Transportation Levy – call for action

The next Seattle Transportation Levy will fund most of the next 8 years of work on our streets, trails and public spaces. The Mayor’s draft does not get us where we need to go. Deadline is this Friday for comments.

Please spend five minutes to take the SDOT “community questionnaire”survey.

The City’s polling shows that voters will support a $1.7B levy that could make real progress. Why would we want to vote for a $1.3B levy that just reinforces car-dependency, fails to act on climate change, and fails to improve safety, equity, and connectivity commitments to people walking, rolling, biking and taking transit.

Please  take the SDOT “community questionnaire”survey.
Group photo of bike riders from West Seattle at rally at Jimi Hendrix Park.
West Seattle represents at rally for Transportation and Housing for a Healthy Future.

Ride to the Rally

We rode to the Transportation and Housing rally with our allies… to tell the Mayor and Council that we need a Transportation Levy that prioritizes safety, equity, climate action, and the needs of people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit. The draft levy does not get us to where we need to go.
Poster for Transportation and Housing for a Healthy Future Rally, April 20, 2024
Because the Spokane Street bridge was closed to traffic, we took a route yesterday across the 1st Avenue Bridge through Georgetown and SODO that demonstrates the needs that the draft levy will not meet.
Thank you Stu Hennessey for leading the ride.
Group of bike riders in protected bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW
in protected bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW
Group of bike riders crossing street
Crossing from bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW to Duwamish Trail.
Group of bike riders on paved trail by railroad tracks and street.
On the Duwamish Trail
Group of bike riders on First Avenue South Bridge.
on First Avenue South Bridge.
Stu Hennessey at East Marginal Way S
Group of bike riders
Waiting to cross East Marginal Way S at S River Street/ 4th Avenue S

 

Photo of Clara Cantor taking a group photo
Clara from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways taking a group photo at rally

 

 

 

West Seattle group arriving at rally
View of people at rally at Jimi Hendrix Park
Rally at Jimi Hendrix Park

We need a transportation levy to get Seattle on track

A woman sitting in a wheelchair speaks into a microphone in front of a row of people wearing raincoats and holding signs promoting and demanding sidewalks, buses, and bike lanes.

Last week, Mayor Harrell released his draft proposal for the next levy that will fund our transportation projects for the next 8 years, and it won’t get us where we need to go. 

ACT NOW to push back on cuts to sidewalks and transit funding.

Seattle needs a levy that puts us on track to meet our city’s climate, safety, and equity goals. These are commitments that the city has already made. But these goals don’t mean anything if we don’t fund them. Now is the time to put our money where our mouth is!

At a time when we need to be investing more, his draft proposal:

  • Slashes pedestrian funding by $32 million (23%), compared to current levy spending, adjusted for inflation.
  • Slashes transit funding by $52 million (30%)
  • Increases car-focused spending by $189 million (33%), bringing this bucket dramatically out of balance with other spending.

ACT NOW to push back on dramatic cuts to sidewalks and transit funding.

Alt Text: Three images of people holding signs that read “Safe Streets for the South End”, “I <3 sidewalks, bike lanes, & bus lanes!” and “Don’t Defund Transit.”

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways,  Disability Rights Washington, West Seattle Bike Connections and 12 other organizations (and counting!) are pushing to right these wrongs.

Our Demands:

  • Dedicate at least 50% of levy funding to improvements for people walking, rolling, biking, and riding transit (a minimum!)
  • Prioritize levy funding for historically disinvested communities that do not yet have safe walking and biking infrastructure, including south Delridge and Roxbury.
  • Propose a larger levy total of at least $1.7B.

Specifically, we’re pushing for funding for:

  1. Accessibility — sidewalks and crosswalks:
  2. Safety — Vision Zero
  3. Transit Reliability
  4. Equitable Bike Routes
  5. Anti-Displacement Work
  6. Urban Freeway Mitigation
  7. Livability: accessible public restrooms

Click here to see the full set of demands.

 

Bike Everywhere Day – May 17, 2024

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 on Friday, May 17.

Homemade baked goods, coffee, 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.

SDOT will be there with the latest info on the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project and local bike shops will be on hand for simple, on-the-spot repairs

May 2 Advocacy Training / Campaign Planning Workshop

Photo of WSBC members looking at route maps at an SDOT open house for neighborhood greenway projects.

Are you interested in making West Seattle a safer place to walk or ride a bike but don’t know where to start? Tuesday evening is your chance to learn how to build community support, work with agencies and elected officials, and make your neighborhood a better place to live.

West Seattle Bike Connections has invited Clara Cantor, Community Organizer with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, to teach methods for planning your project, finding allies and handling opposition. Our discussion will highlight WSBC’s top priority (an east-west route through southern West Seattle) but what you learn will make you a better advocate for any project you want to see in your neighborhood.

Join us on Tuesday, May 2 at 6:30pm to 8:30 pm

At Neighborhood House: 6400 Sylvan Way SW

Entrance and bike parking are at the northwest corner of the building.

This is our regular monthly meeting time, dedicated this month to this workshop. We welcome and embrace the diversity of experiences and knowledge of everyone in our city, particularly with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical ability. We invite you to join us!

Large group of cyclists gathered at Spokane Street Bridge for memorial for RobbGroup photo of people waiting to testify to City Council for safety improvements on West Marginal Way SW at Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural CeneterWSBC folks meeting with SDOT traffic engineer and Tony Fragada from Alki Community Council at Harbor Ave/ SW Spokane intersection. WSBC, SDOT and Port of Seattle reps meeting on West Marginal Way SW to discuss potential bike lane. Claudia Mason speaking to bike riders gathered for memorial for Robb Mason at Spokane St Bridge.

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.

Cycle History – West Seattle Music Scene

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society and West Seattle Bike Connections are delighted to announce that Cycle History is back for an in-person ride in 2022!
September 18, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Start from the drive between the north side of West Seattle High School and Hiawatha Community Center.
Come explore West Seattle’s music scene –from jazz to grunge, we’ll have stops to please music lovers, bike enthusiasts, and everyone in between! Musician and West Seattle music historian, Peder Nelson, will tell stories, play clips of music, and introduce a couple of guests from the music community.
This Cycle History ride is an annual project of Southwest Seattle Historical Society and West Seattle Bike Connections. Join us after the ride for the End of the Summer Social at the Log House Museum, 1-3pm.
Ride information and registration here: https://cascade.org/node/79067
This will be a Cascade Bicycle Club free group ride. Please register in advance so we can get going more quickly.

How do we end traffic violence?

Robb Mason was killed by the driver of a white or silver sedan at the east end of the Spokane St Bridge right near this spot. Here is another one willing to do the same thing. Joe is clearly visible, clearly intending to cross the at the clearly signed crossing, with family and friends on the way to Seattle Neighborhood Greenways safe streets party. Joe has the right of way. The driver has an obligation to stop but does not care. How can we get drivers like this to care? Or, at least prevent them from committing this kind of violence?

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.