Two issues of safety along the West Seattle shore

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

First, from Harbor Avenue – this just out of the inbox from Jeff @ Skyline Secure Park:

We just wanted to let everyone know that the dangerous semi trucks that used to roar up and down Harbor Ave. between 7-11 and the West Seattle bridge are officially gone. The company who owned them has moved to a more appropriate home! I know a lot of people will be happy about this because there were hundreds of trucks crossing the bike/walk path every day, creating a safety issue.

And from Alki Avenue – Babs says she’s tired of risking life and limb:

I’m wondering if you can post a reminder that the Alki beach bike path is for bikes. Yes I understand other walkers/runners use it but maybe a reminder that large groups of people should not stand there and have “hi 5” meetings or discussions. I can survive a jogger here and there, a dog walker or two… but large groups blocking the path pose serious risk to all parties. I almost had to ride off the bike path [Saturday] because of a large group of rude woman joggers (who saw me coming) but continued their meeting which took over the entire path. I was rude in voice to them but it’s SCARY when people do not yield.

BB February 4, 2008 (11:17 am)

Babs… I am with you. I have to dodge people walking / pushing strollers / walking dogs / chatting / etc. all the time in the bike lane. It is certainly dangerous to all. PLEASE USE THE WALKING LANE. On the flip side, cyclists should be mindful of their speed on that path. Every once in a while I see someone ripping along on a road bike at 25+mph. That kind of speed belongs on the street.

pete February 4, 2008 (12:12 pm)

While on the critically important topic of safety in West Seattle, Bab’s irritation with pedestrian scofflaws is an excellent reminder of how much MORE SCARY it is to be behind the wheel of an already dangerous automobile and confronted with one or more cycling scofflaws. The folks who roll through stop signs, duck under a red light, ride through crosswalks on their vehicles, and generally pose a risk for everyone on the road. So while I welcome all law-abiding vehicle owners to both share the road with me and feel free to complain loudly in blog forums when they feel slighted, I also encourage bikers who bend the rules of the road with impunity to kindly swallow any fear they might experience when encountering inattentive walkers on a path.

BJF February 4, 2008 (12:42 pm)

Pete: inattentive walkers on a BIKE path need to use the walkers path. There on the walkers path they can be inattentive till the cows come home. Its not about “some” or “many” bikers who make it rough for drivers on roads everywhere. I agree with you on that. The post is about bikers on the “ALKI BIKE PATH” trying to avoid inattentive walkers, joggers, dogs, or just general standarounds” on the bike path in herds…Its almost Darwin in action. :)
No one wants injury (bikers, walkers…) that CAN and SHOULD be avoided by using the right path combined with common sense(and also biking at safe speed too.)

coffee geek February 4, 2008 (12:43 pm)

Coming from an avid cyclist (mainly xc and downhill…but some road), Pete makes a point. It’s too common to see cyclist riding with traffic one moment, and the next moment take a sudden and illegal route to cheat the flow of traffic. Cyclists can’t have it both ways. Be law-abiding traffic or stay off the road. BB, I’m with you too. The lollygaggers in the bike path are dangerous. BTW, I wish I could sustain 25+ mph….maybe realistic for a short time in a fast paceline! ;)

misty February 4, 2008 (1:20 pm)

Well said, Coffee Geek. I am happy to share the road with cyclists, but am annoyed when I see them wanting it both ways.

BB February 4, 2008 (1:35 pm)

coffee geek, 25mph is totally doable at the beach (the wind does wonders for a solid 2-3 miles :) )

Al February 4, 2008 (1:43 pm)

As a daily bicyclist I encounter this problem all the time, entirely on shared bike paths and other roadways. Unfortunately, even though they were on the bike path, they are still peds and you have to yield to them (unless someone can point out a regulation stating otherwise). Basically you are in the right, they were rude – period, and deserved your ire. It does make it dangerous. However, you should just stop and let them pass around you (I’ve done this before on sidewalks from which I have no option but to stay put b/c people don’t like ‘sharing the road’). I’ve had more of a problem in this area with those rental pedal contraptions than anything. If you aren’t on wheels, you need to stay off the bike path.

acemotel February 4, 2008 (1:56 pm)

regarding the semis on Harbor: YAY

now when are they going to require the rental trucks to park off site instead of half on the sidewalk on Harbor?

Julie February 4, 2008 (2:20 pm)

I don’t think it’s “cyclists wanting to have it both ways”. “Cyclists” is not one monolithic culture. There are cyclists who obey traffic laws and want the traffic laws obeyed, and there are cyclists who feel entitled to break laws for their own benefit, and may or may not want everybody else to obey the laws. The cyclist you see running the red light does not represent all cyclists, anymore than the motorist you see running a red light represents all motorists. The cyclist complaining about people in the bike path may not be the same cyclist complaining about motorists. So it doesn’t make sense to talk about the cyclists wanting to have it both ways, unless you’re talking about a specific cyclist you’ve seen break laws but want others to obey the law.

rdm February 4, 2008 (4:46 pm)

What bothers me is the cyclists who ride side-by-side on Alki Ave when the bike lane is clear and available and there for your use. These are usually the same cyclists who feel they dont have to yeild at the crosswalk for pedestrians. My belief is if you want to act like a motor vehichle follow the same rules.

Barbara February 4, 2008 (5:35 pm)

as someone who works downtown and hangs out on Alki I have to agree with coffee geek, so many (not all, but definitely many) bicyclists do seem to want to have it both ways. They will ride on the road until the light is red for them, then hop up on the sidewalk and ride there, until that is no good for them, then they are back on the road. As a regular pedestrian I know I have to be mindful of others around me, maybe that’s what the bicyclists and other pedestrians should do.

Jeffro February 5, 2008 (12:03 am)

My own personal experience is that unless the beach is deserted, if you’re trying to get somewhere, just take the road. Pedestrians are sacred. A little courtesy goes a long way, sure, but a big enough crowd and you might as well just get off and walk it. The lane is just not laid out like it is something to treat differently from the pedestrian side.

erin February 5, 2008 (1:40 pm)

Dang guys, everyone needs to take a chill pill. Everyone thinks their agenda(commuting, excercising,communicating, whatever) is the most important thing, but remember your fellow man. you might have been the one blocking an escalator at the airport, holding up the line at the coffee shop looking for your stamp card or forgetting to turn you turn signal off miles after you switched lanes. You might be able to point the finger this time, but next time it might be pointing at you. A little patience goes a long way.

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