Month: January 2015

Trucks + Bikes this morning

Cars were turning around to try another route, instead of waiting for the trucks backed up from the Terminal 46 entry gate at Atlantic Street on East Marginal Way S. Bike commuters were going through without any problem. 

A perfect example of how truck traffic in the port and industrial areas is in conflict with car traffic, NOT with bikes. 

Using less roadway width than a general purpose travel lane, people on bikes move beside other traffic on S Spokane and East Marginal Way S. Bikes are not slowing down trucks and cars, and are not slowed down by trucks or cars. Every person on a bike could otherwise be a person in a motor vehicle adding to this traffic jam.  Bike lanes on the major truck streets increase bandwidth and flow. A good barrier between lanes here would increase it a lot more.

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Saturday January 31 – Connect Seattle Summit

Going to Connect Seattle Summit at Cascade Bicycle Club on Saturday (tomorrow)?
If you want to ride there together to represent West Seattle, South Park, or White Center, meet on Alki Trail at 59th SW ready to roll at 10:30 am or under West Seattle Bridge where the trails meet, at 10:45.
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WSBC Meeting February 3

6:30 to 8:00 pm.

Come join us!  Open meeting to plan and report on advocacy, events, rides to make it easier and safer to get around by bike in West Seattle.

Usually at HomeStreet Bank, 41st Ave SW & SW Alaska St, near the Alaska Junction. Check location the day of meeting.

Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has decided not to run for re-election, as you may know by now if you read the West Seattle Blog or the Seattle Bike BlogThank you, Tom Rasmussen for serving us well. We will miss you especially in West Seattle, but you are leaving us a legacy of a better transportation network throughout the city. We really appreciate that you have always been willing to meet, look carefully, listen, and talk straight, not just telling people what they want to hear, but explaining the political and fiscal context of an issue and finding a way to create the best solutions for our community.
Looking forward to riding with you in the future, and hearing about your bike journeys around the world.
Photo: Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has decided not to run for re-election, as you may know by now if you read the West Seattle Blog or the Seattle Bike Blog</p><br /> <p>Thank you, Tom Rasmussen for serving us well. We will miss you especially in West Seattle, but you are leaving us a legacy of a better transportation network throughout the city. We really appreciate that you have always been willing to meet, look carefully, listen, and talk straight, not just telling people what they want to hear, but explaining the political and fiscal context of an issue and finding a way to create the best solutions for our community.<br /><br /> Looking forward to riding with you in the future, and hearing about your bike journeys around the world.

 

Options for Chelan 5-way intersection!

Short, Medium and Long Term schemes were presented at tonight’s Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board Meeting. These grew out of a workshop held last February with participation by SDOT and lots of stakeholders, including West Seattle Bike Connections.  The short term option has funding and can be completed in 2015. The medium and long term options are unfunded. There was no support expressed at the meeting for the medium option – confusing and regular users wouldn’t use it. There was enthusiastic support for the long term “flyover” option. It adds a lane to the Terminal 5 truck flyover lane and passes right over the intersection, landing on the Alki Trail behind the Chelan Cafe. It would be obvious, safe, easy, gets bike riders out of the way of trucks at the 5-way, and provides an all ages and abilities connection between the Alki, West Duwamish, and West Seattle Bridge trails, attractive to fast commuters and slow family groups alike.

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Flyover option cuts a gap in the guardrail at the T-5 stoplight, crosses SW Spokane St there, and attaches a bike lane to the inside of the curving T-5 ramp, peeling off before the RR tracks past the NW side of the 5-way intersection,  sweeping down to the Alki Trail by the Chelan Cafe.

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Crosswalks on Delridge for Boren School

A win for traffic safety at Boren School on Delridge! Last February we helped push Craig Rankin’s initiative in going after a Seattle Neighborhood Parks and Streets Fund grant for a crosswalk at Boren. It’s a super long block where people cross the busy street with no protection. The initial reaction to the proposal was negative, but now not just one, but TWO crosswalks will be built! Great work by Craig and Boren’s school community, and thank you Brian Dougherty at SDOT!

http://westseattleblog.com/2015/01/2-new-crosswalks-confirmed-for-delridge-way-by-boren-building/