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VIDEO: ‘Everyone deserves to live.’ Bicycling-safety forum brings community calls for proactive action beyond Fauntleroy (update: temp signs placed)

August 12, 2026 11:56 am
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | Safety | West Seattle news

(This morning, SW Wildwood site where Maridee Bonadea died. WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Two months after bicyclist Maridee Bonadea died on SW Wildwood Place a short distance uphill from the Fauntleroy ferry dock, SDOT reps promised last night that they’d initiate some changes within “a few weeks.”

The promise came during a public forum coordinated by the Fauntleroy Community Association, and while community members in attendance were glad to hear it, many said it wasn’t enough. Given that changes were recommended on this stretch of road at least six years ago – recommendations that went unheeded then – they urged the panel of city, state, and county officials to take proactive action elsewhere.

We recorded the entire forum, held at The Hall at Fauntleroy – here’s the video, followed by our summary:

The forum was moderated by FCA president Frank Immel and vice president Catherine Bailey:

Here’s the panel, with reps from SDOT, Washington State Ferries, Metro, Mayor Wilson’s office, and City Councilmember Rob Saka (who said he arrived late because of a marathon council meeting):

First to speak was Ms. Bonadea’s daughter Lani, who said, “I want to believe that you all care about making the streets safer …” but it was “disheartening” that nothing had been done yet, even with a mayoral resolution about bicycle safety the month before the collision.

She also said that while her mother was an amazing person who “did a lot for a lot of people,” that shouldn’t be the reason safety is improved – it should be done on behalf of everyone. “I don’t uderstand why that street has been allowed to function.”

The first panelist to speak was SDOT director Angela Brady, who said her department had a “new policy” for reviewing sites of fatal crashes (although there had been previous policies, we note from our coverage of recent incidents).

SDOT’s safety officer Venu Nemani also spoke about a “new process and policy,” including a semi-annual review of all walking and biking-related collisions in the city.

Then came some specifics for this site: Removing parking on the south side of that block of SW Wildwood (which would include the area where Ms. Bonadea was killed), a new all-way stop at Fauntleroy and Wildwood, and a bike lane. Nemani said SDOT is “working on the conceptual design” for this, and insisted, “We hear you” about wanting safety concerns to be addressed sooner rather than later. (The two-week promise for parking changes later drew a suggestion from a community member that the parking removal could be done overnight – “just put up A-boards.”)

Councilmember Saka spoke next, declaring “this is sobering stuff”:

He said he’s working on “traffic-safety legislation” that would take a broader look at related safety challenges, citing advocates’ request for more daylighting of intersections, side guards on trucks, and mandatory Vision Zero reviews.

Ms. Bonadea’s widow Laura then spoke.

Like her wife’s daughter, she said it’s not just that exceptional people like Maridee “deserve to live” – everyone does. Why wait for a fatal crash? She urged action on problems all over the city, including “bike lanes that suddenly end. SDOT “needs to be proactive, before (more) people die. “I want to see some action” – quickly, urgently, she said.

That’s when Nemani promised the parking removal would be done “in the next few weeks.”

Friends of Ms. Bonadea from the Rainbow Riders group reiterated that urgent action is called for, in other areas with safety challenges too.

Alex Hudson from the mayor’s office assured attendees that her boss wants fast action too.

Some of the problems that community members surfaced were beyond fast action, maybe beyond any action at all, like the declaration that the root issue here was “a ferry dock in the middle of a commmunity,” and no dedicated space for vehicles to line up, just curbspace shared with parked vehicles.

Dock-related concerns were addressed by the WSF reps, primarily via a reminder that a traffic signal is going in later this year where the dock meets Fauntleroy Way.

Other comments included an observation about who was not at the meeting – West Seattle community advocate Leslie Harris, noting she had recently retired from the legal profession, said the City Attorney and a “risk manager” should have been present, as incidents like this can not only lead to devastating loss of life, they can lead to multi-million-dollar lawsuits. She observed, “Sometimes litigation is the only thing that moves bureaucracy – it won’t bring back people (but) will make things happen.”

The demand for action was echoed by numerous attendees. Related issues were surfaced as well, such as the need for enforcement of laws and rules that already exist. More known danger spots were described, including Beach Drive. Another repeated request: Keep the community in the loop as design concepts are developed and timelines are developed. SDOT promised they would. Director Brady also said the community’s help is needed to answer questions of, after parking removal and bike-lane installation, where would families pick up students that ride the ferries to and from Vashon schools?

There also were repeated calls for revisiting work that already had been done but was not acted on – like a 2020 report recommending removal of the Wildwood parking, and long-shelved projects like Fauntleroy Boulevard (in The Triangle). There were questions seeking to clarify processes – how do all the involved departments and agencies communicate? They already have “interagency meetings,” replied Brady.

Speakers made other requests – paint the curb red, once parking is removed; install boulders to reinforce borders with the curbspace; put in speed cushions before the curve onto Fauntleroy … the list went on. Beyond suggestions, the community’s role in what happens next was stressed, too. Community member Robert Pluma declared, “I see a community ready for action.’ And FCA president Immel closed out the meeting with a reminder that “as a volunteer organization, we need your help … we want to see change happen.”

WHAT’S NEXT: SDOT promised to communicate about how and when that change will happen; FCA promised to help circulate that information. And we’ll be following up too.

ADDED 4:09 PM: Since we went to SW Wildwood late this morning and saw no changes, there’s been one. FCA VP Bailey tells WSB via email that temp no-parking signs have since been put up, from Fauntleroy to 36th: “They heard us!” (Wednesday photo added)

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30 Replies to "VIDEO: 'Everyone deserves to live.' Bicycling-safety forum brings community calls for proactive action beyond Fauntleroy (update: temp signs placed)"

  • bolo August 12, 2026 (12:54 pm)

    “…side guards on trucks…”

    Does anyone know what this is?

    • WSB August 12, 2026 (3:49 pm)

      I’m sorry I didn’t take time to stop and explain it. Google can help (once you get past the always-suspect AI “summary”).

    • glh August 12, 2026 (4:08 pm)

      They are physical barriers to prevent objects from going underneath trucks and semi-truck trailers.  Not only do they help to prevent pedestrians/cyclists/motor-cyclists from going under the wheels in accidents, but they also protect against lower automobiles going under the truck/trailer, preventing very dangerous accidents where the body of the truck/trailer collides with the cab/canopy of a car.  

      In most jurisdictions in the US they are only required on the rear (you will notice them on the back of all semi-trailers if you look), but in much of Europe they are required on all sides.  The trucking industry has resisted this in the US over claims of cost, although most studies place the cost per trailer in the 3–5k range.

    • Steve Campbell August 12, 2026 (5:27 pm)

      Some countries and cities require larger trucks to have metal panels between the front and rear wheels on the side of the truck. Often what happens when someone riding is hit by the truck driver, they end up falling under the truck and being injured or killed by the rear wheels. The side guards are an attempt to have the bike rider hit the side guard and be deflected away from the danger of the  rear truck wheels.

  • Alex August 12, 2026 (1:13 pm)

    This fatality could have happened anywhere between the gas station traveling south on Fauntleroy and east via Wildwood/Barton to 35th.  Removing a block of parking on Wildwood is a band aid.   The dock added 1.7M cars in 2017 and is projected to add 2M annually by 2040.   With  the exception of  Fauntleroy, Washington state ferries load and empty on state highways.  Fauntleroy is classified as a minor arterial.  The speeding on Fauntleroy/adjacent residential streets is excessive and because the queue lane is the same as the parking lane, a parked car can create chaos, along with the lane cutting, Uturns, blocking of driveways, blocking of the thruway, drivers not realizing they are waiting behind parked cars, drivers darting out in the thruway without looking and the whatnot.  The other day I came through there and a woman had done a UTurn to join the queue but got cut off by a car coming from the north.   Her car front was in the queue and the back end was in the thru lane blocking thru traffic and they were all shouting at each other. We seem to have the City’s attention and should be asking for some out of the box improvements on this corridor and adjacent streets.   I’m all for a roundabout at the gas station to handle the UTurns, speed bumps and humps everywhere, queue management.  Everytime I look at the parking strip along the park, I think it would make a great queue lane.  The community should not have to settle for the improvements at Wildwood and Fauntleroy – more is needed.

  • Peddler August 12, 2026 (1:21 pm)

    Any updates on SPD’s investigative report on this tragedy?

  • Admiral2009 August 12, 2026 (2:05 pm)

    On shared bike/car streets with street parking I see way too many poorly parked vehicles that encroach into the travel lane that reduces space for bicyclist.  A option to reduce this and maintain street parking could comprise using wider edge striping on shared streets, ticketing and towing parked vehicles that encroach into the travel lane.  

  • CarDriver August 12, 2026 (2:31 pm)

    All these issues would disappear and car drivers, walkers, bike riders, transit users would be happy and safer if the city would do the 2 easiest things. A) Hire enough parking enforcement officers so that all the existing parking rules can be-and are enforced. Return the traffic enforcement division of SPD with enough officers. If all the already existing laws covering all the road users were actually enforced, we’d all be a lot safer. 

    • Jort August 12, 2026 (4:30 pm)

      Can you cite an example where parking enforcement and conventional police traffic enforcement, without significant changes to street design or infrastructure, produced a substantial and sustained reduction in deaths and serious injuries among vulnerable road users? Can you point to a city where enforcement alone has produced a substantial, sustained reduction in cyclist and pedestrian deaths? Should a police officer follow every driver to make sure everybody is always following the laws? Or, perhaps, less ridiculously, we could simply engineer physical separation between cars and bikes via street design? I can point to a few thousand examples of design-focused solutions being considerably more effective than “hiring more cops.” But, again, perhaps you are aware of credible examples to the contrary? I’d love to learn more, if so. Please. Let me know. 

      • CarDriver August 12, 2026 (6:34 pm)

        Jort. I’ll let you substantiate and document your claims first. Assuming you have factual evidence to refute what I’ve said? 

        • RickB August 12, 2026 (9:45 pm)

          Sorry dude, that’s not how it works. You made the claims, you need to bring evidence to back them up. You can’t just say some stuff and then require people to disprove your assertions. If you want to be taken seriously, cite evidence that supports your claims, or they’ll be given the consideration they deserve, which is none.

      • bill August 12, 2026 (8:56 pm)

        Jort, this is one of the few times I have to disagree with you. Legal parking is flagrantly not enforced on Avalon, most significantly on the downhill side. Cars are not supposed to encroach on the buffer zone, but most do. Some drivers park exactly on the line demarcating the bike lane. The point of the buffer zone is to provide a space for passenger doors to open without threatening cyclists, who cannot escape to the right because of the curb. The buffer also provides a place for passengers and delivery people to stand without blocking the bike lane. But until SPD steps up parking enforcement the current situation ensures that sooner or later a passenger is going to “door” a cyclist, and both will be badly injured.

        • Jort August 13, 2026 (1:17 pm)

          I agree with the inherently hazardous conditions you’re describing, Bill, and I would certainly favor parking enforcement on that stretch of road. But I’d also strongly support a concrete barrier that forces the separation, and doesn’t rely as much on individual behavior and compliance monitoring. You are speaking of the design paradox, and it’s a tough one to break: all we have as a risk control, right now, is individual compliance enforcement. That makes it hard for us to see into a future where the very design of the street and the automobile/cyclist interface essentially eliminates the need for behavioral compliance.

  • Mike B August 12, 2026 (2:36 pm)

    “Sometimes litigation is the only thing that moves bureaucracy – it won’t bring back people (but) will make things happen.”

    There’s a sad reality to this statement. And speaking as my best friend was run over and killed crossing the street in Lake City a decade ago, my deepest condolences to Lani and the Bonadea family. Sometimes litigation, and indeed death, is the only thing that moves people to action. I’ve seen so many bike lane and street safety projects opposed for reasons like convenient parking and ensuring driving is easy that the bigger picture gets lost. It’s a sad reflection of our society, both government that we elect and community that we organize, that it takes a person getting killed for change to happen.

    I can only hope that we, as a community, can support a safe bike network and transportation system throughout West Seattle and the city as a whole before more people are killed. Yes, it’ll slow people driving down and sacrifice easy parking, and it’ll save lives. And I hope that our government will actually have productive “interagency meetings” and act in a timely manner here and elsewhere. (Like, why is the bike lane on Alaska still one way west and generally terrible? Or where did the 45th Greenway go?) I look forward to any positive change that comes out of this, and hope that it’ll spread, and I wish the families peace.

    May all your trips be safe.

    • Jort August 12, 2026 (5:10 pm)

      Litigation as a forcing function for change is not an inevitability. However, we have traffic engineers frequently say they can’t consider safety improvements for a street (crosswalks, speed cushions, etc.) unless somebody is hurt or killed. This is reactive safety at its worst. In the meantime, the city will rack up millions in liability losses rather than spend far less to prevent incidents in the first place. To get out of this loop takes both political and intellectual courage. 

      • Gatehood August 12, 2026 (11:21 pm)

        I’ve been told they won’t put any “traffic calming” installations in because Fauntleroy is a “major arterial” street…yet the traffic is almost ALWAYS going way above 25mph which is posted speed limit. With the park, ferry, and bus lines- there’s a LOT of pedestrian traffic both directions from ferry-  which makes me think this particular street needs EVEN MORE traffic calming. Let the emergency vehicles use California… which has CONSIDERABLY less pedestrian traffic and is much wider in the stretch between morgan junction and almost to the ferry…  we’ve been lucky there haven’t been more injuries and deaths between vehicles and pedestians on this road 

        • Foop August 13, 2026 (6:59 am)

          Why do we allow street parking on arterials. More bus/ bike lanes, if arterials are meant to move people, then let’s stop using them for car storage and actually move people.

  • KinesthesiaAmnesia August 12, 2026 (5:00 pm)

    “Where would families pick up students that ride the ferries to and from Vashon schools?” How about they walk a couple blocks up hill and get picked up there like kids from Whidbey do when they go to school in Mukilteo instead? Like this isn’t the first ferry that ever ferried! And the way some of the state and city planners act like it’s so precious and unique is gut wrenching. I’m jokingly wondering how long until peeved off people dump eco blocks there.

    • Jort August 12, 2026 (6:18 pm)

      Agreed, Kinesthesiaamnesia, but I imagine you can already hear the response, “But they can’t walk a few blocks – because the streets are too dangerous!” And they’ll say this without any sense of the irony. 

    • foop August 12, 2026 (10:29 pm)

      Better yet, let’s make our streets safe for kids to bike home on their own.

  • North Admiral Cyclist August 12, 2026 (9:26 pm)

    Thanks to the WSB for posting the video.  Thank you to Rob Saka and his attendance and efforts on legislative solutions.  The audio in the video was a struggle to understand, but it did not help the meeting room had poor acoustics and the microphone did not function very well.  My take on the proceedings, as some speakers pointed out, is the city and SDOT reps did not show they really get it.  SDOT’s inaction for years speaks for itself.  There is no mystery here.  Transportation engineers in other countries (Netherlands, Denmark, etc.) have already blazed the trail decades ago and when they developed road infrastructure solutions that have resulted in much lower crash rates for vulnerable road users (pedestrians and bicyclists) than we experience in the U.S.  Transportation professionals in the U.S. have started using these road designs (such as separated bike lanes protected from cars and trucks) to good avail.  Our new Downtown Waterfront shows some of these design elements.  SDOT leadership and the Mayor’s Office need to get off the dime and implement a comprehensive solution for Fauntleroy/Wildwood Pl. affected by the ever growing ferry traffic.  SDOT engineers should be able to come up with safety solutions quickly.  Why do they act like they are starting from scratch and can only do little spot improvements?  Why is WSF getting off the hook so easily?  It is the extra traffic, including commercial truck traffic, they bring to the neighborhood that is the problem.  For decades WSF increased throughput at the terminal with bigger boats and more frequent service and this is the result.  As was pointed out, ferry drivers act aggressively and in disregard to the neighborhood setting.  For this reason WSF and SDOT should revisit the whole idea of a traffic light at the head of the ferry dock, as we know drivers will disregard the light to the detriment of bicyclists and pedestrians.  Years ago, it was determined uniformed police management of traffic was needed to control ferry drivers for safety – what changed?  Finally, the idea of barriers on the sides of trucks is a fine idea, but will be very difficult to implement effectively at the local level.  I don’t see the truck barrier issue as a good place to direct our energy compared to focusing on eliminating parking and providing separated bike lanes.  

  • Brian August 13, 2026 (8:37 am)

    On a recent bike ride on that street, when I was approaching that exact same spot, a truck passed me. It came far closer to me than I expected, and having this recent accident in mind, it was downright scary. It also became clear to me why that spot is particularly dangerous to bikers. The inertia of vehicles making that sharp, uphill turn to the left experience centrifugal force making them naturally want to stray over farther to the right side than intended.  Probably more so with high mass vehicles like trucks. With parked cars on the right there is practically no room between the encroaching passing vehicles and the parked cars for a bike rider.  It was so easy for me to see how a rider would try to edge as close to the parked cars as possible (as I did) when a loud truck is passing too closely. So easy to see a rider miscalculating and bouncing off a parked car.  Parking should be banned on that curve and for at least a hundred feet beyond.

  • Sam August 13, 2026 (8:47 am)

    #WaitingForSDOT

  • Richard Ghrave August 13, 2026 (1:42 pm)

    During the Transportation Levy creation, Saka, who likes to call himself the architect of the Levy, had his chance to advocate for better bike lane connections in WS to key places like on Beach Drive, on Fauntleroy to Lincoln Park, etc etc the list goes on. But he didnt.

  • Bill August 13, 2026 (4:43 pm)

    That corner is the intersection of Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Wildwood Pl.  There should be a stop sign that causes folk to shed their excessive speed from Fauntleroy Way, and not carry it onto Wildwood.   Also moving violations should be doubled or tripled in places where pedestrians and cyclists are likely to be. Also also we should enforce the heck out of it.  Also last, of course we should build proper infrastructure that keeps cyclists and pedestrians safe… all throughout Seattle. 

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