Viaduct(s) & Bicycle Routing

[Al]

SBAB Meeting 4/6/11

– Sally Bagshaw, City Council Member, dropped in on the SBAB meeting and spoke about her support for better cycling facilities in the city.

– Ref Lindmark, of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee III (CTAC III) requested assistance from SBAB about cycling priorities across the city and what they would like to see improved or added (kind of like a “wish list”). What would you like to see improved in West Seattle? I can think of, off the top of my head improvements to the 5-street Spokane/Delridge intersection, the Yancy/Avalon crossing, Spokane/Harbor/Avalon intersection improvements, crossing improvements on the east side of the Lower Bridge…can you think of more? If so, email SBAB no later than about April 20th as they must have the report to CTAC III by April 22nd.

– A short SDOT update regarding bike infrastructure planning was discussed. Lots of projects delayed due to weather, public input and budget problems.

A major portion of the SBAB meeting was the introduction to the West Seattle Triangle Concept Plan, presented by Robert Scully and Susan McLain from the Seattle Department of Planning and Development (SDPD). Both Robert and Susan are both bicyclists and seem to be really familiar with the Triangle area; how its current design effects all road users and businesses and how it will change in the upcoming years was very well covered, including recognition that the old Huling empty lots along Fauntleroy will be/likely be developed. The presenters were clear that the area has to continue to serve multiple street users, from pedestrians, cyclists, private vehicles to large delivery trucks and buses. It also functions as the “Gateway” to West Seattle and needs a new vision. The SDPD group had three areas of concern:

1) update the land use codes (re-zoned from commercial to neighborhood/commercial)

2) develop the street design concept over time

3) obtain review of plan from multiple groups (thus, visiting SBAB for input about cycling plans)

The area is changing with the addition of more retail oriented business and new multi-unit residences. The N/S streets are wide and the E/W streets narrower, both with a lot of curb cuts (due to businesses). The parking in the area is unusual as it’s mostly undefined and haphazard in some areas. There’s also mixed demand for parking.

Adding bike lanes directly through the triangle area was not thought to be viable or necessary through the Triangle area, except along parts of Alaskan, as traffic levels are already not too heavy (SBAB requested traffic counts) and Fauntleroy and 35th do a good job of taking the burden off the area. The main idea of the new streetscape is traffic calming and reducing speeding “cut through” vehicles who use it as a backup route rather than taking Fauntleroy/35th. Plantings, street resurfacing, organizing parking, installing curb bulbs, widening and adding sidewalks, putting down Sharrows – basically visually “narrowing” the streets are the focus. Demand is only expected to increase along with the area becoming more pedestrian oriented. Making Snoqualmie between 36th/37th a “set aside” street that can be blocked off for pedestrian only use for special events is also being reviewed. Alaskan is planned to have Sharrows between 36th/37th westbound, then it will transition to a shared bus/bike lane until the approach at Fauntleroy where the bike lane will separate and continue up Alaskan to the Junction. Eastbound will have a a Sharrowed bus/bike lane to 36th.

A major problem recognized by SDPD is the left turn into the Triangle area from Avalon at 36th. This is one of the biggest problems. This intersection will be looked at when Fauntleroy is examined more carefully as a Boulevard. The intersection could very well be upgraded to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists better. There will also be a pedestrian crossing added at 38th and Fauntleroy which will facilitate pedestrian/bike crossings into/out of the Triangle area. Another goal is to slow right turns off of Fauntleroy into the Triangle area.

Ideas are needed for helping resolve turning problems in this area, especially left turns – the idea began with a discussion of the left turn from Avalon onto 36th. Not only does this turn need to be examined but how cyclists are positioned at the light at Avalon/35th so that they can access the intersection of Avalon/36th must be incorporated into the plan. Bike boxes, adjusting signal phases and bike lane ideas were put forth. Another intersection that has a contentious left turn is west on Alaskan to southbound Fauntleroy. SDPD hadn’t even considered cyclists who travel south of Alaskan onto Fauntleroy and they said they will look into that intersection as well (a bike box was thought to be a good addition at that location). SDPD seemed interested to hear more ideas and wants input which was refreshing to hear.

SDPD reminded SBAB that the concept presented was just that, the beginning stages of the concept. Parking design, bike facilities (including bike parking), traffic/pedestrian flow are all under review. If you have any ideas or input you can email SBAB and let them know your ideas at bikeboard@seattle.gov. There are also upcoming public informational/advisory group meetings with SDPD on April 14 and May 5 at 6PM at the West Seattle Senior Center. The purpose of these meetings is to discussion urban design concepts for the portion of the study area (Triangle) around the intersection of SW Alaska Street and Fauntleroy Way SW.

If you are interested in a preview of some of the materials handed out at the SBAB meeting leave a message and I can email you or something. But I’ll bet that the materials will also be presented at the upcoming SDPD meetings.

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[on board]

Thanks for this update!

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[Al]

There’s been a detour – this was announced Friday evening but I didn’t hear about it until Sunday and couldn’t post till today. Anyone ridden it yet? It’s a sidewalk to sidewalk detour which sounds a bit strange. I’ll be riding it tomorrow.

“…wanted to let you know about a temporary detour coming up next week. Starting at 7 a.m., Monday, April 18 through 7 p.m., Friday, April 22, the crosswalk that connects both sides of the Alaskan Way S. mixed use trail at S. King Street will be closed to foot and bicycle traffic.

Northbound and southbound cyclists and pedestrians will be detoured around the crosswalk closure. They will be routed onto the S. King Street sidewalk to the crosswalk at First Avenue S. and back down the sidewalk on the opposite side of S. King Street, returning to the mixed use trail.

Crews need to close the intersection to install a new traffic signal. You can view a map and learn more about the closure on our bicycle and pedestrian route changes website:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR99/HolgateToKing/BikePed.htm

As always, please feel free to contact me directly with questions. (Ms.) Broch Bender (206) 805-2817 or Benderb@wsdot.wa.gov”

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[Jeffro]

I rode it today. Northbound I didn’t even notice because I took the road at Dearborn, which is especially nice as very few cars are going northbound due to the closure. I saw this post before heading home, so southbound I took the road again, while checking the trail for the detour. Again for southbound, I didn’t even see the detour. Alaska way southbound was uncomfortably narrow from King St to Royal Brougham, so I’ll be trying the trail tomorrow. This morning (8 o’clock hour) northbound there were two police escorting traffic at Atlantic st which made things go pretty smoothly.

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[Al]

Thanks Jeffro! I rode through there this morning on the trail to get a sense of it. It was at that time (before 7:00 a.m.) a miniscule detour. I am not sure why WADOT is routing cyclists all the way up to 1st via the sidewalk (not a good idea with all the cross traffic/peds). I simply used the UNMARKED CROSSWALK from one side of King St. to another and crossed carefully. Tomorrow I will just ride the street northbound and avoid it altogether.

Southbound will be interesting this evening. Alaskan is very narrow and drivers are not recognizing other road users well so I am tending to stick to the trail southbound. I don’t like close-passes. I wil use the same tactic; unmarked crosswalk use to cross King with much caution since traffic will be worse.

It’ll be nice when the intersection is signalized. An actual improvement if you ask me.

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[WSDOT_B]

Hi everyone – I wanted to let you know about some upcoming night closures on Alaskan Way S. that will affect bikes and peds.

Dates: Monday, April 25 through Friday, April 29 and Monday, May 2 through Friday, May 6.

Time: 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. each night

Location: WSDOT is closing the Alaskan Way S. shared use path between S. Atlantic Street and S. Royal Brougham Way.

Detour: Bicycle and foot traffic will be detoured around the closure via East Frontage Road S.

Please note: Northbound cyclists wishing to link back to the Alaskan Way S. multi-use trail at S. Royal Brougham Way should use the crosswalk on the south side of the S. Royal Brougham Way/East Frontage Road S. intersection. If you choose to ride in the street, you will be routed onto the road that goes underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct to S. King Street. There are no bike lanes or shoulders on this road.

Got questions, suggestions or comments? Please let me know at Benderb@wsdot.wa.gov or 206-805-2817.

Thank you :)

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[Al]

SBAB Meeting 6/1/11

Central waterfront update covers initial, early designs. The full presentation and a survey is available online at http://waterfrontseattle.org/ (the survey will be available for approximately one more week, through 2nd week of June…).

Two areas are considered in parallel

Core Project: dependent on viaduct removal (like parking areas below viaduct) to waterfront/piers, ramps on/off viaduct and up to Elliott/Western. This also contains “framing elements” that they are planning now because it’s good to do them…somehow relating to connections that join the waterfront to the city, assisting in the creation of better east/west connectivity (not certain what the gist of this was, it was very vague).

New connections: two to three core connections at the current ramp areas where they exist now.

SBAB asked what is WADOT’s role in the Central waterfront design? WADOT is involved in final transportation elements of street and bridges the rest is a city project. This leads me to ask, what streets? I *think* the presenters were referring to the streets leading to/from the tunnel and on-ramps.

The framework planning will be going on to 2012 then they will conduct an analysis of the early projects prior to viaduct coming down. The waterfront design will be built after viaduct comes down in approximately 2016.

Framework planning revolves around mobility/access/art/planning strategy and concept design around traditional planning…to be 10% done by mid-2013.

After holding public meetings on what would the public want to be had at the waterfront (survey at site listed above contains the same questions), the top four things residents want are: parks, concerts, bike/pedestrian paths, places to eat/drink.

Three scales are being worked with: city, framework and waterfront.

City: re-center city around Elliott Bay. The bay is the open space in the city (i.e. no Central Park). Connect the city more to West Seattle (via more water taxis!) and give people more opportunities to move across the water.

Urban framework: differences along the waterfront are created from different uses of the waterfront (ferries vs piers vs park). How to use the different areas and connect them to a unified waterfront. How to make every street a pedestrian connection?

How to get people to it and connect with other places? It will serve as a regional connection point and will be multi-modal…more people more transit. West Seattle was again mentioned as a major user.

Waterfront: get people to the water and interacting with it…parks that allow water access, boat access, overlooks, etc.

Other items discussed:

Parking issues. Some parking will be replaced, some limited street parking will be allowed. The pay lots in the area are currently underutilized, with 80,000 available spaces (mostly in lots) between Mercer and Royal Brougham currently. This is considered good parking availability.

Existing facilities for cyclists/pedestrians exists now, but is not serving the need well. It will be more problematic as more vehicles are added to the waterfront.

Alaskan Way transit must be flexible and sustainable. The more intense transit routes will be along 1st and 3rd Ave – so getting pedestrians to/from those areas which are far away is crucial. More stairs, hill climb assists (escalators/funiculars…?) SBAB mentioned that any mechanical assists must also allow for bicycles.

Traffic will be flowing north/south people east/west. Each intersection is planned to be signalized. Main flow to traffic will be up Western (currently a major bike route into the city). Connections to bike facilities north/south…a cycletrack has been proposed along the west side of Alaskan Way. The planning committee wants to remove cyclists as much as possible from the street. SBAB brought up the fact that although a cycletrack (which is recommended by SBAB) is going to be a good thing, getting cyclists to/from the cycletrack at intersections is very important. And, more advanced cyclists will want to use the street to move quickly and remove themselves from a track which could be over-run by pedestrians during the summer months. So some street planning for cyclists will be necessary.

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[Al]

Long time, no post. Not much out of the ordinary really but for the detour route between Hanford/Spokane on E. Marginal. And people took it in stride even though it had its sketchy parts.

However, I am wondering about the flow of the re-marked street itself now that the detour is closed and the new sidewalk is being constructed.

This has been an interesting summer for this little stretch.

The crazy detour was totally gone this morning (thank goodness b/c that nasty blind 90-degree corner at the north end was plain scary).

E. Marginal is nice and smooth with new pavement which is great. The new bike lanes are marked very well (waiting for “bike” markings in lane at this point) and both sides of the road also are marked with Sharrows. It’s good to see that they are giving cyclists and motorists ample markings here as it’s a busy route with various traffic types at any one point in time, that will just become more intense with they upcoming tunnel work and lane shut downs.

Note that when you are heading northbound into the city from the Spokane St. path, the path now ends right in the entrance/exit for the truck “holding” lot. You have to make a crossing from the truck lot across E. Marginal now. This isn’t a huge change from before as lots of cyclists crossed there, but there used to be an option for crossing a bit further north to get a better sightline of traffic approaching from the south. There doesn’t seem to be that option any more as the new sidewalk on the west side of the street has obliterated it. I would hope that SDOT puts some sort of street crossing markings here since it will be used heavily by cyclists.

Watch out, at least at this point, for the intersection at Hanford when in the bike lane. Traffic is prevented from using the left lane (which was the through lane) by cones and through traffic is pulling up to the right of the bike lane and then has to cross in front of the bike lane to continue northbound. This is incredibly dangerous.

I’m going to contact SDOT about this area and find out how long the cones will be out (hoping it’s just for street marking purposes) and what the street configuration will be.

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[Al]

Through lane at Hanford is now open northbound. Cones are removed so vehicles are not crossing over bike lane routing (at least most of the time) at this point.

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[on board]

I guess if you blink, this will change at a moments notice.

Today when I rode in, they had eliminated the detour route, but had the sidewalk closed on the west side of East Marginal. This is the location where you emerge from the lower Spokane parking lot detour. It spits you out now directly into oncoming truck traffic. Since they now have closed the west sidewalk, and also prevented you from using the signaled intersection / crosswalk at lower Spokane and East Marginal, this leaves cyclists with no option but to make the dash through truck traffic to get to northbound bike lanes on East Marginal. What are they thinking?

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[Al]

Yes, exactly. I have a response from SDOT but haven’t had time to read it yet. Will let you know what they said as soon as I have time to digest it.

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[Al]

Here’s SDOT’s answer for now. It doesn’t address my question, but it’s a legitimate reason to wait for final striping/routing…

“Thank you for your concern about the bicycle pathways on E. Marginal Way. The existing condition that you have experienced on E. Marginal is a temporary, this includes striping for bicycles. I believe that the final configuration of the roadway will answer your apprehension.

Starting on Friday, August 26, our contractor will be grinding E Marginal Way between S Hanford Street and S Spokane Street. Over the weekend we will be doing repairs to the street. Monday evening, August 29, we will repave this section of roadway, and place temporary striping. We will return on Wednesday, August 31, to do the permanent striping; weather permitting. When we have completed the work there will stripped bicycle lanes on both the east and west side of E. Marginal Way between S Hanford and S Spokane Street.”

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[Al]

I have contacted Mr. Plumb, the Project Manager of the Horton bridge replacement team again now that the lane markings ‘seem’ to be completed…

if you also want to contact him his email is terrance.plumb@seattle.gov.

“You did respond to me already right before the new asphalt and striping project was getting started. I have some follow up questions about how SDOT sees the bike routing on this street with the new markings.

– How does SDOT see cyclists joining E. Marginal Way after they exit the bike route heading northbound, after they get to the Truck Parking lot entrance/exit at the corner of E. Marginal/S. Spokane St?

Does SDOT think cyclists will join E. Marginal by crossing over all busy lanes to get to the northbound bike lane on the east side of E. Margainl? This is a manouever for more experienced cyclists.

Or, does SDOT expect cyclists to travel northbound on the sidewalk along the west side of E. Marginal (against the traffic flow…is this a 6′ wide sidewalk here, until one reaches S. Horton St?) and cross at one of the unmarked crossings, which puts a cyclist in a very bad position relative to the side-streets…drivers are NOT looking for cyclists crossing at the unmarked intersections (both those travelling on E. Marginal and those turning on/off E. Marginal).

Or are cyclists expected to stay on the sidewalk until they reach S. Hanford and cross at the light?

This stretch of roadway is very confusing northbound and many cyclists I know were hoping for some sort of crossing assistance here as it’s a busy street that connects to one of the busiest bike routes in the city.

– Will there be a marked right turn only lane on the other side of the bike lane at the intersection of E. Marginal and S. Hanford as there was before? Currently the lane to the right of the bike lane is not marked. Drivers are using the unmarked lane as both a turn lane and a through lane, which is the worst possible routing for cyclists. Drivers are cutting in front of cyclists, or cutting dangerously close in back of cyclists in order to get ahead of the traffic queued up at the light, northbound. This happens to me if not every morning, then the majority of mornings. Drivers are also cutting suddenly across the bike lane, failing to yield to cyclists in the bike lane.

Is there signage posted that drivers must yield (there may be, I’ll have to look today on the way home)?

Why are there no “green bike lane” markings laid down here in the dotted crossing section of the bike lane like in other areas in the city?”

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[Al]

The annual bike and pedestrian count is coming up at the end of this month. If you are interested in volunteering for the count, you can find the signup information and available count locations/contact information here:

http://www.wa-bike-ped-count.org/index.php

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[Al]

On Thursday Sept 29th, during the official bicycle/pedestrian count between 7:00 am – 9:00 am on the west side of the Lower Bridge almost 300 (300!) cyclists were counted. That is amazing! That doesn’t even cover those who ride through earlier or later (people were riding through still even as we were packing up).

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[Jill]

That’s awesome, thanks, Al! Dang, I wish I would’ve seen this when you posted about it. I’m one of those 9:30-10ish slackers and could’ve gone in earlier. :)

eta: And I’m not the only one out there at that time!

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[Al]

…and if anyone wants a ride buddy if they are interested in riding to work in October, leave your email or contact info here and I’ll get in touch and see if we can’t work something out!

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[Al]

There’s some really cool stuff happening during the Viaduct shut-down for those choosing to ride a bike!

http://blog.cascade.org/

Monday, Oct. 24

6:45 – 9 a.m.

Trail on the Westside of the West Seattle Bridge

Stop by for some morning cheer! If your bike hasn’t gotten regular use, you’ll definitely need some air in those babies. We also have a limited supply of bike lights for new riders who really need them. Once your tires are inflated and you’re feeling ready to roll, join the bike train, heading into the city.

7:30 a.m.

Bike Train to downtown

Cascade’s very own Ed Ewing and Robin Randels will lead a ride downtown for everyone who either wants a little guidance or just wants to ride with others.

Wednesday, Oct. 26 (pretty much the same thing as Monday)

6:45 – 9 a.m.

Trail on the Westside of the West Seattle Bridge

Now that you’ve rolled a couple of days, you might notice your chain is squeaky and dry. We’ll help fix that and send you smoothly on your way, squeak-free.

7:30 a.m.

Bike Train to downtown

Tried it on Monday and want to do it again? We’ll be there. Same details as Monday.

Monday, Oct. 31

6:45 – 9 a.m.

Trail on the Westside of the West Seattle Bridge

Even though the viaduct will reopen by Halloween, this is chance to challenge yourself and keep riding. Wear a costume, trick-or-treat with us and join in the holiday fun!

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[Hormel]

Al,

I am sure the blinking lights, chain lube and air will be a big hit. I might suggest a few other accommodations for the bike commuters from West Seattle:

-Maybe trim the blackberry bushes that are now extending 1/2 way across the sidewalk to the East of the East waterway bridge.

-Replace the construction fencing with ecology blocks along the detour route at the truck holding yard where the truckers continually back into and thus narrowing the bike path.

-Work with SDOT to send a street sweeper to pick up the misc truck parts that constantly litter the bike lane along the sides of Marginal.

-Paint the fire hydrants that were placed in the middle of the sidewalk at the west side of East Marginal Way (located both sides of Hanford) with reflective paint or something so we can see them in the dark.

and finally….

-Please, Please, Please improve the connection between Massachusetts St. and Edgar Martinez Drive along Alaskan Way. The interaction between cars, trucks, cyclists, pedestrians and the occasional train is really dangerous. This area is where I feel most unsafe as a cyclist. The State, City, and Port have created a real cluster here.

Thanks, and I look forward to a little lube next week.

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[Al]

While I am flattered that you think I personally can fix all of these problems (and well known ones at that), sadly I cannot. What I can do is recommend that you make contact at the following places and Follow Up (repeat, repeat, repeat) until something is done. Be nice, be coherent (as you are above) and write, write, write. Pictures accompanying your emails help enormously. Here are some places to start:

walkandbike@seattle.gov

http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/staff.htm

Walk and Bike can either answer your questions or they will refer you to a more appropriate contact.

http://www.bikewise.org/

Report crashes, hazards and other problems here. If you get a message that your report could not be forwarded to an agency, follow up with the walk/bike group above.

I usually also cc the Seattle Bike Board, bikeboard@seattle.gov, on my emails, just so they know about it and I attend meetings when I can and always speak at the opening comments so they know who I am, how much I ride and where I ride.

For street sweeping/pothole/damage lights not recognizing bikes issues go here: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/potholereport.htm.

Be specific and as detailed as possible. Let them know point-blank it’s a bike hazard. It will be fixed/swept.

Get involved!

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[Al]

http://cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=14&threadid=18333&STARTPAGE=1

Are you planning to ride your bike from West Seattle during the nine-day viaduct closure? Thanks for choosing to use alternate transportation! Here’s what WSDOT and SDOT are doing to support you:

* Hosting a morning commute meet-and-greet under the West Seattle Bridge with Cascade Bicycle Club. 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 24 and Wednesday, Oct. 26.

* Paving over the existing multi-use path on the west side of the street south at South Massachusetts Street.

* Draining the big “flood” puddles along the multi-use path near the U.S. Coast Guard.

* Adding 90 feet of barrier on the multi-use path near South Massachusetts Street.

Also, we’re aware that some northbound East Marginal Way South freight haulers are illegally using the southbound lane to access the Port of Seattle when a train blocks the intersection at South Atlantic Street. I wanted to let you know that WSDOT, SDOT and the Port of Seattle are working together to address the issue while improving safety for all travelers. Here’s what we’re doing:

* Adding two temporary left-turn lanes on northbound East Marginal Way South between South Atlantic Street and South Massachusetts Street. Trucks will be able to use the two added left-turn lanes to access the port instead of illegally using the southbound lane to jump the line or to turn left into the port.

* Increasing traffic enforcement by adding two additional officers on East Marginal Way South. Additional traffic enforcement would likely deter northbound traffic from speeding or illegally using the southbound lane.

* Working with freight haulers to remind them to watch for cyclists and to use extreme caution when sharing the road with cyclists.

* Asking cyclists to do their part by wearing bright clothing, using lights at night and riding in the multi-use path or striped bike lanes whenever possible.

Thank you, again, for riding your bike during the nine-day closure. Please remember to ride smart and stay visible out there. I’ll look forward to meeting you on the Alki path under the West Seattle Bridge at our WSDOT/Cascade Bicycle Club meet and greet.

A list of intersections where SPD will be:

Morning Commute 6a-10a

4th and Spokane

1st and Spokane

1st and Atlantic

Denny and Queen Anne

99 and Denny

Atlantic and Alaskan way

Afternoon/Evening Commute 3p-7p

Hanford and east marginal

Atlantic and Alaskan

Alaskan and Yesler

Alaskan and Marion

5th and spring

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[Al]

Note there is a new, very complex detour coming up on January 5th for cyclists using the Alaskan waterfront.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR99/Tunnel/CurrentWork.htm

This entails some tricky crossings and traffic coming from directions likely not expected. Note that the west sidewalk along Alaskan will remain open (remember cyclists must yield to pedestrians). Cyclists can also avoid the detour by using Western or 1st Ave with the knowledge that traffic may be heavier on those routes in general due to this detour.

For comments contact WSDOT at Benderb@wsdot.wa.gov.

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[Al]

I’ll be attending the Central Waterfront Workshop this evening…if any West Seattle cyclists who regularly ride through the waterfront area have specific concerns let me know and I’ll try to incorporate them into any feedback I give. The waterfront Design Committee is discussing plans with stakeholders who use the area. Some of the cycling related concerns to be discussed are:

· Wide bicycle facilities to anticipate a large volume of riders

· Bicycle facilities that work for all types of riders

· Strong east-west connections

· Shorter crossing distances for bicycles and pedestrians for safer crossings

· Traffic speeds below 30 mph

· Carefully designed and signalized intersections

Let me know if you have additional feedback.

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[lilith]

Al–Thanks for offering, and for keeping us all informed! I’m not sure all these issues fall into this area (the first two may be too far south), but here are mine:

1. I don’t like riding the loop under the West Seattle Bridge (because it is dark and isolated and consequently doesn’t feel safe), so I will often cross the street straight after coming off the bridge, hit the button, then cross whatever road that is to get to the trail. The crossing from the bridge is set very far to the right of the intersection, though, so vehicles often assume the bicyclist is going on the loop. This makes the crossing very vulnerable to vehicles that turn right after crossing the bridge. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who is wary of the loop, and would like the safety of this crossing to be addressed.

2. After you go past the fishing pier and through that weird detour, how exactly does the city think you’re going to end up in the bike lane on the other side of the street? I see people cross at various points, but none are good options. I’m hoping there is some plan for that.

3. There are two main issues I currently have with bike path section along the waterfront–crossings and pedestrian/bicycle mixing. Sub-issues related to crossings:

a. Please make them as infrequent as possible.

b. Manage the behavior of drivers to increase awareness of bicycle crossings and prevent them from blocking the bike path when stopping at the stop light.

c. Consider separate signaling for bicycles, cars, and pedestrians.

d. Separate lanes for bicycles and pedestrians (like Alki). I know it’s not perfect, but even going at slow speeds (I am definitely not a fast cyclist), it seems to take most pedestrians by surprise when they hear my bell. I don’t enjoy startling people, and I’m pretty sure they don’t like it either.

Thanks again! I hope it all goes well and am interested in hearing what is discussed, if you have time.

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[Al]

Thanks for your input lilith! Much of what you said was re-iterated by other cyclists – regarding the “downtown” waterfront section. And about the east side of the lower bridge, there’s been a lot of discussion about that area lately, see this article as well: http://seattlelikesbikes.org/wordpress/?p=1173#comments. Note that SDOT doesn’t plan, as far as I can tell, on doing any intersection upgrades there in the near (or far) future except add some signage. Those of us concerned about this area need to consistently contact SDOT about it, email them! follow up, follow up, and follow up. West Seattle has the 2nd and 3rd (depending on where you count) largest ridership in the city, bike counts for last fall should be out by now…and we need to get more vocal. It benefits cyclists, drivers and pedestrians in the end.

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[Author]

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