Viaduct(s) & Bicycle Routing

[Al]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008453786_viaductbikes01m0.html

Hey, finally there’s some press about the Marginal bike route…

“‘Marginal’s margin is marginal,’ says an old report by the city bike board…”

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[Al]

Most definitely on the bus today – streets are either solid ice or have a nice glaze on them (judging by Fauntleroy and Avalon earlier this morning). Maybe some will melt enough during the day to be able to ride again tomorrow, but that may be wishful thinking.

Am going to try to head under the bridge this evening and leave some food (and water at least as long as it takes to re-freeze) for the rooster. I’d miss him otherwise!

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[Al]

Notes of interest from the Seattle Bicycle Board Meeting 1/7/09:

*Infrastructure damage from storms. Please report major infrastructure damage (i.e. blocks of missing Sharrows, bike lane lines, dangerous new potholes, etc) to bikeboard@seattle.gov. They are reporting problem areas to SDOT. They are on emergeny repair only, so small problems are being set aside to address larger areas of damage.

*New bike route sigage is up (if you didn’t notice) around the lower bridge. Please let SBAB know if you have any comments: bikeboard@seattle.gov.

*Improvements to the crossings on the east side of the lower bridge are coming soon.

*The SODO Action Advisory Committee gave a quick report on their perception and how they are dealing with bikes in the area. They are adhering to the Bicycle Master Plan and working with SDOT on identifying routes. More troubling was the statement that the SODO businesses are fine with the current bike routes but they don’t want to see bikes elsewhere…which to me is contradictory regarding building busisses, getting new customers, and providing a good transportation alternative to the stadiums.

*The fall 2008 bike counts should be released soon. The preliminary figures indicate bicycling has increased about 50% from 2007. The West Marginal Way “missing link” was completed (anyone use this yet and have comments?) as well as the Boeing access route. Over 300 new bike racks were installed across the city and they hope to install a similar amount in 2009. If you know of a business who needs a bike rack, go to this site (it works!): http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/bikeracks.htm

*It looks like some work will be done on Avalon Way in the near future that will make it more bike friendly, so stay tuned for more information on that work.

*There was no new additional comments regarding Fauntleroy, but I did bring up the faulty information that’s located here: http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/fauntleroy_pave.htm

Note that it states that “…(SDOT) has already installed sharrows on California. In addition, Alaska, 39 th Ave SW and 36 th Ave SW all have sharrows and Avalon Way SW has bicycle lanes.” Which is completely incorrect.

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[Al]

Two Asides:

Anyone see the rooster lately? I haven’t seen him since before the deep freeze. Hope he made it through…

Watch out for an early ’70s purple Dodge pickup. Had my 2nd close call with the guy this morning – he does not yield to bicycles at all. Instead of moving over to the next lane, or giving a bike room as he passes (even when there’s NO other traffic around, like this morning), he will keep driving in the lane like you are not there. (Yes, I’m lit up with lights/reflectivity & riding perfectly legally). He came within about 6″ of hitting me this morning. It scared me enough that I contacted the police with more information about him, especially since this was my second encounter with him within about a month. He’s very scary and will hit someone eventually.

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[Al]

And starting in February, this will have impacts on the bike route to/from downtown:

https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=13333

“Brochet said that right now the biggest problem will be the closure of the 1st Ave ramp onto the WS Bridge, when work starts on the actual added lanes (which will be built north of the existing SSV). When it’s closed, traffic from downtown will have to either go over the low bridge or take I-5 to return to West Seattle.”

My question (emailed to Art) is regaring getting information to drivers that there is a major bike route they will be crossing in the area and expect bikes to be on the roadway. I would expect Marginal to have higher traffic volumes due to 1st Ave construction as well.

I also emailed SDOT asking about the upgrades to the crossings on the east side of the lower bridge and if those upgrades will be installed before February’s traffic detours begin.

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[vincent]

No sign of the rooster since the thaw, I would like to believe he belongs to someone and they penned him for the bad weather.

I have seen the dodge as well, that guy is a d***

al can you post your email in a

name at something dot com

format so I can send you a note.

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[Al]

Hi I PM’d you. Let me know if that didn’t work.

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[Al]

Clarification to Spokane viaduct closure time line:

http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/docs/spokaneSSSP_web808.pdf

4th Ave S, exit westbound: closure projected mid-2009. (No WB access and egress to & from Spokane upper roadway until April 2011)

1st Ave S, entrance westbound: closure projected January 2010

I suppose the concern at this point is those vehicles that won’t be able to exit at 4th will exit at Marginal Way. Then they will be “stuck” in the Port loop – unable to make u-turns (well, illegally able to make u-turns), frustrated, driving too fast and not paying attention. That’s just an assumption.

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[Al]

I’m going to be talking with a member of SDOT soon regarding possible upgrades to crossings around the lower bridge. This will provide more visibility to bicyclists in that area, especially with the Spokane Street Viaduct/Viaduct closures coming in the near future. Here’s some ideas, let me know if you have any input and I’ll pass it along:

*Add marked bike crossing at S. Horton Street. Most bikes cross here, rather than at the Hanford crossing. The crossing near Horton has better sight lines, and it’s less awkward than getting on/off a narrow sidewalk that only accomodates one cyclist at at time.

*The parking entry/exits at Jack Perry Park need to be repainted and bike/ped crossing signs added for auto traffic. This parking lot is often full during busy months and vehicles rarely yield to bicyclists. When the lot is full, vehicles tend to park ON the path. No parking signs should be added. In addition, vehicles use this lot as a U-turn to head back east on Spokane street, frequently at high speeds. (Are the sprinklers really on all year long?)

*11th Ave entrance to Terminal 18. Pavement re-striping needed, at least one bike/ped crossing sign needed. Not generally bad as trucks are already very slow for terminal entry.

*11th Ave SW – major crossing point. Sure, bikes can travel up to the light, but must dismount to hit the crossing button (it’s mounted facing the street, not sidewalk/path) and it’s a pain. The street crossing further east, near Terminal 18 is easier to use. However, the street markings need to be repainted and there should be two bike/ped crossing signs here (there used to be two – one is laying on the shoulder near Terminal 18). Vehicles do not like to stop for bikes at this crossing so ANY improvements to make us more visible would be useful.

*Spokane Street Crossing at bottom of bridge. Needs new pavement markings, INCLUDING a “stop here” line & signage. Vehicles just don’t know where to stop with the tracks and the vague markings. Often, they end up entirely blocking the crosswalk cut so bicyclists/peds have to travel over the sharp curb and work around the vehicle to cross the street. The button on the crossing light here doesn’t work all the time, it seems to time out a bit quickly.

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[Al]

Oh yeah, and bigger curb cuts so bikes can pass each other and pedestrians more easily.

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[Al]

I had a very close call today. I”m posting here because it’s bike related. Corner of Graham & 38th. I was traveling eastbound on Graham, just past 38th. There were cars parked on the north side and I was to the right when a car made its way around the traffic circle on 37th.

As soon as it came around the circle, it veered, and then seemed to aim straight for me heading west. Then it sped up. I didn’t have any time to react, thank goodness I didn’t panic and move to my left, instead full on stopping. The car passed within 6″ of me, and me yelling the whole time (the window was cracked open but I didn’t get a look at the driver, nor the license plate they passed so fast and it was getting dark). After the car passed me, it slowed almost to a stop (me still yelling) tooted it’s horn and sped off again. It was clear to me it was a game.

The neighbors witnessed this incident and were clearly concerned, stating “They passed a little close to you…” I stated, “They aimed straight for me” and clarified I didn’t know the driver/car.

It was a sporty type car, blue, slightly tinted windows, perhaps Toyota???? This was way too dangerous.

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[Al]

Received this email today regarding two close call incidents I reported, good news for bicyclists:

Thank you for bringing this obviously dangerous incident to our concern. Currently we are revisiting various strategies in dealing with motorists that do not yield the right of way and or show blatant disregard to our pedestrians and cyclists. I will share this concern with our Aggressive Driving Unit who patrol the West Seattle corridor. If this incident should ever occur again, please get as much information regarding the vehicle and its driver as you can as this will aid us greatly with prosecution efforts. Again, Thank you for bringing this incident to our attention.

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[Al]

The King County Bike Maps are going to be updated soon. Get your comments in (due Feb 20th)! See link for more information at the Cascade Bicycle Club website:

http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=13&threadid=12751

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[Al]

http://www.cascade.org/braking_news/2009-02-17.html Scroll to the bottom to see the survey link.

2009 Report Card on Bicycling

Take the Survey

This spring Cascade will be developing a 2009 Report Card on Bicycling. The report card will reflect the results from a survey of the bicycle community, evaluating how the city is doing with respect to bicycle related issues. While this year’s report card will be specific to Seattle, we are interested in collecting

data from each city, as this will provide valuable information for bicycle advocacy at the regional level. How would you assess your city’s dedication and support for bicycling? Take the survey, your input is extremely valuable.

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[Al]

West Seattle traffic alert: New ID rules may bring port-area delays

Note that if you bike to/from West Seattle and use Alaska/Marginal, you’ll be riding with more trucks. I personally have reported parked trucks blocking the bike lane, shoulders and using the center “turn lane” of Marginal to SDOT before. This could create a bigger problem for us. Trucks who are impatient tend not to yield to right-of-way traffic. Be careful!

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[Al]

I’ll be adding info from the SBAB meeting on 3/4 this weekend. In the meantime, some members of CBC and Seattle Likes Bikes are putting together a Sharrow survey/overview of SDOT’s installation of Sharrow. Problematic installations/locations and locations where Sharrows would be an improvement are being sought. If you have opinions about Sharrowed routes you use, you can either go directly here: http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=13&threadid=12862 to participate or reply to this thread. Have you used the Sharrows on California, Alki or 1st Ave S? Any input there? What about routes that could use Sharrows?

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[Al]

SBAB meeting, 3/4/09:

SBAB is hearing West Seattlites complaints about gravel still on roadways, especially Marginal Way / Alaska. Keep reporting to SBAB and SDOT. Marginal should be regularly swept due to gravel along the entire east side of street from Spokane St. to Royal Brougham that regularly gets pushed into roadway, esp. around Coast Guard facility.

If you notice any dangerous potholes or cracks along Marginal/Alaska, report them. Take note of exact location by using light pole numbers if you can. Personally, I know of two, one just south (southbound) of the Coast Guard facility and one, also southbound, in the SW part of the intersection at Hanford.

It was noted that there will be changes coming soon (not defined yet) to Marginal and SDOT is reluctant to make changes. We should make it noted that if it’s dangerous now, changes should be made no matter what. SDOT is also considering removing parking along the west side of Marginal, south of the Coast Guard facility – this would be fantastic for bicyclists since it would provide us with a “safer” route along the roadway. If you want this email SDOT and SBAB! bikeboard@seattle.gov and walkandbike@seattle.gov.

I reminded SBAB to keep an eye on Spokane/Alaksan viaduct construction work since upcoming construction will effect bike routes. The Project Manager of the Spokane viaduct work is aware of the bike route area east of the lower bridge and they are looking at improvements to make the bike route clear to both drivers and bicyclists, esp. once the 1st Ave on ramp is closed.

The Fauntleroy “re-channelization” is going ahead in May as planned. Keep in touch with SBAB about progress, esp. accessibility during construction and how the route is working after it’s installed. Also, the Fauntleroy ferry is expanding the waiting queue which may eliminate the planned bike lane. Some discussion took place about the concern that SBAB wasn’t notified about this change, and whether or not any decisions were made at all yet. Also – is a bike lane needed in this stretch of Fauntleroy? Can bicyclists use queue lane if no cars are parked there? If you use this stretch, contact SBAB (see email above) with your input.

The focus of the meeting then shifted mostly to eastside concerns and Sound Transit / Light rail concerns and how to improve accessibility for bicyclists; i.e. get more bikes on cars (limited to two currently) like California and Portland are doing, have better and more bike parking locations at the stops, and make sure bicyclists can access the stops.

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[Al]

https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=14947#more-14947

1st Ave lane closures may put more traffic onto Marginal as an official re-route option starting Monday 3/16

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[Al]

Good news on all the complaints about gravel on Marginal Way! I received this message from Virginia Coffman at the SDOT Ped & Bike Program:

I have placed a call to the street sweeping crew to sweep the locations along E Marginal Way that you have identified. In addition we will be making improvements to the pavement along E Marginal Way for bicyclist in the next week or two. During construction E Marginal will be swept every two weeks.

If in the future you need to have a roadway swept here are the numbers to call:

Streets north of Denny: 206-684-7508

Streets south of Denny: 206-386-1218

And if you need a pot hole filled call the Pothole Rangers at:

206-386-1218

Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.

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[vincent]

I narrowly missed getting run down by a contractor truck ( F250ish) this morning. He was pulling out of the steel plant on the phone. He managed to do a no look double lane change into me, quite an impressive feat of dumb.

I feel like some signage there for the trucks would be a good idea considering the sheer volume of bike traffic on that stretch.

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[Al]

SBAB Meeting 4/1/09

SBAB has previously viewed presentations about the viaduct changes, but are particularly interested in hearing about the tunnel and the surface streets – how it’ll affect the street infrastructure and cars, and how it impacts bicyclists. This post is not only about bicycles since it impacts WS hugely, but the impacts to bicyclists will be large…it’s a long post.

John White (JW) is the Program Director of the Viaduct Replacement Project and he spoke to SBAB along with several other members of the VRP. There is a general contact form at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/contactus.htm

JW spoke about an updated transition zone on the south approach to the tunnel, between Royal Brougham and King St. There will be a temporary connection put in to keep viaduct traffic moving during tunnel construction, w/minimal disruption. The tunnel will be located under 1st Ave and emerge in the North Denny area, in S. Lake Union (Mercer St. corridor). It will re-connect the street grid in the north area (John, Thomas, Harrison). It’ll be easier to connect to Queen Anne/Magnolia/Belltown from the Lake Union area. Within the coming week or so, new images will be released to the public since there have been some recent changes.

There will definitely be no mid-town ramps. This idea has apparently been gone “for several years now” which makes me wonder exactly when the tunnel option was decided on and by who, and what exactly we voted for. JW stated that MOST traffic originating from the South (including WS) take the first exit, Seneca, off the viaduct, then Western, and then the minority continue through the Battery Street Tunnel (isn’t this the opposite of what we’ve been told?). Referring to Seneca/Columbia ramps, “LOTS of traffic funnels off there” and is “heaviest for southbound” area. The tunnel is for “steadier throughput” for “economic vitality accommodating freight.” This tunnel is for the freight industry, not the people of the area. There will be a new Grand Boulevard built where the viaduct is now, including Alaskan. It will be two lanes each way, however near the aquarium, it will widen to SIX lanes, including a center turn lane and a wide shoulder. There will also be additional lanes near Yesler/King for ferry traffic. It wasn’t clear how this looks – JW didn’t have updated graphics for the group. The two-way couplet is dead. There will be a new promenade on the east side of the new Alaskan Way Boulevard. There will be a 30mph speed limit, the same for any city street. JW stated that there’s lots of room to work with there (i.e. wide).

It was stressed that to help people commute to/from West Seattle that the RapidRide bus will help. Remember the C Line, taking roughly the route of the current 54, is scheduled to be in operation in 2011 – a year to two after tunnel construction starts. The speakers also stressed a “possible” Delridge RR route, but neither RR route is guaranteed at this point due to funding issues. And remember that so far, no dedicated bus lanes are planned, so any RR route will be stuck in traffic backups. It was stated that the Southwest Corridor portion of the tunnel area (including surface approaches) are focused on “throughput” rather than getting people downtown – in spite of the fact that JW had stated that MOST traffic from the south area in fact uses the viaduct to get TO downtown, not past it. The tunnel speakers stressed that neighborhoods will rely on transit and surface streets to access downtown, esp. the new Alaskan Blvd.

A waterfront streetcar is planned as well as a new streetcar line using 1st Ave. What this does to bike routes is not clear, and the speakers did not have any plans that included bike routes, even though both 1st Ave and Alaskan is heavily used by bicycle commuters who travel to/from the south. A track makes a bike route impossible as made clear on the current Westlake Streetcar line.

The south and north entry/exit for the tunnel will be cut and cover. The south portion will be improved for better access to downtown, reconnecting the street grid. Alaskan/Marginal approach to downtown (25,000 autos per day are expected to use the new Alaskan Blvd) will be built to maintain trips through downtown. This is another contradiction – it was my understanding that this route would be our connection TO downtown, not facilitate trips THROUGH downtown. There will be new bus service/transit options (again streetcar and RR referenced). There apparently will also be improvements to I-5 during this time in order to accommodate a larger vehicle counts. (Build it and the cars will be in gridlock again in no time! This is astonishing information and no more details were given.) The speakers stated that Spokane St viaduct improvements would improve the westbound traffic flow and improve connections to I-5 and 99 (tunnel). The new street configurations should reduce conflicts between trains, freight, autos, and ferry traffic. The new 4th Ave exit is seen as a huge improvement for those who live in WS. It was acknowledged that there will be traffic disruptions during constructions and it will be mitigated by the new transit available to us (i.e. again RR!). How transit will function is not clear at this time, but apparently Metro has $$ set aside for this.

In contrast to the fuzzy information available about the southern tunnel area, the northern area is well formed. There is detailed street grid/traffic flow/exits/entry/downtown access/exit, tunnel access/exit, bike lanes, pedestrian crossings, etc. It’s in absolutely huge contrast to the lack of south area planning. From WS we are expected to take either the 1st Ave exit or the 4th Ave exit from the Spokane viaduct. Little access to downtown from WS is expected to I-5. From WS, 1st is the route to get to Alaska and the street grid (contradiction as this was stated to be a “through” route). We can always take the WS RR or the Delridge RR bus routes. There was NO discussion about southbound travel. All trips discussed were from the south heading north into or past downtown. How WS commuters are supposed to head south and west is not apparent if you do not use the tunnel.

Regarding planning for bicyclists…the northern area is well thought out. There will be bike lanes, bike crossings and easy routes for cyclists in this area. There’s some concern about bicyclist/auto conflicts around Dexter, but everyone felt certain it would be worked out. At this point, SBAB asked about bike facilities planned for the Alaskan Blvd and south area. The speakers said that they currently have bike lanes “temporarily” on the graphics but that “space is an issue.” SBAB pointed out that they previously said that there was lots of space in the area, so what is the problem? The speakers started back-pedaling at this point, saying that both bike lanes and sharrows were being looked at. SBAB was surprised that sharrows on such a heavily used roadway (remember, 25,000 autos per day and with signalized intersections timed to keep traffic moving – not for pedestrians/bicyclists) were even being considered and stressed to the speakers that the area is currently a heavily used bicycle route and facilities must be worked out now, in the planning stages so bicyclists needs are not sidelined. A shared MUP is not going to be enough if the waterfront expects to have large amounts of cross-traffic, more pedestrians and cyclists, both commuters and leisure cyclists. SBAB mentioned that since most freight will be in the tunnel, and there will be fewer conflicts between cyclists/large trucks, this is a great opportunity. The speakers interrupted at this point, and corrected SBAB; freight will most definitely be using this corridor, “heavy use” is how it was put, and then “they (freight) will of course use the tunnel too…” So which is it? Is this whole tunnel/Blvd for the freight industry? Who bought whom out?

SBAB is now concerned that there’s a lack of thought about where the bicyclists go. It’s a through route, with little turning traffic (?). But it’s the only access to downtown from the waterfront, so there will be lots of turning traffic – another contradiction noted. Pete Lagerway of SDOT’s bike program spoke up and told the speakers that the city is expecting thousands bicyclists in the area due to the draw of the waterfront and there must be accommodation for them planned NOW. They must provide on-street bike facilities and they can’t “look at it later” or there will be a bad outcome when the pedestrians, cyclists, tourists, ferry traffic, freight and motorists are combined. It was stressed that the speakers, and John White, be more engaged with the cycling community, especially SBAB, and that they refer to the Bicycle Master Plan. It was unclear if the speakers had even looked at it yet. This is a great opportunity to get good bike infrastructure in the south end and it shouldn’t be wasted.

The speakers didn’t seem to want to discuss bicyclists in the south area at all. They repeatedly re-iterated the fact that accommodation will be looked at later. SBAB was frustrated. The speakers then went on to say that the Alaskan Blvd won’t be started until after the tunnel is complete and the viaduct comes down so that street/surface work can be done. How this effects traffic was not mentioned. 2009: replace viaduct between Holgate and King St. 2010: north end work begun – and to be finished by the time the tunnel opens. 2015/16: The “promenade” and Alaskan Blvd work to BEGIN.

If you are a bicyclist, contact the planning group and give your input now. It’s essential since we don’t want to be cut out of the planning – this is a major opportunity to get some decent infrastructure in the south end for the first time: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/contactus.htm

Other information at SBAB meeting:

A new interactive construction map is available on-line: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/constructionmap/ you can click on a “pin” to access more information and the contact person in case of problems or if you want to comment on something bike related, or non-bike related.

Pete Lagerway spoke about upcoming Bike Master Plan updates and accomplishments in the past year. There is an update to the BMP coming this fall so if you want to comment you can contact WalkAndBike@Seattle.gov. Note that upcoming improvements to WS include the Spokane/Chelan/Delridge intersection that’s a chore for cyclists to use. This isn’t for a couple years, but it’s on the agenda. Also slated for improvement is a bike facility on the 4th Ave bus way that’s used for airport access – this should be completed this year.

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[vincent]

*sigh* I am sure the south end commute will be completely ignored until someone gets killed trying to ride in traffic on the new 4th street.

the commute from west Seattle to downtown covers some of the worst roads in the city, its great that our new ROADS ROADS ROADS tunnel completely ignores the needs of most of the city.

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[Al]

I completely agree with you Vincent. I was shocked by how auto-focused the viaduct group was. They had very little concern about cyclists or pedestrian issues – those modes of travel are being treated as an afterthough instead of part of a good, vibrant, multi-modal commuting system. Especially since this is expected to draw thousands more to the waterfront. I have no idea what is planned for I-5 but I suspect it may be big (or as little as using more of the auxiliary lanes?). I haven’t written to the group yet, but I promise it will be scathing and press the issue of cyclist access in the area. And it will go to the mayor, the Governor as well as other bicycle groups.

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[vincent]

I think it should be MANDATORY that motorpool and the mayors tubby rear to have to use bicycles or alternative transportation at least one day a week, if not more often. If the mayor had to put up with the marginal conditions of marginal way, it would get fixed like a street in a seattle snowstorm.

( I hate puns ) ( I think I am the only one except for AL reading these. )

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[Al]

No, I know a couple people who read it but they don’t comment ;-) I’ll keep posting in the hope that someone either responds or gets P.O.’d enough to write to at least SBAB. I know that SBAB is getting more emails from West Seattle in the past 6 months…hopefully that will increase.

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[Author]

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