safety education for young children.

Also suggested: Find ways to be sure the BMP update doesn’t come out with a big splash – and then hover undiscussed in the background somewhere – “be out there all the time promoting it,” suggested one SBAB member.

But before the meeting ended, discussion came back around to the death on East Marginal Way.

One West Seattleite identifying himself as “just a concerned citizen” mentioned the emotional impact of driving past the scene yesterday morning, and the difficulty of reconciling that with his role as a Commute Challenge captain “encouraging folks to (ride) with me … Anything that this group can do to change the (safety) reality, especially on that stretch, is really appreciated.”

West Seattleite Kathy Dunn added, “We are way behind on having decent routes in and out” of West Seattle.

Postscript: The Cascade Bicycle Club has posted a sample letter that concerned citizens can send to City Councilmembers to urge action – the form is here.

ADDED 11:16 PM: Mr. David’s wife Jane David has just posted a comment after our Wednesday story:

I just wanted to say thank you many times over to those who stopped to help Lance, and my heart goes out to the truck driver. My family is devastated over his loss, but we are lifted up by the incredible support of family, friends and fellow bicyclists. Lance was a highly experienced and careful road biker. He was aware of his surroundings, logged thousands of miles on his bike, and had ridden this route many times before. Each time he rode in, I would say “be careful” and he would reply “I always am”. We don’t yet know for sure what happened and maybe never will. I just hope and pray that some changes are made that will prevent this from happening to someone else’s loved one.

ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: This is already in the comment section, but we want to make note of it here in the story as well: West Seattle Bike Connections and West Seattle Greenways plan a ride in memory of Lance David, next Tuesday, leaving Seacrest at 5:30 pm. Here’s the Facebook event page/invitation.

That’s local guitar teacher Richie Jenkin and “Fire,” the big stuffed dog who has long been a fixture on his porch – till now:

I was out of town and upon my return I saw that my “dog” Fire, who sits on my porch 24/7 bringing moments of amusement and pleasure to many folks as they walk to and from the beach, had disappeared. I hope whoever took Fire is enjoying, yet I would somehow love to have Fire back if they care to return, no questions asked.

On the flip side, a suspected stolen item that’s been found – by Ted:

Folks should contact me – ted.ellis@gmail.com – for a Baby Trends stroller that appears was dumped in front of my house after a potential garage break in or something? Seems like whomever left it was using it to carry stuff they may had taken and decided to dump it. Any break-ins in Arbor heights or Shorewood – would probably have been where it came from.

Ted’s note came in earlier this weekend – so it wouldn’t be related to this, but we did want to note that police responded to at least one Arbor Heights burglary today: 3200 block of SW 100th, reported around 1 pm. No other details.

And from a WSB reader who didn’t want to be identified, a car-prowl report:

Just wanted to alert readers of West Seattle Blog that my car was broken into last night, near the corner of Murray Ave SW and Lincoln Park Way SW, just north of Lincoln Park. They pried my window open, rummaged through the glove-box and the other compartments of my car. Fortunately, I had nothing of value inside and so nothing was taken. I was half-expecting them to leave me $5 out of pity.

Another reminder that the next crime-prevention meeting is Tuesday night, all welcome at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting, 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct – details on the WSBWCN website.

(Machinery photographed at Highway 99 tunnel launch-pit site by Don Brubeck)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Highway 99 tunneling machine is here, and being re-assembled. But once it goes into the ground, it won’t be “out of sight, out of mind” by any means.

Drivers and bus riders, in particular, might wind up noticing in a big way:

WSB has learned that the Alaskan Way Viaduct might close for an unspecified amount of time later this year when the machine arrives 80 feet below what remains of the elevated roadway, despite the work that’s been done to reinforce it so it could stay “safely open” during the tunnel construction.

We first heard about this last night from Don Brubeck, president of West Seattle Bike Connections, who mentioned it during an unrelated presentation at the Morgan Community Association meeting (separate coverage of that is in the works).

Brubeck explained that SDOT director Peter Hahn brought up the potential Viaduct closure during this week’s Freight Advisory Board meeting; it’s noted in Brubeck’s meeting notes on the new WSBC website. He quoted Hahn as saying that local transportation authorities are gearing up now to get the word out about alternative transportation.

Since The Viaduct is part of a state highway – and the tunnel, a state project – we followed up this morning with WSDOT spokesperson Travis Phelps.

He confirmed that WSDOT is talking about a possible closure when the tunneling machine goes under what he described as the southernmost part of what’s left of the elevated Viaduct, but said no final decision has been made yet.

What’s the timetable for that decision? Sometime this spring, according to Phelps – maybe by the time the project-related “working groups” have their meeting in early May. Right now, they’re still hashing out details such as, “how long would we close it if we close it?” and the idea is “just sort of out there.”

He also mentioned that even once the machine goes into the ground, it starts with “three safe havens” that are more or less test digs before it really gets to the dirt.

You’ll recall the Viaduct itself already has been the subject of extensive reinforcement work, mostly done during overnight and weekend closures over the past year-plus. In a March 2012 news release, deputy program administrator Matt Preedy was quoted as saying that the reinforcement work “allows us to keep the viaduct safely open to traffic while we build the tunnel …” but apparently that assessment is evolving.

We’ll keep following up to see what WSDOT decides.

Shortly after 11:00 AM this morning I saw a guy in my neighbors yard, looking towards my window with some kind of binocular. As he was leaving the neighbors’ yard I yelled out to him asking him what he was doing. He said reading my electrical meter. He did have on a Seattle City Light shirt or vest, and a yellow hard hat. It didn’t seem right and I called the police (they still aren’t here 11:42). I called Seattle City Light and they confirmed, they DO NOT have anyone working in West Seattle today. They also had a similar call from someone on Ambaum earlier. I did not see a City Light truck in the alley or on the street. Keep your eyes open for this (person) and call 911. Black guy, early 30s, 6 ft or so, fit.

1:01 PM: See the comments, in which it’s noted that regardless of what the city said, there IS apparently meter-reading going on today …

(Video and photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
You heard here about the plan for Seattle Fire Department trainees to practice their skills at the soon-to-be-demolished structures on the future Murray Combined Sewer Overflow storage-tank site across from Lowman Beach. Now, see (and in the clip above, hear Capt. Eddie Nelson explain) for yourself what happened. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams shadowed them during the first day of their two-day training session:

That’s trainee Josh Milton readying his air pack. Next, trainee Ricardo Cuevas, putting on his breathing mask:

After getting geared up, trainees headed up to practice cutting a roof for “vertical ventilation:

More scenes from the firefighter trainees’ work – which comes about midway through their training – ahead:

Among the lessons learned, how to remove power lines:

And more ventilation:

From across the street, the training group had an audience:

That’s Finnegan Gras-Usry, 9, left, and Kai Kindem, 8, watching.

Whatever the task, the gear is a matter of life and death:

Above, that’s trainee William Rose. In the next photo, as trainees practiced breaching walls, Tony Savelli tried to climb through an opening:

Teamwork is vital. Below, Luke Sampson pulls Josh Milton through a wall:

The trainees learned from veterans – below, a lieutenant is showing how the interior could be difficult to navigate:

More breaching:

>

Below, Lt. Mike Daigle, talking with trainees outside:

And back inside:

Eventually, there is time for a break:

That’s trainee Cameron Rowand. Hydration is important. And at this site, there’s a perk:

Another round of training at the site is planned next month, including some burning, before the county finishes the demolition and starts work on the storage-tank facility. SFD told us they are very grateful to the county for allowing them the chance to train here.

That was part of Mayor McGinn‘s response to WSB today, after we requested comment on the situation reported here on Sunday – centering on the encampment’s Central Committee declaring that it was having trouble “preventing the overrun of our community by meth dealers and barred, violent former campers,” blaming police for not supporting camp decisions to evict such people. Our story, meantime, included an incident one week ago in which the SPD report indeed quoted police saying that people on public land had no right to tell others to get off that public land – while also including a would-be evictee claiming they were getting booted for going to police about an alleged crime.

The mayor, meantime, says more police help is in order; the second and final sentence of his reply to us was, “The immediate next step is to increase our police presence through the use of directed patrols from the Southwest Precinct.” We hope to hear something about that when precinct commander Capt. Joe Kessler speaks to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network on Tuesday night (6:30 pm, SW Precinct, Delridge/Webster); then on Wednesday night, the Highland Park Action Committee, the neighborhood council closest to the encampment, plans a Nickelsville update during its regular monthly meeting (7 pm, HP Improvement Club, 12th/Holden).