Bike Everywhere Day – May 19

West Seattle Bike Connections and friends welcome you once again to Bike Everywhere Day at the west end of the Spokane Low Bridge from 6 to 9 AM. Homemade baked goods, beverages and information on bicycling routes and planned improvements will be available, and local enthusiasts can answer questions about commuting, recreational cycling and other biking issues including the newest campaign we are cooking up. photo of woman riding bike on trail approaching Spokane Street Bridge. Semi truck and high bridge in background.

Spokane St Bridge closure – recommended detour

As you know, the Spokane Street Bridge is currently out of commission. To ride or walk from West Seattle across the Duwamish River it is now necessary to use the First Avenue South Bridge or the South Park Bridge.

Here is a bike detour route from our Resources page that we recommend. A bit longer but with less vehicle traffic and lower vehicle speeds than SDOT’s detour route. Most of it is signed as a bike route, but signage is lacking at the foot of the First Avenue S Bridge. The RideWithGPS route has audio and printable cues for turns. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34419471

Here is a current video of that route, from John Graham: https://youtu.be/eLyQXbQ7xfw

More than 2-1/2 years ago, we asked SDOT to make permanent improvements for a safe detour route to the Spokane Street Bridge for just this sort of predictable and likely event.  Our allies at Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and Cascade Bicycle Club joined us in these requests for the Reconnect West Seattle work. SDOT did not respond, except for minor improvements on 6th Ave S and one track crossing. Now it is an emergency. SDOT is putting together a temporary detour route with temporary protections, and the City is working with King County Metro to offer free bus and water taxi rides for all who need alternatives. While hoping for a more pro-active work for permanent improvements, we are grateful for the current effort. The temporary work and the transit fare relief give options for people biking, and provides a valuable opportunity to test out the planned bike lanes for part of West Marginal Way SW, and bike routes in Georgetown and SODO.

If you try either or both of these routes, or have another to suggest, please let us know what you think.

Terrible tracks no more

Some good news! The terrible track crossing on the Duwamish Trail by the cement plants was fixed last week with permanent steel-edged precast concrete panels.

We’ve been asking for years. This kind of spot improvement makes it safe and comfortable to travel by bike. Thank you to SDOT and BNSF!

And, thank you to Desiree Serr for the photo.

This is an actively used rail line, so do watch for trains, and cross tracks at 90 degree angle.

Bike Everywhere Day May 20, 2022

Join West Seattle Bike Connections, SDOT and the Flip Your Trip team from 6-9 AM and again from 4-7 PM where bike trails meet just west of the West Seattle Low Bridge. Satisfy your morning hunger with homemade baked goods and coffee, and tasty treats and bikey beverages at both events. Get advice on safe routes and equipment, including the latest information on construction of the upcoming East Marginal Way S Corridor Improvement Project, and a selfie with Sal the Salmon. Simple bike repairs come courtesy of Westside Bicycles in the morning and Bike Works in the afternoon. Light sets, bandannas, koozies and other swag will be available, and you can sign up for a prize giveaway from local businesses.

If you can volunteer to help for an hour or 9 two between 6 and 9 am, email us at westseattlebikeconnections@gmail.com .

West Marginal Way SW / Duwamish Trail missing link

SDOT announced a decision for the Duwamish Trail missing link on West Marginal Way SW: Protected bike lanes will be installed after the West Seattle Bridge reopens in mid-2022.

While sooner would be better, it is good to have this commitment from SDOT to permanently improve safety for bike riders and vehicle drivers on West Marginal Way SW. Reducing the opportunities for reckless right-side passing by impatient drivers should reduce the frequent crashes that tie up traffic for hours and injure people using this route. WMW is an essential freight route. We understand the need to prioritize freight and to accommodate all others who must use this street.
Kudos to the SDOT Vision Zero team. They developed a creative plan and reached out and listened to all who depend on this street for transportation and for safe pedestrian crossing at the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center.
This will fill in a missing link in the Duwamish Trail, a regional bike commuting and recreational route leading to the Alki Trail, West Seattle Junction, South Park, Georgetown, Green River Trail, Tukwila, SODO, Downtown Seattle, and the Mountains to Sound Trail. The route serves marginalized communities in the Duwamish Valley. This route is critical for all bike traffic between northern West Seattle and Greater Seattle at times when the Spokane Street Bridge is closed to bike traffic for inspections and repairs. The improvements will make the route safer for commuting by bike, especially in winter and at night, and more comfortable for people of all ages and abilities.

Bike Everywhere Day Celebration Station – Friday May 21

6 to 9 a.m. 5/21/21.
Come visit our Bike Everywhere Day station where the trails meet at the west end of the Spokane Street Bridge!
In partnership with Commute Seattle, WSBC will be joined by Westside Bicycle and Bike Works, who will be providing bike checks and simple repairs. We’ll have information on bicycling routes, giveaways (including a bike from Bike Works!) and a selfie booth to snap a #FlipYourTrip photo with Sal the Salmon, courtesy of SDOT. Volunteers will be on hand to answer your local cycling questions–from commuting to just getting started. We look forward to seeing you!
Check out Cascades Bicycle Club’s map for other celebration stations and Bike Month activities. https://cascade.org/rides-and…/bike-everywhere-month-2021
Four people standing and chatting, one with bike, at our Bike Everywhere Day Celebration Station. People with bikes meeting in early morning at our Bike Everywhere Day Celebration Station table and tent. Councilmember Lorena Gonzales with e-bike at our Bike Everywhere Day Celebration Station.

Crash in Georgetown kills bike rider

We are heartbroken for the person killed yesterday by the driver of a semi-truck on S Michigan St, and family and friends.  Sorry for the truck driver, too.
Reports of circumstances and cause are conflicting. The investigation is not complete.  The news reports, blog comments and police blotter are all likely to be incorrect. No matter the cause, we grieve this loss.
In Georgetown and SODO,  people must use the same streets whether they are biking or driving heavy trucks. Most unfortunately, this fatal crash is not the first. This is why we need the Mayor and Council to fund and SDOT to build safe bike routes through Georgetown and SODO with decent paving, and separation of bike riders from heavy trucks on arterials, and traffic calming and street edge definition on minor streets. Drivers of large trucks have huge blind spots. Intersections on arterials with heavy truck traffic need to be designed and marked for safety of cyclists and pedestrians and turning movements of trucks. The Freight Master Plan and Bicycle Master Plan show what to do [FMP appendix C] and how to do it. Now, just do it.
UPDATE:  Some folks in Georgetown invite all to join them in a

Map showing truck crashes at intersections in Seattle from 2009 through 2014, with heavy concentration in Georgetown, SODO and downtown.
Truck crashes are frequent in Georgetown and SODO.

Photo of ghost bike by Henry Hargreaves, Brooklyn NY, c 2011, used with permission.

Safety for West Marginal Way SW

With Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, we support SDOT’s proposal to add a two-way protected bike lane on West Marginal Way SW from West Marginal Place SW to the  crosswalk at the north end of the Duwamish Trail.

This will fill in the missing link in the Duwamish Trail, a regional bike route leading to the Alki Trail, West Seattle Junction, South Park, Georgetown, Green River Trail, SODO, Downtown Seattle, and the Mountains to Sound Trail. The route serves marginalized and underserved communities in the Duwamish Valley. This route is critical for all bike traffic between northern West Seattle and Greater Seattle at times when the Spokane Street Bridge is closed to bike traffic for inspections and repairs.

Map of SDOT options for West Marginal Way SW revisions for Duwamish Trail connection.

Cross section drawing of SDOT option 2 for West Marginal Way SW bike lane for Duwamish Trail connection.

 

 

A significant benefit of the protected bike lane will be to improve traffic safety for all road users by slowing down speeding southbound traffic on West Marginal Way SW.

Crashes are frequent and severe. Median speeds were in the mid-40’s and did not come down after speed limits were lowered to 30.  Now speed radar signs are up, resulting in only about a 5 mph reduction. There is no congestion problem southbound due to lane capacity. There is a speeding and reckless driving problem, causing crashes and making it treacherous to cross on foot. Traffic congestion only occurs at the south end at the Highland Park Way intersection, where the backup from the First Avenue South Bridge begins. Along most of West Marginal Way SW, frantic drivers are rushing to get into the traffic jam as fast as they can. To hurry up and wait. Making more of the north end consistently one lane will allow drivers who travel at or near the speed limit to control the speed of all traffic, without any effect on throughput across the bridges. The bridges are the choke points, not the street.

photo of three people crossing West Marginal Way Southwest on foot at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center

For the short distance between the Duwamish Trail crossing and the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, we support SDOT’s option to allow parking in the curb lane north of the new signal and crosswalk. This will eliminate the current illegal use of the sidewalk area for parking that blocks pedestrian access.

Map of SDOT option for West Marginal Way SW curb lane revisions from Duwamish Trail crossing to SW Alaska Street.

Photo of car parked on dirt path on west side of West Marginal Way Southwest where there is no street parking and no paved sidewalk.

Port of Seattle and Seattle Freight Advisory Board members are concerned about losing a traffic lane and about truck maneuvering at drives. We support their goals for good, efficient truck routes including on West Marginal Way SW. Our members and our neighbors are employed by these industries, and we all depend on them. We support SFAB’s request to maintain traffic lane width meeting standards for this Major Truck Street. However, we think the concerns about the PBL are not justified. Some industrial users also want lower traffic speeds, to help them get in and out of their driveways safely. Making the southbound direction continuously one lane from the Chelan intersection to the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center will eliminate the Freight Board’s concerns about traffic merging from two lanes to one approaching SW Alaska Street.  If it turns out we are mistaken and SFAB’s fears are realized, the PBL would be easily reversible. If it turns out we are correct, this would help tame a free-for-all speedway into a street that prioritizes freight for industries and the seaport, but also safely accommodates people on bikes and walking as well as people driving personal cars and trucks.

Building a sidewalk where it is missing on the west side will provide a safer, more comfortable walking route from the nearest bus stops on SW Spokane St and on Delridge Way SW to the industrial employers and the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center. However, sidewalks are not a safe substitute for protected bike lanes in the roadway, due to narrow width and poor sightlines at driveways where buildings are built to the property line at the street. Some have suggested cutting all the street trees to widen the sidewalk to the curb. Cutting more than two dozen healthy street trees would be contrary to City policy and would put cyclists just inches away from the most reckless drivers passing traffic on the right at speeds often exceeding 50 mph, making the route less safe.

photo on West Marginal Way at Duwamish Trail crossing with SDOT, Port of Seattle and community group representatives talking.We appreciate the proactive effort from SDOT to improve safety and mobility on West Marginal Way SW. We also appreciate the ongoing community outreach and engagement to make this work responsive to the needs of all people traveling on this important corridor.

Highland Park Home Zone survey

Some great news for pedestrians and cyclists in the Highland Park – Riverview area:
the Highland Park Home Zone plan presented to HPAC this week.
Now open to 2/15 for more input via short survey,
or email WestSeattleBridge@seattle.gov, or call 206-400-7511.
Kudos to Craig Rankin for dedicated leadership of Highland Park Action Committee!  From his notes:
  • It would be good to hear from more people.
  • Many planned improvements between SW Roxbury, SW Myrtle, Delridge Way, and 5th Ave SW.
  • Very exciting news: accelerated greenway development in HP/Riverview.
  • Comments needed on the cycling aspects.
  • Missing: connection to the Duwamish Trail. Another chance to request the multi-use path on HP Way.
  • Missing: pedestrian crossing improvements at 9th SW/SW Kenyon.
Consider commenting on what looks good in the plan, not just what you think should be added or revised, to show community support.

2020 – What could go right?

Pandemic. Bridge out. It was bad. We are all trying to cope and are grieving our losses, including lives, contacts with loved ones and friends, income, access to education, and more.

But it wasn’t all bad.  Some good things we’ve been working are happening. All of them due to years of work with other people and groups, building relationships, trust and mutual support. Here are five highlights to give us good cheer. Let’s celebrate the end of a miserable year.

Avalon Way SW Protected bike lanes

and intersection safety improvements are completed! We’ve been fully involved with SDOT, local businesses and other stakeholders to make this  key West Seattle bike and transit route safer for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike and take the bus. Thank you!

Child riding bike uphill on Avalon Way SW in new protected bike lane.
Doug’s young son riding uphill in the new protected bike lane.

East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project

Protected bike lanes, intersections with bike signals, and off-street path from S Spokane Street to the Portside Trail are funded and designed for construction in 2021 .  This is a big win. We and our allies at Port of Seattle have been working for this since 2012.  It is a catalyst for increasing the number of people riding bikes to downtown and points east and north.

bike riders mixing with car and semi-truck traffic on East Marginal Way South, Seattle

 

Duwamish Longhouse Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility Project

The Duwamish Tribe’s project was fully funded by City Council, and is in design. Coming soon: sidewalks, crosswalk with traffic signal, and an ADA accessible route to the Duwamish Trail, parking, Ha-ah-Poos Park, and the Duwamish River.
We have been working to support the Tribe’s efforts, successfully building a broad coalition of other community groups. We would like to acknowledge that we are on the unceded traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. Supporting the Tribe’s Ridge to River vision is one way we can go from words into action.
person crossing 5 lanes of traffic with a flagger at Duwamish Longhouse

Reconnect West Seattle

Many of our “Biking to Bridge the Gap ” measures to get more people on bikes for mobility while the West Seattle bridge are in the plan, thanks to a concerted effort with our allies at Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Cascade Bicycle Club. Some are completed. We even did one ourselves with friends from Highland Park. We’ll need to advocate for more in 2021

We also helped a lot of Essential Bikers find ways to commute to work.
And,  e-bikes sales explode, defusing the clamor for new regrade projects to level West Seattle’s hills. Paul Dieter wrote this helpful guide.
Seattle fire fighter and medic in parkas on e-bikes at Duwamish east waterway.

Delridge Way SW Multi-Modal Corridor Project

Another top priority project is under construction. Fast, frequent bus service on the RapidRide H to downtown Burien and downtown Seattle is a big win for West Seattle transportation where it’s needed most. The project does not include everything we’d like to see, and actually removes some bike lane, but is adding a protected bike lane south bound for the south half; greenway improvements on 26th SW, SW Andover and SW Croft, a bike-triggered signal at SW Juneau, and safety improvements at SW Andover to the bridge trail under a Neighborhood Street Fund grant that Kathy Dunn proposed.

girl on bike with bike blender to make smoothies at Delridge Day
WSBC bike blender smoothies at Delridge Day