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October 30, 2012 at 1:10 am #774028
Don_BrubeckParticipantLet’s give West Seattle a strong voice in the Bike Master Plan Update.
The public workshops on Nov 7 downtown and Nov 8 at New Holly are a big opportunity to be heard and make our presence known.
We would like to make this our focus for the next 10 days.
We need volunteers for these tasks:
Most important: Attend if you can. And invite friends and associates who live or work or play in West Seattle, White Center, Burien, or SODO to attend, so that will be a political force that SDOT and City Council will want to listen to.
Come prepared with a short personal story to tell SDOT’s bike planners and others about why you ride (or don’t), what challenges you face that relate to conditions for riding a bike, how that is important to our community, and what the City could do to improve things for bike riders, car drivers and pedestrians.
We will try to have our most-mentioned routes and spots and types of facilities (bike lanes, greenways, etc.) identified in advance.
We are recruiting trained ride leaders for a group ride home from City Hall after the 5:30-7:30 pm Nov 7 meeting
and ride and bus/train group leaders from New Holly after the 5:30-7:30 pm Nov 8 meeting at New Holly Gathering Place. It is at S Holly & 43rd S near the Othello light rail station and #50 bus from West Seattle.
October 30, 2012 at 5:00 pm #774029
AlParticipantIf you want to contact WSBC directly, you can now do so via email. Please have patience if you email us, we will try to get back to you as soon as we can if you have questions.
wsbikeconnections (at) gmail (dot) com
November 1, 2012 at 6:05 pm #774030
AlParticipantMany people would like to inform an agency (government or otherwise) about an opinion or make a suggestion. Many do not follow through because they put it off, or they are scared of doing it wrong. While contacting an agency about your opinion is always good, making sure your opinion is taken seriously is of high importance. Below are some tips about how to express your opinion in a thoughtful and reasoned manner.
– Make sure you address your letter or email to the correct agency/agencies or person/s and that you have the spelling correct.
– State why you are writing. What specifically has you concerned? Location? Actions of others? Damaged infrastructure?
– Explain the problem that stems from the issue you see. Give a logical explanation of why the particular area is a problem – if you have examples give them. Provide pictures if at all possible that illustrate the problem area.
– Respond quickly. Waiting months after a problem is noticed can create more time before the issue is addressed or fixed.
– Keep your letter or email short. Stick to the point. Try to keep it within several paragraphs if possible. Don’t resort to name-calling or blame. Be careful to suggest fixes that are possible like filling a hole or replacing a drain grate rather than complain generally about your entire bike route.
– Use your real name and contact information if you are comfortable doing so. Many agencies will respond to you for either a thank you or sometimes even to obtain more information. Real-world experience is valued and some agencies are quite responsive.
– Remember that your input can be invaluable for others. If you see a problem, remember that you are likely not the only one. To create a better infrastructure for cyclists mandates good input from cyclists.
November 1, 2012 at 6:06 pm #774031
AlParticipantWSBC recently heard from SDOT about the upcoming Seattle Bike Master Plan meeting format for next week. Below is the summarized information:
The format of the Nov 7 Seattle Bike Master Plan (BMP) meeting is a public meeting (open house with break-out groups). There will be a presentation about the BMP update and boards with the different draft products SDOT has been developing. The break-out groups will be an opportunity to focus on the draft topics and gather feedback from attendees. SDOT will have draft network maps with facility designations around the room, so people can put direct comments about the lines and facility designations and talk with staff and each other. SDOT is not yet at the point of intersection locations that need better bicycle improvements, though they know sites are numerous, and will have intersection treatments as part of the bicycle facility toolkit.
The Nov 8 and 13 meetings will be an open house format, so no break-out groups with facilitators and scribes, with the same presentation and all of the same boards from the Nov 7 meeting with staff to talk with participants and gather feedback on the draft materials.
There will also be an online lunch and learn on Nov 15 where SDOT will also be answering questions/gathering feedback. SDOT will have an online comments opportunity open for a month.
SDOT encourages those who are interested to come to the meeting(s) and learn/respond to where they are with the BMP update and let us know if they are on the right track.
November 7, 2012 at 4:40 am #774032
Don_BrubeckParticipantSDOT Bike Master Plan Update Community Meetings are
Wednesday 11/7 5:30 to 7:30 pm at City Hall
and
Thursday 11/8 5:30 to 7:30 pm at New Hall Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave South (corrected address)
Please consider participating with us, to give West Seattle a strong voice in the Seattle Bike Master Plan Update. We want to make bikes an important part of West Seattle’s transportation network, with benefits not just to cyclists, but to car drivers, bus riders, truckers and businesses by helping relieve congestion on our streets, buses and bridges.
We had a good planning session last night with folks who have quite different interests, routes, riding habits and neighborhoods, leading to a good discussion around a bike map, a composite list of problem points where there are poor conditions or conflicts with car and truck traffic, and our collective experience of good routes for different types of riders and purposes for riding.
We agreed on this, I think:
For the SDOT meetings this week, we’ll do well if each of us goes to them to talk about the part of West Seattle and the routes we know best. Prepare to explain what and why a particular route is valuable, and what challenges you see in making it work better. It will help to promote what we like, what the City has done well, and make a polite requests for what could be better. This could be a Greenway, a path or trail, or a through-commuter route with bike lanes or just smoother paving to get to workplaces, or a recreational route for fast cyclists or for families, kids, slower riders. Bringing a map already marked up will help, especially at the City Hall meeting, to be able to transfer information to the City’s maps in a potentially crowded session. If you bring something, you may be able to hand this kind of written or graphic information to the SDOT reps.
A common theme among us was the desire to establish routes and facilities that feel and are safe enough to attract riders, like some of our spouses and kids, who presently are not comfortable riding on most West Seattle streets. In addition to places that work well already, like the Alki Trail, and “no-brainer” potential Greenways like the already-identified Delridge routes on 16th, 21st and 26th Avenues, there are other routes that could be in plan for riders wanting low traffic alternatives to arterials. Examples are 45th Avenue from Fauntleroy to Admiral as a lower traffic alternative west of California Avenue, and 34th Ave from Morgan into Arbor Heights, and a proposed Highland Park greenway through Westcrest Park, greenbelt, 11th Ave, South Seattle Community College north to Brandon.
We do not want to forget or assume that the needs of commuters are other faster riders are taken care of already, or will be served by greenways. Improvements on arterials and trails are needed, and generally were identified in the WS Bikeability report and are in David’s spreadsheet. The West Marginal and Duwamish trail has been ignored, but also needs help to work well for people commuting from the east side of WS to downtown or to Tukwila, Seatac, other points south and east, so if you know this route, your input to SDOT will be valuable.
East-west routes are the obvious challenge. Avalon, Admiral, Fauntleroy, Andover, Alaksa, Orchard, Sylvan Way, Barton… Whichever ones you use or would like to use need advocacy for the type of improvements that deserve inclusion in the master plan.
Participants: Bob Winship, Bob Weeks, Brian Paetsch, Craig Rankin, Jeff Hallman, Theresa Beaulieu. We enjoyed pizza from Slices on Alki, salad from Brian and my wife Lynn, fresh Pyramid stout and Snowcap Ale from Jeff’s bike-mounted growlers, brownies from Craig I think, and halloween candy from Theresa, and have enough left for another group to come over for an election night party if you want to! I hope we can repeat this sometime soon to talk about our next steps, including meeting as a group with SDOT reps in a few weeks.
Don
November 7, 2012 at 4:49 pm #774033
AlParticipantThanks for the information Don!
I will be attending both meetings, today via bike downtown tomorrow via vehicle. If anyone needs a ride FROM the New Holly meeting tomorrow I have room for one more (with bike) to West Seattle. Let me know if you want a ride home and I’ll reserve a seat for you.
NOTE:
SDOT’s announcement gave an incorrect address for the New Holly meeting.
The correct address is 7054 32nd Ave S
This is about a 12 minute walk or a few minutes ride west from the light rail station on Othello, which turns into Myrtle. Then take a right on 32nd, heading north.
November 9, 2012 at 5:21 am #774034
Don_BrubeckParticipantWe did it again tonight, at New Holly! Nice turnout at a smaller meeting, good conversations and mapping with Seattle Department of Transportation and Alta bike planners. More on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WestSeattleBikeConnections, Website coming soon for those who don’t “Like” Facebook.
Let’s follow up soon with a get together to recap our mapping input and other input, so we can add to the WS Greenways google maps, and talk about inviting SDOT staff out here to meet, maybe ride or look at images/video of our favorite areas.
November 12, 2012 at 9:41 pm #774035
AlParticipantIf you couldn’t make it to the Seattle Bike Master Plan (BMP) meetings you still have the opportunity to give your input.
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster.htm
On November 15, there is an online lunch and learn sponsored by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). This will take place between 12 – 1 p.m. on any computer you would like to use. Register at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/718370686.
You can also attend the December 5th meeting of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB), 6 to 8 p.m. in room L280 in City Hall (600 4th Ave – use the 5th Ave entrance and take elevator down to L2).
Contact Sara Zora at SDOT, sara.zora@seattle.gov with further questions or comments about the BMP.
November 15, 2012 at 6:01 pm #774036
AlParticipantBIG WINS for WEST SEATTTLE
The City Council added funding to the budget for the coming year not only for a start of the Delridge Greenways but also for SDOT study and design to improve the 5-way intersection and trail crossings at the low-
level West Seattle Bridge!
This is a big win for West Seattle Bike Connections, showing what our involvement can accomplish, working along with WS Spokespeople, WS Greenways and the Seattle Bike Advisory Board and Cascade Bicycle Club. We called attention to the needs and got out there in numbers to influence which areas will get funding priority.
We owe a lot to our champions Council Members Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen, who took the lead on this. Please email or call them to thank them!
Sally Bagshaw: sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov 206-684-8801
Tom Rasmussen: Tom Rasmussen tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov 206-684-8808
November 19, 2012 at 10:35 pm #774037
Don_BrubeckParticipantWest Duwamish Trail design meeting Nov 20
It’s about one of our “West Seattle bike connections”
What: South Park Transportation Committee meeting
Who: Art Brochet
Why: West Duwamish Trail Design Through South Park
When: Tuesday, November 20, 7:00 pm
Where: South Park Neighborhood Center
8201 10th Ave. S.
“Art Brochet from the Seattle Department of Transportation will be at the South Park Transportation Committee meeting with a presentation and discussion about the designing of the West Duwamish Trail through South Park.
“We could sure use some people who ride bikes to join us.-
Dagmar Cronn
President, South Park Area Redevelopment Committee”
November 19, 2012 at 10:38 pm #774038
Don_BrubeckParticipantFamily Biking Survey
Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation passes on this invitation to participate in a short survey. “We’re especially interested in getting feedback from people who are new bicyclists or don’t currently bike very much, or families who have preschoolers.”
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/family-biking-survey
Deadline Dec 15
November 26, 2012 at 5:12 pm #774039
AlParticipantWest Seattle Bike Connections (WSBC) will be meeting with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) sometime between December 10 – 12th for a “one on one” discussion about the Seattle Bike Master Plan (BMP). The meeting will be focused on bike routes and the BMP mapping process. We would like your input about what routes on the BMP map you like, what routes need to be changed, what routes should be added, what “type” of route would be more/less suitable (i.e. Greenway vs. bike lanes vs. Shared lanes), etc. More information and the bike map, which you can “comment” on by adding/deleting routes (read the instructions for more information) until December 17 can be found here:
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster.htm.
WSBC would like your input about the BMP routes so we can address some of the most pressing, popular, or needed facilities directly with SDOT.
Respond about the routes you ride regularly or the routes nearest to your residence. We want to keep the feedback very local and very specific. Write about where you ride and why it’s important.
Please feel free to respond here (West Seattle Blog Forum or the WSBC Facebook page) – we will consolidate the answers for our discussion with SDOT.
We will need answers by Sunday, December 2.
Thanks for all your support!
December 8, 2012 at 6:28 pm #774040
AlParticipantNote there will be a change this upcoming week to the shared ped/bike path underneath the Viaduct. Broch Bender of WSDOT shared this information:
SR 99 Tunnel project crews will close the bike/pedestrian shared-use path under the Alaskan Way Viaduct between Yesler Way and South Washington Street Monday to Friday, Dec. 10-14, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. We’re detouring pedestrians onto First Avenue. Signs will direct bicyclists to merge with vehicle traffic under the viaduct.
The temporary closures are needed to allow crews room to install ground monitors along the tunnel route. Thank you for your patience. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, email viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov or call (888) AW-LINE (298-5463).
Broch Bender
WSDOT Communications and Public Involvement
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program
December 17, 2012 at 4:14 pm #774041
AlParticipantReceived another notice of a sidewalk closure that could effect your bicycle commute if you use the waterfront WEST sidewalk:
“Construction is really picking up in the closed portion of Alaskan Way between South Jackson and Yesler Way. For safety reasons, the west sidewalk south of Yesler Way will be closed and all foot traffic will be directed to the shared-use path under the Alaskan Way Viaduct
.
We plan to close the sidewalk at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 and It will remain closed until crews finish heavy construction in the area, at least through January 2013.
Thank you for your continued patience. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns, email viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov or call 888-AWV-LINE (5463).
Broch Bender
WSDOT Communications and Public Involvement
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program”
December 17, 2012 at 5:22 pm #774042
geronimoMemberYeah, ran into that on my south-bound commute this morning. Signage could certainly be better…
December 17, 2012 at 7:01 pm #774043
AlParticipantDo call or email, email is great so you have a trail of contact information, either the phone number or address listed above.
The more people that contact them the better the signage will be. All the signage I saw this morning was that the sidewalk was closed with an arrow pointing east, then nothing. Unless one rides the street regularly, or the multi-use path next to it (that’s also closed and doesn’t take you all the way north anyway) there’s no signage telling you how to get northbound.
I’m going to assume the same for the southbound commute…likely the signage is not good for heading south (and it’s more complicated to begin with).
January 11, 2013 at 5:06 am #774044
Don_BrubeckParticipantGood news for Denny Middle School: Success with a safe routes to schools mini-grant from Seattle Department of Transportation. Theresa Beaulieu, member of West Seattle Bike Connections, submitted the grant applicaiton to create a designated bike route and signage on campus, with incentives to support and encourage more Denny students to choose healthy alternative ways to school. The program will focus on both student and teacher involvement, with promotional materials and prizes to reward regular ridership.
January 17, 2013 at 4:50 am #774045
Don_BrubeckParticipantOn MLK Day, Jan 21, 2:00 to 4:00 pm
West Seattle Spokespeople are planning a community service project at the West Seattle Bridge trail intersection. West Seattle Bike Connections members will participate and hope to see you there!
Announcement today in WSBlog and on Sustainable West Seattle’s web page.
February 16, 2013 at 12:09 am #774046
AlParticipantIf anyone was wondering about the construction barrels and signage that is located along the west side of E. Marginal around Hanford to Spokane St here is some helpful information for you from SDOT:
The barrels and trailer sign have been moved so that they do not block the sidewalk or bike lane on E Marginal Way S. They are in this area as part of the construction that is starting on E Marginal Way S between S Nevada St and Duwamish Ave S. WSDOT is replacing an existing timber structure with a permanent structure. The project web site is here: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr99/spokanestovercrossing/
This project is planned to be completed in June 2014. Most of the time there will not be closures during the weekday daytime that require the use of the barrels for any road closures south of Spokane St. These will occur for short periods mostly at night and on weekends. If you notice the barrels stored in a way that impacts the bike lane or the sidewalk you can contact the project directly to have this addressed. If this does not produce appropriate action you can contact me and I will follow up on the issue.
If you have additional concerns or comments please feel free to contact me.
Thank you
John Arnesen
Seattle Department of Transportation
Construction Coordination
206-684-8921
206-351-6203 cell
206-470-6722 fax
February 24, 2013 at 3:37 am #774047
Don_BrubeckParticipantWest Seattle Bike Connections Meeting
March 5, 2013
7:00 to 8:30 pm
Uptown Espresso
We will be meeting with an SDOT traffic engineer regarding the intersections at 35th-36th & Avalon, and the 5-way intersection at Chelan/Spokane/Delridge/West Marginal; and to hear reports on WSBC projects including bike parking in commercial areas, safe routes to schools and school bike parking.
March 30, 2013 at 9:34 pm #774048
Don_BrubeckParticipantWest Seattle Bike Connections Meeting
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
6:30 to 8:00 pm
at Cycle U
3418 Harbor Ave SW Seattle, WA 98136
Open meeting – come get involved or just check us out.
Reports from project leads and agency meetings
Bike Master Plan Update status
Recruiting volunteers for summer festivals, bike to school, other projects
April 15, 2013 at 5:09 am #774049
Jeff HParticipantWe’re online and going strong…
http://westseattlebikeconnections.org
Events are posted and continually updated…that includes monthly open-to-the-public meetings.
Please join us if you want help getting around by bike, or if you want to help others.
http://westseattlebikeconnections.org/join
There are BIG changes happening around Seattle, and more public input to the Bike Master Plan is needed before it is officially adopted later this year!
April 15, 2013 at 7:27 pm #774050
Don_BrubeckParticipantWEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS MEETING
Tuesday, May 7
6:30 to 8:00 pm
at Cycle U (thank u!)
3418 Harbor Ave SW Seattle, WA 98136
Agenda:
reports on projects
planning for Alki Summer Streets
bike parking at the store;
bus stops nearby;car parking across the street in gravel lot
April 16, 2013 at 3:29 am #774051
sbreParticipantCome join us if you’re curious, a group of neat & dedicated people and usually some tasty treats too!!!!
April 16, 2013 at 2:23 pm #774052
trimParticipantWould be nice if they cleaned up some of the blind spots coming up to 35th from the more residential areas between camp long and walgreens. Lots of drivers needing to stop their cars directly on the crosswalks.
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