Stu Hennessey is leading a 17 mile ride featuring many of the newly added bike lanes on our side of town including South Park, Georgetown, SODO, and downtown. Details are in the link below. Pace will be casual.
Meet at the foot of the Spokane Street Bridge at 10:45AM. Ride departs at 11:00. We hope to see you there.
Group ride details can be found here on Everyday Rides
Map of ride is here on Kamoot
Highland Park Way has been in the news lately due to the proposed revisions the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is planning to make to that roadway. The changes are driven by the high number of crashes there (41 over 4 years in their survey) likely related to excessive speed (43mph average). Wide road design, poor visibility on the curve, and the steep hill were also cited as factors in the decision redesign (the link to SDOT’s presentation is below).
As part of this redesign, SDOT is going to reduce the number of downhill lanes from two to one as a traffic calming measure. The uphill side will remain a two lane roadway. SDOT will build a downhill bike lane in the former car lane and separate it from traffic with removable barriers. Uphill cyclists will share the path on the east side of HPW with pedestrians.
At the bottom of the hill where Highland Park Way meets West Marginal Way SW, the bike lane will end and cyclists will merge onto the pedestrian/cycle path to access a diagonal crossing, which will connect them to the Duwamish Trail. This will allow SDOT to keep 5 “general purpose” lanes for cars.
For cyclists, Highland Park Way (HPW) would be a key connection to destinations in south Seattle including Georgetown, South Park, and beyond. Currently, to access these destinations, cyclists have to bike to Spokane Street and turn south at the lower bridge, joining the Duwamish Trail along West Marginal Way. For someone who lives near HPW, this would be add ten miles to their trip. This would also represent an alternative route to SODO and downtown via the Duwamish Trail for those coming from the south.
For these reasons, West Seattle Bike Connections strongly supports the redesign on Highland Park Way. Not only is it currently unsafe for those driving cars, but it is virtually unrideable on a bike due to the speed of cars, limiting it to only the most confident and experienced riders. The redesign will make this safer for all users, cars, pedestrians, and bikes alike. For those who support this project, we ask that you let SDOT know your viewpoint. Outreach will be ongoing as the project proceeds through design and implementation. Final design is expected in the summer of 2026 and construction is projected to commence in the Winter of 2026/2027.
There is also a link on the project page where you can sign up for regular updates on the project.
SDOT’s Highland Park Way SW Project Page
Good news for anyone trying to get from West Seattle to downtown! SDOT is filling the gap between the Waterfront Trail and the 2nd and 4th Ave bike lanes. Construction is beginning right now.
Read the SDOT blog post for more information.
WSBC will be meeting in person and virtually on Tuesday evening. We’ll be discussing progress on the planned bike route on Highland Park Way, reviving the effort to build bike lanes on Fauntleroy Way in the Triangle area, and much more! Come meet with us at the High Point Neighborhood House at 6400 Sylvan Way SW, or at the Zoom link below.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 867 5412 7654
Passcode: 044536
