(Map provided by SDOT)
The Admiral Way hill north of the West Seattle Bridge is in for more changes, according to an announcement just in from SDOT. Spokesperson Peg Nielsen tells WSB the changes will “widen the bike lane and existing buffer (to) make it feel safer for people riding bikes and encourage cyclists who might otherwise use the sidewalk to use the bicycle lane. This change will make for an even more pleasant walking experience for pedestrians.” According to Nielsen, this will be facilitated by removing on-street parking on the east side of Admiral south of 3508 Admiral Way (map), and time restrictions are planned to the north:

SDOT has visited the location six times since August 2012. During each visit, no more than five vehicles have been parked south of 3508 Admiral and on average 50 percent of them were cars ‘for sale’. As a result, we do not anticipate the parking change will significantly impact local residents. We’ve also heard concerns about the potential for vehicles to park long-term in front of residents just north of this address (on the east side). As a result, we are planning to limit parking to four hours Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. up to SW Olga Street.

A letter was mailed to residents along this portion of Admiral Way notifying them of our plans. SDOT is interested in hearing their feedback and have invited them to e-mail walkandbike@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7583 by May 31.

The last major round of changes for this section of Admiral Way was back in 2010, when what started as a “rechannelization” proposal was eventually downshifted to “restriping,” including an uphill bike lane and parking removal down the hill, south of City View.

8:57 AM: Busy morning at the Bike-To-Work Day station hosted under the bridge by West Seattle Bike Connections – with repairs/checkups as well as treats.

This is the first BTW Day since WSBC was formed.

ADDED 10:53 AM: WSBC president Don Brubeck tells WSB they had 592 riders by 9 am – up 38 percent from last year! He shares the photo below, featuring Sonia Honeydew, who helped count riders (and baked cookies!), with rider #592:

Don says Stu Hennessey of Alki Bike and Board (who’s in our top photo) says last year’s count was 429. Don adds, “Some riders zoomed right through. Many stopped for a chat, cookies, coffee, and bike checks or helmet fit adjustments. I enjoyed actually meeting people I see every day going the opposite direction. Bob Winship led the West Seattle Bike Connections volunteers for the station. Kathy McCabe, Deputy Director, and Serena Lehman, Community Outreach Manager, were with us representing Cascade Bicycle Club.”

(back to original 8:57 am report) Meantime, in downtown White Center, local businesses set up a Bike To Work Day station outside Caffé Delia (WSB sponsor) offering treats:

The events on this side of the bay are usually focused on the morning; for afternoon events, check the Cascade Bike Club’s official page.

(King County photo)
Will state legislators be impressed? They were the real target of tonight’s County Council committee hearing inviting people to voice their concerns about Metro’s warning of “devastating” service cuts if nothing is forthcoming to replace special funding that expires next year. The Times estimates the crowd at about 400, and multiple sources say more than 100 people signed up to speak, with the hearing finally ending after 7:30 pm. Coverage links:

*Coverage on the Metro Matters website

*Tweets, photos in a Storify aggregation

*Seattle Times (WSB partner) coverage by transportation reporter Mike Lindblom

*Daily UW report, focused on student participation at hearing

If you’re just catching up, our coverage of Metro general manager Kevin Desmond‘s April 1st briefing explains what’s going on, with links to ways in which he says service might be affected. From that story, the map of potential West Seattle changes (shown again at today’s hearing, according to Joe Szilagyi from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council):

(Metro summary of what West Seattle/White Center might face, with a clearer view of the map shown above, here)
More recently, here’s our Tuesday report following a WSB interview with Desmond, mostly on behalf of the skeptics who still aren’t so sure crisis looms. So what happens now? Depends on the Legislature; HB 1954 – reintroduced when the special session started Monday – remains the bill to watch, for now.

(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.

As announced last week, SDOT plans to shift the Delridge Way repaving work to Phase 3, Thistle to Trenton, this Wednesday. The section of Delridge that will have a southbound detour during that time will be between Thistle and Holden. Above, the map; below, the update:

Beginning May 15, southbound traffic on Delridge Way Southwest in West Seattle will be detoured at Southwest Holden Street and the currently detoured stretch from Southwest Thistle to Southwest Trenton streets will be reopened. The closure will allow the contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation to reconstruct the roadway and install storm drains. The new detour, from Holden to Thistle streets, is expected to remain in place through mid July. This work is Phase 3 of the project that is rebuilding much of Delridge Way Southwest.

Traffic will be redirected (see attached map):

· West on SW Holden Street
· South on 35th Avenue S
· East on SW Thistle Street
· South on Delridge Way SW

Delridge will remain open to northbound traffic except for intersection work. Local access to businesses and residents will be maintained.

This is a five-phase project. At the end of Phase 3, construction activity will move north to Phase 4, between SW Orchard and SW Holden streets.

(Metro Route 21 bus traveling westbound on Avalon, past under-construction apartment building)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Will Metro have to slash its services – or will some of the supplementary funding that expires next year be replaced, averting crisis?

This week might be pivotal. For starters: Today, state legislators are back in Olympia for a special session. They hold the power to give transportation-funding “tools” to local leaders – but whether they will do it is very much in question, as two West Seattle’s state legislators told the 34th District Democrats last Wednesday (WSB coverage here).

County leaders, including Metro management, hope for a show of support at a special public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon – and through an online comment form, if you can’t make it to the hearing to speak in person.

With all this as a backdrop, the man who runs Metro, its general manager Kevin Desmond, sat down with WSB for a conversation, which we videotaped in its 48-minute entirety.

Full disclosure, it was their idea, not ours: After reading countless WSB comments about Metro, including skepticism from some suggesting the money woes are more about mismanagement than funding shortage, county Transportation Department communicators asked if we would be interested in an interview, so we worked out time to sit down at his Pioneer Square office. First, if you just want to hear for yourself, here’s the unedited video (your editor here is the voice you hear asking questions; WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand was behind the camera):

If you’d prefer to read the highlights – key points are ahead, along with more about what’s next:

Note that what follows is NOT a full transcription of everything Desmond said during our conversation – you’ll have to listen to the video (since there are no added visuals, it works as audio playing in the background of whatever else you’re doing) to hear it all. The paragraph slugs summarize our questions:

HOW DID METRO GET INTO THIS MESS? “In a certain way … it actually DID happen overnight,” Desmond contends – because of “The Great Recession” and the fact Metro has been so reliant on sales tax. “The recession resulted in a collapse of our sales tax.” But he says Metro has “taken $800 million in actions since 2009 .. to close the gap.” The Congestion Reduction Charge – about $25 million a year – is only authorized for two years, and “sunsets” next year. Even at that, he says, it only covers a third of the current budget gap.

ARE OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS? (5 minutes in) Again calling it “the Great Recession,” Desmond says many have, including others in the region, from Pierce County to Snohomish County to Portland. But, he then notes, not all transit agencies are as reliant on sales tax. “For example, the American Public Transportation Association (says) transit agencies receive on average about 20 percent direct funding from their states. We receive in the state of Washington about 2 percent. There’s a big difference right there.” And he refers back to Initiative 695 in 1999 – “we had a balanced portfolio of revenue,” with the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax included. “In 2000, that MVET revenue went away.” After that came the sales-tax reliance, “which is very, very volatile,” and led to problems, he says, starting with the 2001 dot-bust. “We need a more-mixed revenue source.” He believes the county “has done a good job of being focused on keeping service on the road for as long as we can,” and providing an “attractive service.” Ridership dropped in 2009-2010 along with job loss and is now coming back.

WHAT THE LEGISLATURE IS TALKING ABOUT (9 minutes in): He focused on HB 1954 (reported here when it passed the Transportation ) which would increase the gas tax over 5 years, funding a variety of transportation projects and including “a little bit of direct money for transit” while also providing for a “local-option Motor Vehicle Excise Tax” which means the County Council could ask voters to approve an MVET of up to 1 1/2 percent, with 60 percent going to Metro and the rest to county roads, which are so unfunded that some roads and bridges might wind up “abandoned” because the county can’t afford to maintain them. That MVET would bring Metro “sustainable funding through current service” at an estimated $86 million in the first year, Desmond says. But that’s current service, and as he has been saying, “real” sustainability would include growing the service, about 10 percent for starters.

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES? (14 minutes in) “That’s a very, very difficult conversation, politically and economically,” Desmond said. “Can they force a developer to pay for transit service? I don’t believe so, at this point in time … but that gets to the core of what we’re facing (here) … (development) puts pressure on the road network, puts pressure on utilities … they ought to figure out ways to mitigate impacts (more broadly) on the transportation network. I think there’s a reason we should be thinking about things like that.” He then brought up the fact that many employers provide transit passes for employees and so “do have skin in the game.” (He also noted at that point, briefly, that Microsoft even has its own bus system for employees.) Sixteen-hundred businesses and other large employers (UW, governments, etc.) have pass accounts, he said. “It’s built consensus around having a very strong multi-modal transportation network.”

THE RECENT AUDIT (19 minutes in): For those who suggested Metro be audited now, we asked about the one that is oft-cited in response. It started in 2009, he explained, and looked at many facets of the operation – not “everything, but they looked at a lot.” He described the “interim report” a few months ago as “very positive,” saying that the audit had resulted in savings of almost $20 million. He mentioned multiple times that Metro is a “large, complex organization” and therefore, he contends, “there is only so far you can go to find belt-tightening efficiences,” though he says they are continuing to search, and are focusing right now, for example, on parts-inventory efficiencies. He also mentioned Metro “embracing … lean management” philosophy that county political leadership is stressing. We followed up to ask if management was lean enough, and Desmond contended that they do a good job in that area, while also saying that there is a lot of “behind the scenes” work that goes into offering an “attractive” service. At 23 and a half minutes in, he explains that they work hard to attract “choice” riders – and certainly they could operate more frugally if they were just putting out a bare-bones service to attract only those who NEED to ride the bus. “The total product requires spending some money to put it out there. … We have a fabulous demographic who uses the system here … all walks of life. … We are a full-service product.” He also expressed pride in Metro’s accessibility for those with disabilities, saying it was trailblazing when it started.

RAPID RIDE AND WHAT IT COSTS (27 1/2 minutes in): “A fundamental funding source … has been the federal government. There are (various federal programs) created to fund ‘bus rapid transit’.” And he says those are “our tax dollars coming back here” that otherwise would be going somewhere else outside this area – about $121 million. “That was money we worked hard to get, we competed for the money, and we won.” The overall “capital cost” including local dollars is $190 million for six lines implemented within the span of about five years. He also made a point of saying it’s cheaper and can be implemented more quickly, carrying more people, than light rail such as Sound Transit Link. And at 31 1/2 minutes in, he acknowledges something he’s acknowledged before: Metro “did too much” with the service changes kicking in last fall at the same time Rapid Ride C/D launched.

IS THERE REALLY HOPE OF BECOMING ABLE TO GROW? (33 minutes) That’s a common question, Desmond said. “I always have to have hope, because the opposite of having hope is, why would I be doing this job? … Ultimately I remain pretty confident that we’ll find a way .. I don’t know what it’ll be, (but) the political mountain we’ll have to climb, first with the legislature, then with voters, is to convince people of the multi-modal system’s value.” He then makes the case that even if you don’t ride transit, it’s important because it helps keep roads “flowing freely. … If we can keep (the major highway corridors) moving, we’ll keep this an attractive place for people to live, (and for companies to do business).” He contends that transit cuts could further jam highways and chase away business. “Part of a good quality of life is a transportation network that works.”

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE LIST OF POTENTIAL CUTS, IF EXPIRING FUNDING ISN’T REPLACED? (36 minutes in) Desmond says it traces back to a regional task force convened about three years ago. It came up with guidelines, he says, and the list was a result of “running everything through the guidelines” in terms of “what cutting 600,000 hours of service might look like.” But, he says, under the “guidelines,” only about half of those hours could be cut from the lowest-performing routes. So some cuts would have to come from popular routes too – “the money’s got to come from someplace. … If we do not get a revenue tool from the Legislature in this session – our planners are going to have to … look at other restructuring, other ways to minimize, as best we can, the impact of an up to 17 percent cut,” which as previously announced would be turned into a draft plan that Metro would take to the public this fall, probably in October/November. Even with public input, Desmond believes, the eventual impact of such a cut would be “devastating.”

WHAT ABOUT SMALLER CONNECTOR BUSES FOR AREAS LIKE ARBOR HEIGHTS? (41:45 in) They’re proposing that in some Eastside areas right now, Desmond says, though it took months and months of working with the community to come up with a proposed plan. He says overall, they would like to look at doing more of that; he also points out that vanpools are an alternative, when bus service isn’t the best way to go.

WHAT CAN CONCERNED PEOPLE DO RIGHT NOW? (45 minutes in) This was a question we asked on behalf of Amanda Kay Helmick, chair of the new Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights Community Council. First, Desmond brought up tomorrow’s hearing. Contacting your state legislators is good too, but he suggests that the visual impact of a big turnout tomorrow would be good too – to send a message to legislators (from outside the metro area) whose districts are not suffering the kind of impact and might not understand how hard a transit cut would hit. He says that they do have a reason to care – even from rural farming counties, for example, a strong transportation system here plays a role in helping them “get their products out” – and “the general public needs to help make that point.”

Again, tomorrow’s hearing is explained here. If you can go, the location is Union Station, 401 S. Jackson Street (map), with an open house at 3:30, public testimony starting at 4 pm. Meantime, we are monitoring what’s happening in Olympia, and will report on any developments with transportation/transit funding.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
8:09 PM: Firefighters are just starting to arrive at a possible house fire at 34th and Morgan. They’re reporting smoke and flames. We’re en route. Firefighters say the house is boarded up – so at this point, they are fighting it “defensively,” not going in. Westbound traffic is blocked on SW Morgan, so avoid the area.

(This and next two photos by Tony Bradley)
8:16 PM UPDATE: Our crew arriving at the scene says this is not at 34th despite the radio transmission – it’s at 36th and Morgan, a house that has been the source of trouble in the past.

8:24 PM UPDATE: The fire is in the basement. Though initially, noting it was a boarded-up house, firefighters were not going in, they are now searching and so far have not found anyone inside. Traffic at 35th and Morgan, and westward, is blocked. No report of injuries.

8:37 PM UPDATE: Also no sign that anyone had been inside, we are told at the scene. The Fire Marshal is en route to investigate. Meantime, we finally had a moment to dig up the background – it was last October 4th when we first reported that the house had been boarded up, five weeks after neighbor complaints had come to a head with a stolen-property case.

8:54 PM UPDATE: With the fire basically out, they have finished searching the house. Nobody inside. Neighbors tell us they have seen a couple people coming and going recently, though (which as discussed in comments had been noted even after the house was boarded up). The street is likely to open within 45 minutes or so, and authorities are trying to get Metro buses through, since this is on the 128 route.

9:05 PM: Police have just announced via radio that eastbound SW Morgan is reopening.

12:52 AM: SFD says the fire was started by “spontaneous combustion of improperly-disposed-of stain rags,” with damage totaling $30,000.

Seattle Department of Transportation’s paving crews will replace concrete roadway panels on Delridge Way Southwest at 23rd Avenue Southwest (near SW Graham Street) on Wednesday, May 15th. Two-way traffic will be maintained. Drivers may encounter some congestion in this area during the work.

This project is being funded by SDOT’s annual paving program and the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative approved by Seattle voters.

(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.

More scenes from this year’s Bike to School Day – Astrid shares two photos from Westside School (WSB sponsor), pointing out:

Westside School, with a student body population of only 237 in the Lower and Early Grades, had 39 students and 4 teachers participate. Would love to acknowledge all the dedicated students, teachers and parents for participating in the event, and a big thank you to the Cascade Bicycle Club for their encouragement.

And quite the bike collection resulted!

Also on Bike to School Day, this family photo came in from Sean:

BTS Day is part of Bike Month – here’s the Cascade calendar of upcoming events.

(Photo by @bpsnyder, via Twitter)
Two and a half days after the bicycle/truck crash that killed 54-year-old Lance David, about 100 people gathered this afternoon where it happened, at East Marginal Way and Hanford, in his honor. Many rode from his workplace, Expeditors International:

(This and subsequent photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Mr. David was on one of the five Bike-to-Work teams at Expeditors, according to Don Brubeck of West Seattle Bike Connections, who also observed: “Mr. David worked in the freight shipping industry. Just like the truck driver. I hope it will help the community understand that this is not ‘us’ vs. ‘them.’ It’s all ‘us.’ A bunch of people who work in jobs that are dependent on the port ride a bike to get to work. Bike riders depend on the port for jobs, and those companies have employees who ride bikes.” Many of those at this afternoon’s gathering signed a shirt with the company logo:

It was then put on the utility pole holding the ‘ghost bike’ placed at the crash site Wednesday night.

WS Bike Connections and WS Greenways are organizing a memorial ride from Seacrest on Tuesday (May 7, 5:30 pm, full details here). It’ll be some time before police put out a final report on the crash; their initial findings are included in our Thursday report, which also details some of the safety concerns at the scene and the discussion at Wednesday night’s monthly meeting of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board.

(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 “cartoon” is what Metro Transit executives used to wrap up their briefing for the Seattle City Council this morning. “Cartoon” isn’t quite the right word; the prospect of more bus-service cuts is no laughing matter, as they warned – the briefing was basically the same one that Metro general manager Kevin Desmond gave to news media four weeks ago (WSB coverage here), with one extra twist: The Legislature has now adjourned without approving a transportation-funding package, and there’s no guarantee it’ll do so in the special session that is set to start May 13th. If they don’t, Desmond warned councilmembers, “we risk taking a giant step backward … the impacts will be very, very significant, (putting) up to 70 percent of current routes at risk.”

If you missed the previous round of coverage and discussion: The problem is twofold – the “congestion reduction charge” to supplement Metro funding expires next year, and it can’t be extended or replaced without Legislature approval. Then there’s the state “mitigation” money that added bus service to help while Highway 99 construction was under way; though the construction’s not really over till 2019, that money expires next year too.

So, Metro has drawn up its list of the types of cuts it might have to make if one or both of those funding sources isn’t replaced. Never mind the fact, it’s pointed out, that the service shouldn’t just be holding steady right now, it should be growing along with the population and usage.

At City Hall this morning, though Desmond stressed that the potential scenario is still an “illustration,” not a definite “plan” (same basic list shown during the April 1st briefing – here’s the West Seattle and vicinity breakout), he said that if the Legislature’s special session ends without a solution to Metro’s money woes, they’ll have to start working immediately on a plan to cut/reduce service, to be brought to the public this fall.

(Route 21, photographed this morning on Avalon Way)
(See today’s full slide deck here – note the West Seattle page saying “Neighborhoods such as Arbor Heights, Shorewood, Genesee Hill and Beach Drive could lose all service.)

Bus riders aren’t the only ones with someone at stake, Desmond noted – cuts would put tens of thousands of car trips back on the road. He acknowledged that in areas such as West Seattle’s Arbor Heights and Beach Drive neighborhoods, where service was cut last fall, some already have gone back to cars, if that’s an option for them. And without replacement funding, that’ll already get worse, though West Seattle is by no means the only area that’ll be affected.

West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee, called it a “sobering assessment,” adding that legislators “need to give us the options to find solutions to meet the region’s transportation needs.” He was particularly concerned about more cuts making the bus system less reliable.

After the briefing, both Rasmussen and fellow Councilmember Tim Burgess issued news releases including calls for the Legislature to take action to help Metro avoid cuts. Do note that this is not a call for new state money – it’s just a call for the Legislature to give local governments/agencies permission to ask their taxpayers in turn to approve potential funding sources such as motor-vehicle excise tax, a car-registration fee, and/or a gas tax.

Before the session in Olympia ended, we had been in touch with 34th District State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon – a member of the state House Transportation Committee – regarding progress (or lack of it) on this issue, so we have a message out to him again today seeking comment on transit-funding prospects when legislators reconvene.

ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: Rep. Fitzgibbon’s reply:

While the primary focus of the special session will be the state operating budget, I definitely expect the transportation revenue package to be one of the issues that we discuss and try to resolve in the special session. There continue to be some differences between the Senate and the House on transportation revenue but we are working to come to an agreement so that we can pass a package, including a local funding option for Metro. The bills from the last session will remain alive in the special session.

11:04 AM UPDATE: Never mind – now WSF has posted another update saying Klahowya is NOT ready to go back into service.

2:39 PM UPDATE: WSF now says Klahowya won’t be back before Monday night. On the F/V/S run currently, according to the latest alert, “There is currently a one-hour wait for drivers departing the north Vashon terminal due to reduced capacity from operating on a tw- boat schedule, and heavy vehicle traffic waiting to board the vessel.”