Month: April 2015

Move Seattle levy – Safe Routes to School?

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways (including us, for West Seattle and South Park) has a new request for the Move Seattle levy: fund safe streets in the “walk zones” around Concord, Roxhill, West Seattle and Highland Park Elementary Schools, and other Seattle schools which have >75% of students eligible for free lunch.

This will help students arrive at school safe, healthy and ready to learn. It will help parents who don’t have cars or who work jobs that don’t allow them to drive kids to school. It will help everyone else who lives in, drives, rides a bike or walks through these neighborhoods, If you agree, let the Mayor and SDOT know!

Mayor Murray contact form

SDOT Director Scott Kubly E-mail: scott.kubly@seattle.gov

Read more in Intersections

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Fauntleroy Boulevard Project – move it into Move Seattle

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One of our top priorities is missing in action from the Move Seattle levy package: The Fauntleroy Boulevard Project. It’s in the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan. It’s already almost 100% designed.  If not in this levy, chances are that it won’t be built before 2025, after piecemeal construction of the whole rapidly developing triangle area east of the West Seattle Junction.

Call to Action:
·         Write to the Mayor and SDOT Director Scott Kubly.
o   Mayor Murray Contact Form
o   SDOT Director Scott Kubly E-mail: scott.kubly@seattle.gov
·         Contact the Mayor and SDOT via social media.
o   Mayor Murray Twitter: @MayorEdMurray
o   SDOT Twitter: @seattledot
o   Mayor Murray Facebook
o   SDOT Facebook
·         Take the SDOT Move Seattle Online Survey.
o   Make sure to talk about the Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard Project when the survey asks: “Are there other transportation investments you feel should be a top priority for funding through this levy?”

Fauntleroy Way SW serves many purposes; it is a key entrance to West Seattle, a designated freight and bicycle route, and is home to numerous retail businesses and new residential developments, with many more on the way in the next few years. However, the portion of Fauntleroy Way from 35th Ave SW to SW Alaska St has poorly defined sidewalks, significant distances between marked pedestrian crossings, no dedicated space for bike riders, and minimal landscaping. Through several extensive community processes, the residents and business owners in the area have expressed the need for improvements to make this stretch of Fauntleroy Way SW safer for pedestrians and bikes, and highlight its role as a main entrance to West Seattle.

The Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard Project would include a raised median, 6-foot wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes, street lighting and other safety improvements between 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St. Discussions of improvements to Fauntleroy Way began in 1999, when the West Seattle Junction Hub Neighborhood Plan identified streetscape improvements in this area, and continued through the multi-year West Seattle Triangle planning process. The streetscape plan was formally adopted by SDOT and the Seattle Department of Planning and Development in 2012. In addition, the 2014 Bike Master Plan designated Fauntleroy Way SW for a protected bike lane.

The new Water Taxis will rust your bike

Support your local bike shop: Ride the M/V Sally Fox to Vashon Island, or the new one coming to the West Seattle Route.

Or, contact these officials to ask for in-cabin bike racks like the old water taxis, or covered on-deck storage that excludes salt spray:

paul.brodeur@kingcounty.gov,
harold.taniguchi@kingcounty.gov,
Dow.Constantine@kingcounty.gov,
joe.mcdermott@kingcounty.gov

Here is what all four bike shops in West Seattle and White Center, and the closest to the water taxi terminal downtown, have to say:

150421 water taxis bike shops

 

 

PRO safety petition for 35th Ave SW

If you are FOR safety on 35th Avenue SW, please sign this PRO-safety petition.
You may have seen a petition circulating to STOP the safety improvements planned for “I-35”. There a several hundred signers who may be deceived by the petition claims that 35th is safe as is, and speed is needed, or actually saves time. It is hard to believe that they would be more willing to risk their neigbors’ lives rather than lose a few seconds of car travel time due to 5 mph lower speed limit; a signal at Graham; a greenway on 34th; pedestrian safety islands; a left turn lane to avoid rear-ending and left-hook car crashes.

If you are FOR Safety, please sign this PRO-safety petition, signed by over 600 concerned neighbors in 2014, and re-opened now.

Please keep the boxes clicked so that Seattle Neighborhood Greenways / West Seattle Greenways can notify you of victories in this project.DSC00064

Bicycle Master Plan 5-year work plan update

SDOT has updated the 5- year implementation plan for the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, as required each March. What did West Seattle get?

We got the cover shot!  Kathy Dunn in the lead and anther member on the prettiest pink bike in the city, riding at the opening of the South Park improvements on S Portland Street in South Park.
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What about for the next 5 years?  A valuable Greenway parallel to part of 35th Ave SW linking schools, libraries, playgrounds and community centers. Protected bike lanes at the top of SW Admiral Way at the bridge over the Fairmont ravine.  But that’s about it.

Missing in inaction is most of the network we worked so hard in 2012-3 to get on the map  including links to several elementary schools, both middle schools, both high schools, and routes to serve the fastest growing urban village in the city at WS Junction and Triangle. Missing safe routes to Lincoln Park and the Faunteroy Ferry Terminal. Missing the Fauntleroy Boulevard Project and greenways parallel to California Ave between the Morgan, Alaska and Admiral Junctions to link home to schools, parks, shopping and nice commute routes.

We don’t want to take away from other areas. It’s great to see what is proposed for the Rainier Valley, Lake City, the Central Area and other places in need.  What we need is more funding faster. We need the Move Seattle Levy, if it can be crafted to build the bike transportation network in West Seattle and SODO in much more substantial form in this decade.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/bmp/BMPImplementationPlanMarch2015.pdf

WS bridge count up 29% March 2015 over March 2014

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Fourth month in a row of gains over previous year.

Weather assisted, or more people ready to ride in any weather?  You decide:

  • Days with >0.02″ rain at SeaTac:  16 in 2014, 17 in 2015
  • Inches of precipitation:  9.4 in 2014, 4.5 in 2015
  • Temperature: close to same number of “heating degree days”.  505 v. 441.

SDOT stats, WSBC graph.   Click on link at page top right for more counter data.

WSBC meeting Tuesday April 7

Open meeting – you are invited to come plan activities, and discuss everything related to using bikes in West Seattle.

6:30 to 8:00 pm at HomeStreet Bank,  41st Ave SW at SW Alaska St    thank you HomeStreet Bank!

Agenda includes

  • bike parking on the new water taxis , with Ken Pritchard from Vashon
  • Bike Month activities including our commute station and a bike commuting workshop
  • USDOT Safety event May 7
  • Denny-Lincoln Classic ride
  • 35th Ave Safety Corridor Project and Chelan 5-Way Intersection project
  • Bicycle Master Plan 5-year work plan update
  • rides, rides, rides:  Garage Sale Day ride, Park & Art Ride,  West Seattle STP, Spoke & Food Ride
  • grants, grants, grants for intersection improvements
at the fishing pier on the West Seattle Bridge trail. photo by Kathy Dunn