Today another vehicle driver decided that the bike/ped detour lane under the Alaska Way Viaduct near S Main St was a handy place to park and leave a truck. There has to be use of this area for loading for some of the businesses, but this van was obviously there for construction work, probably tunnel construction work.
Reporting to SPD Parking Enforcement didn’t work – non-emergency line was too booked up and the recorded message said call back later in the day. Worth a try, but would have been too late.
So, in addition to email to Cascade Concrete & Drilling directly to request better behavior, an email to SDOT’s “Construction Hub” program and WSDOT SR99 Viaduct Project got a quick response back from Melody Berry, SDOT Construction Hub Coordination Program Supervisor, promising enforcement. If you see a problem that has to do with construction detours or construction project use of streets in the downtown core area or the WS Junction, give them a try!
Back in February, Denny International Middle School parent and PTA member Theresa Beaulieu, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase bikes for students of the school. She was able to raise $1,500 in donations, enough to buy 10 KHS mountain bikes from West Seattle’s Alki Bike and Board, owned by Stu Hennesey.
The bikes came in boxes, so Theresa coordinated a bike assembly day (back in July) with Will King, Denny’s Out of School Program Director, who was able to get kids to help put the bikes together. The students rotated through assembly stations during a 3 hour period to help Theresa and two additional volunteers, Jason Beaulieu and Jeff Hallman. Saddles, wheels, pedals, handlebars and reflectors were installed and brakes were checked and adjustments made. The kids had fun learning how to work on bikes and even more fun test-riding them once they were done (a vital step that all mechanics use to ensure that the bike is safe).
These bikes are being used for Denny’s inaugural Major Taylor Program, which was held after school on Thursdays this fall. Cascade’s Major Taylor Program administers the program, which is co-lead by Miles Schulman of Americorps. According to Miles,
“Every Thursday a group of six kids and two instructors hit the roads around Denny, riding everywhere from Fauntleroy Park to High Point Pond, stopping on our rides to enjoy views, play football, and get some hot chocolate and snacks. We taught the kids hand signals, road safety techniques, emergency stops, and shifting. Students got to practice mountain biking techniques in the parks around their neighborhood. We climbed big hills and loved flying down them.”
Two of the club riders, Abdi and Kai, even participated in this year’s Subaru Woodland Park Cyclocross Series #6 race, held on November 9, 2014 at Woodland Park. Both students did exceptionally well, completing two laps covered in mud!
Photo courtesy of Dennis CranePhoto courtesy of Dennis Crane
We will be having another Spring Bike Club at Denny and look forward to the fun rides ahead. Thank you to all who have donated, supported and helped Theresa’s dream come true, and that is to have an after school bike club at Denny to help get more kids comfortable on bikes.
The start of new bike racks today at Alki Elementary School. We helped parents, who met us at our Alki Summer Streets bike rodeo, scope out locations and connect with Brian Dougherty at SDOT. Principal Shannon Stanton and teacher Mr. Leeper really are supportive of kids walking and biking to school. A few parents, the Principal and a teacher or two. That’s what it takes! The kids are willing.
Beautiful evening for a ride, bonfire, hot drinks and Christmas ship caroling at Alki. with a few of us and others from Seattle Family Biking FB group. Thanks to Charity McCollum for getting us going!
In West Seattle, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has supported our efforts to create the North Delridge Greenway on 26th (completed); the Delridge/Highland Park Greenway (construction in 2015); vigil walks for traffic collision victims; the 35th Avenue SW Corridor Safety Project; and alliances with other groups.
This event is free. That’s because volunteers are doing the work. If you can help with set up (starting at 3:30), running the event (from 5-8), or teardown (after 8:00), contact Gordon Padelford at SNG: info (at) sng (dot) org.
Driving 3.3 miles on 35th Ave SW from Fauntleroy to SW Roxbury takes 5 minutes at 40 mph, or 6.6 minutes at 30 mph, if you could make all the lights and no traffic slows you down. Assuming that was possible, how important is it to get there 100 seconds faster? It is worth risking lives?
Open meeting – you are invited and welcome to plan activities and meet others who are working to make it easy and safe to use a bike to get around West Seattle and beyond.
We need volunteers for:
advocacy to city agencies
participation and presentations for neighborhood associations;
writing stories;
taking pictures;
making maps;
graphic design;
grant applications for street and trail improvements;
representing us with our partners at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Sustainable West Seattle;
setting organizational tools and accounts,
leading or volunteering at events like Alki Summer Streets and Fiestas Patrias;
baking cookies for Bike to Work day;
working with businesses and schools on bike parking and safe routes to school and Bike Month;
helping organize new Greenways groups;
welcoming and following up with people who “join us” or “like” us online;
organizing or leading social rides around West Seattle;
organizing or working at DIY trail maintenance projects;
All these are potential meeting topics, but even if you can’t make an evening meeting, you can offer to volunteer in something that interests you, by email to us directly at westseattlebikeconnections@gmail.com
A driver convicted and awaiting sentencing for a road rage against one of our local heroes. Jake Vanderplas, community leader and initiator with Stu Hennessey of the North Delridge greenways, is a model for calm, responsible riding. Hard to believe that he could have triggered the assault by the driver, who is now awaiting sentencing. Good to see that the courts are taking this kind of crime more seriously.
Meanwhile, same day, another person walking across a street at an intersection was killed by someone driving a car. On Delridge this time. Traffic in the other lane was stopped for the pedestrian. This street has a 35 mph speed limit. The survival rate at that speed is a small fraction of what it is if speeds are reduced to 25 mph.
We need drivers to slow down and pay attention! We all need to walk, ride, and drive with patience and care for each other.
Thank you to West Seattle Blog for the reporting and the community conversations.
Alon Bassok teaches in UW Civil Engineering’s Masters of Sustainable Transportation program. His class chose to look at commuting by bike from West Seattle to downtown through the Port area. Coincidentally, Alon lives in West Seattle and rides a bike, in addition to being extremely knowledgeable about freight mobility, so he could give them some guidance and lead them to resources. One project stands out for its analysis, graphics, and ideas. Brian Wood and Bon Provenzano joined us at a recent WSBC meeting to share and discuss their work. Brian came in from Whidbey Island, mostly by bike, and Bon joined via Skype from the north of England. Take a look!
