When several of us sent requests to SDOT to fix the notorious B.I.G tree root problem on the West Duwamish Trail at the north end of South Park, we thought maybe the SDOT Bike Program would be able to fix the problem, now that we helped pass the Move Seattle Levy to fund the program.
Instead, it looks like it got punted to the city’s lawyers and sign shop, who might justifiably be taking seriously about our complaints regarding the danger of falling into high speed traffic here.
So, the bike route is cut off at this mud puddle that we could wade through on foot. This sign is th![tree%20root%20with%20signs[3]](https://i0.wp.com/westseattlebikeconnections.sustainablewestseattle.org/files/2016/02/tree-root-with-signs3.jpg)
e only response to our requests so far.
Would rather have it go to the arborists and paving crew.
I (the rider who took this photo) have been ‘enjoying’ this BMX style jump (almost) daily for the past 3 school years and have maneuvered around it and watched it grow for the past 10, and during this time I encounter many riders every morning and evening making their way north or south to their destination, this is a well-used trail for cyclists and pedestrians.
The line-of-sight of the trail is tough due to the size & lean of the tree and branches growing into the trail (which I’ve cut-back twice during each of the last two seasons), so if a rider with no lights and dark clothing is approaching from the opposite direction then you don’t see him/her until you’re both aiming for the non-raised portion of the sidewalk which is about 16″-20″ wide AND right along the street.
There are two things you cannot see in this photo:
1) Just feet behind where this photo was taken from is a driveway for a business, this driveway services large trucks that bring/take-away whatever it is the business needs, so when heading southbound (photo taken facing north) in addition to looking for on-coming bikes/peds on the trail and negotiating the bump and all the debris kicked-up by passing traffic (see #2 below) a rider also needs to check over their shoulder for any traffic making a turn into the driveway as well as any traffic coming out of the driveway, all in the span of about 20′ (must be why the city’s legal team want us to dismount our bikes).
2) About 98% of the 10’+ long pot-hole is not seen in the photo, but you can catch a small portion of it in the lower-left corner of the photo. This pot-hole has been growing for years with occasional asphalt fill-ups by the road repair crew.
However the repairs keep getting torn-up by all the traffic which causes it to grow AND a lot of that debris ends up on the trail, often times chunks of asphalt almost the size of baseballs (in the bottom end of the puddle two round chunks of asphalt can be seen).
Obviously the city is now fully aware of the problem (hence the white paint that showed-up on the raised area on Tue or Wed this past week and the signs on Fri)
Being of optimistic nature I trust this is their first (and lame) step in addressing this in a VERY TIMELY manner.
Hopefully this is a high priority NOW and we learn they are actively making plans to THUROUGHLY and COMPLETELY repair this area (trail and road both).
HOPEFULLY they’re not putting this onto the back-burner and HOPEFULLY a rider won’t take a fall and be injured or killed due to this ‘growing’ problem.
Recently there was a beautiful new trail put in just a few hundred yards south starting at S Holden St and continuing through South Park and its beautiful new bridge on 14th, but this dangerous eye-sore really makes it tough for non-seasoned or more timid riders from the north to get to and enjoy it. Or those from the south wanting to make their way north into BEAUTIFUL West Seattle or head downtown.
AL