Delridge path work in full swing near WS Bridge. Detour route on 23rd SW to/from SW Andover. Ignore the sign on 23rd at Andover that says “road closed” – it is open for bikes to the trail. Photo by Alex, who posts on WS Blog Flickr group as alextutu1821.
As our city gets denser, and as people order more goods for home delivery, how do we deal with the need for more delivery vehicles in crowded conditions? Some people and companies are going back to using bikes. The lines are getting blurred between what is a bike and what is a truck. It’s not just Jimmie Johns for sandwiches. It’s UPS for holiday packages in Salem, and urgent medical supplies, and gardening companies in Seattle, and fresh fish in Port Townsend.
More in this Seattle Bike Blog story,
and an in depth study of bikes for freight in New York City.
The Port of Seattle Seaport is open for business, and catching up on the container backlog.
Easy to see how car traffic delays freight movement on East Marginal Way S. When people on bikes have a safe lane to ride beside truck traffic, they expand the bandwidth and ease congestion on this “last mile” of the major truck routes to the Port.
5 deaths in 7 years. Crashes all the time.
Please come and speak out for safety on “I-35”.
6:30 pm Tuesday March 10
High Point Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way
3:15 pm Thursday March 12
Southwest Branch Library, 35th & Henderson
We’d like SDOT to use this project to help build a safe, connected network of routes for people travel on foot or by bike.
Fun celebration and ride! From West Seattle Bridge into South Park with CM Tom Rasmussen. Opening celebration and ride. And then some of us rode to Marination Ma Kai to celebrate Robin Randels birthday.
CM Tom Rasmussen, SPU Director Ray Hoffman, and Seattle Parks & Recreation Director of Planning and Development Michael Shiosaki
Opening celebration for paving, storm sewers and protected bike lane on Portland Ave S, South Park, Seattle. This extends the West Duwamish Trail in South Park. With SDOT, SPU, Seattle Parks, South Park Neighborhood Association, West Seattle Bike Connections, Cascade Bicycle Club.
From West Duwamish Trail at S. Holden St/ Hwy 509, instead of taking Holden east, the the trail is now extended south to S Portland Street. Crossing of Holden is improved (except the bike/ped crossing button is out of order, and wayfinding signage could be improved). The path next to 509 is awesome – it did not look like there was room to do that. Then S Portland from 509 to 8th Ave S has been transformed from a potholed, mostly gravel street with no storm drainage, no defined edges, and wild west parking and loading, to a beautifully paved road with drainage into a gravel strip that defines a protected bike and walking lane.
Before (2013) and now
On a quiet weekend morning, the protected bike lane seems unnecessary. Come back on a weekday with semi’s traveling these streets, and forklifts loading trucks in the roadway, and it’s a different story!
New storm sewers will help reduce the flooding and sewage backups that have plagued South Park residents and industries. That is the invisible and expensive part of the project. SDOT and SPU broke out of the silos and really made this work for everyone! Parks and Rec, too! Special thank to Bob Winship from Seattle Bike Connections for many months of volunteering with South Park Neighborhood Association’s Transportation Committee to help this project work for the residents and businesses of South Park. And Dagmar Cronn from SPNA – no project without Dagmar. And SDOT, SPU and Parks, for breaking out of the silos and making this a win on so many fronts. And Councilmember Rasmussen for pushing it forward.
Dagmar Cronn
Next: Get King County to step up and connect from South Park to the Green River Trail. First, that miserable muddy patch by the Machinists’ Union to get from 14th Ave S to road parallel to 509.
Let’s celebrate this big accomplishment for South Park residents and industries!
Saturday 3/7 Ceremony and official ride starts at 10 at Duwamish Overlook at 8th Ave S and S Portland St. Some of us are planning to meet Tom Rasmussen at 9:15 under the WS Bridge where Alki and West Duwamish trails meet, to ride over together. Not an official ride, but come ride with friends.
Bob Winship and others from West Seattle Bike Connections participated with Dagmar Cronn, the SPNA transportation committee, industry owners, ECOSS, SPU and SDOT to include a separated (and paved!) traffic, bike and walking route that does not interfere with the industries and jobs we need. Thanks especially to Art Brochet at SDOT and Council Member Tom Rasmussen!
Feb 2015 Spokane Street Bridge bike count was up 37% over Feb 2014. Weather assisted this month, but the trend continues up!
These guys believe that bikes help them at work. Now Southwest Precinct Commander Steve Wilske does, too.
Read all about it in the West Seattle Blog.
That was a great meeting! Full house. Kathy will do minutes. Highlights here:
Tuesday, March 3
6:30 to 8:00 pm
HomeStreet Bank, 41st Ave SW & SW Alaska Street – east of the WS Junction
Open meeting – come join the discussion and planning to make riding on the peninsula easier, safer, better. Lots to discuss and plan this month, including
Thank you, HomeStreet Bank, for providing meeting space for Sustainable West Seattle groups!
