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Fauntleroy Blvd Project – please contact Council now

Council Member Rasmussen is proposing to add construction funding to next year’s budget for the Fauntleroy Boulevard project. It includes key bike and road safety improvements, and is funded through design but not for construction. Will you help by emailing City Council memDSC03671bers to boost support? Needed by end of day Wednesday.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/FauntleroyWySWBlvd.htm

http://www.seattle.gov/council/councilcontact.htm

Sally Bagshaw
206-684-8801
sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov

Mike O’Brien
206-684-8800
mike.obrien@seattle.gov

Sally Clark
206-684-8802
sally.clark@seattle.gov

Ask support for:
Budget Action Title: Add $13 million for construction of the Fauntleroy Way SW Improvement CIP project, amend C.B. 118238 (LTGO Bond Ordinance),

Talking points, (or even better, say what it means to you personally):
It is a major arterial with transit and truck through a developing urban center with lots of apartments and little parking.
Bike and pedestrian improvements will make it more possible for people to live without driving so much, and will let West Seattle absorb growth without this becoming a choke point.
It will make it a safe and welcoming entry to West Seattle from the freeway.
It has been in the neighborhood plan for over 15 years, and it’s in the Bicycle Master Plan.
A lot has been invested in design. Now it’s time to implement and make good on that investment.

Background (and you don’t need all this in your message):

Fauntleroy Way 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. However, this portion of Fauntleroy Way has poorly defined sidewalks, significant distances between marked pedestrian crossings, no dedicated space for bike riders, and minimal landscaping.

The Fauntleroy Way SW Improvement Project builds upon previous planning work done by the community. 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.

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 project design includes a raised median, 6-foot wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes, street lighting and other safety improvements between 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St. Last year, Council added $1.3M to continue design work on this project in the 2014 Adopted Budget, and the project is now at 60% design.

The 2015 Proposed Budget includes $500,000 to complete 100% design on the project by 2Q 2015, but it does not include construction funding. The current construction cost estimate for the project is approximately $13M, based on the 60% design. The beginning of construction by 2015 would be 16 years after the adoption of the Neighborhood Plan first identifying the need for improvements in this area.

Vigil Walk for Zeytuna – Columbia City

Some of us participated in a walk and meeting today for second grader Zeytuna Edo, still hospitalized over a month after a hit and run driver hit her in the marked, signalized crosswalk at S Genesee and MLK. We were there supporting her family and neighbors, with Rainier Valley Greenways, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Mayor Murray, Councilmember Harrell, Anthony Auriemma, SDOT Director Scott Kubly, Bikeworks, and members of other groups advocating for safe streets. This intersection has lights, crosswalks, safety islands. The community expressed demands for  lower speeds, police enforcement, and drivers who will focus their attention on driving and take responsibility for their actions. DSC05326 DSC05320 DSC05301 DSC05304

WSBC Meeting – Tues Nov 4

We will be meeting to share news and plan activities.
Tuesday, Nov 4
6:30 to 8:00 pm
HomeStreet Bank, 41st Ave SW at SW Alaska St, Seattle

Open meeting — if you are interested in travel by bike in West Seattle, you are invited and welcome!

West Seattle Harvest Festival – by bike

2014-10-26 14.23.23-1Jeff and Kim parked at the WS Junction bike corral for Harvest Fair. Jeff can’t walk very well or very far right now, but he can ride with Kim in the rain.

 

 

 

Good to see the bike corral serving festival goers and market shoppers.  After the new building is completed, we are hoping for ground floor commercial tenants who will enjoy the bike parking right out front. 2014-10-26 13.43.27

Chelan 5-Way Intersection – Waiting for Green

It’s not a wonderful place to be walking or riding a bike, even when the east bound push button is working. It’s hazardous going westbound with a narrow, twisty turn around a pillar to the crosswalk on a blind curve at the Delridge ramp.  Lately, the ped crossing push button on the island has not been working right.  Bike riders give up after a full sequence of lights misses them once or twice, and just go for it, playing Russian Roulette if traffic is heavy, and annoying drivers.  Eric Shalit filmed Don Brubeck illustrating the point.

If it’s been a problem for you, please join us in reporting it to SDOT.  Long range, this intersection should have a completely new solution for bike and walking traffic, to connect the Alki Trail to the West Duwamish and West Seattle Bridge trials in a smooth, safe way for riders of any ability, including families with kids. This is a critical West Seattle bike connection.

35th Ave SW Safety Corridor – time for input

One car crash every 3.4 days for the past 10 years. 40% of the crashes include injuries, many to people trying to cross on foot or on bikes, and five fatalities.

Initial public input meeting on 35th Avenue SW Safety Corridor Project last night: Well attended, well moderated by Jim Curtin, SDOT project manager, who lives on the corridor.
See the WS Blog today for a full illustrated report including the city’s slides.

Send your ideas, comments, questions to jim.curtin@seattle.gov.

Repeat of this input meeting:  Tuesday, October 28th, 3:30-5 pm at Southwest Branch Library on 35th at SW Henderson

It was good to see Kathy Dunn, Sakaru Tsuchiya, Aaron Goss, Joe Szilagyi, Amanda Helmick, Chas Redmond and Cathy Tuttle of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways at the meeting.

Here are some comments from Joe, who lives just off 35th in High Point and rides with his young daughter on board:

“35th ave SW is very dangerous road to bike on.  In fact, it is the only street in West Seattle that I will not bike even one block.  Cars drive very fast and there is no bike lane.  No sharrows.  No safe place to ride.  I am constantly seeing smashed parked cars by the side of the road.

“That being said – 35th Ave SW is bordered by very low volume streets that are a joy to bike on.  For example, if you want to bike from Highpoint to Westwood, you can take 30th or 31st and have a pleasant and safe ride.  We do it all the time.  As much as I’d love for every street to be bike friendly, I wonder if that’s a reasonable goal for 35th.  My thought is let the cars stay on 35th and that way the bikes are able to safely use the side roads.

“Now… pedestrians and bikes will need to cross 35th.  So there are improvements that need to be made.  And 35th needs to be made safer for motorists as well.  So I applaud and support the efforts to make 35th safer.  I just don’t see making 35th ave SW biker friendly as a reasonable goal given the excessive volume of cars.  But I trust the WSBC leadership.  So I’ll be behind whatever approach the group thinks is the best for the community.”

from Don:
We can follow the lead of the Central Area group that is getting greenways built parallel to 23rd Ave before the re-do of 23rd. It helps prevent those quiet residential streets from becoming a short cut for car traffic, and provides a safe place to walk and ride while the road construction happens, and forever after for those who don’t want to ride on busy arterials.

I rode from downtown Tuesday night to my granddaughter’s birthday party in Arbor Heights west of 35th. From Avalon, I rode 36th/37th going there. It’s got some big uphills going south, but it works. Going home I took 34th all the way to Graham, used the sidewalk from Graham to the library, crossed there to 36th, and went back to Alaska on 36th/37th, then over to Alki.  Very pleasant and direct at night. 34th is not as hilly as 36th/37th. 34th is a great connector for three schools, HP Library, HP Community Center, churches,  parks, etc.

Wednesday, i rode from downtown and WS Bridge trail onto the Delridge sidewalk, then down to 26th Ave Greenway, then west to 30th, up the hill (walking my heavy bike up the really steep block of Snake Hill) and up through High Point to Neighborhood House.  Went back on Morgan to 34th and the same way as previous night.  That’s three good routes parallel to 35th that already work really well, and would be better if they had greenway treatment and signals at busy street crossings for rush hour crossing.

Aaron Goss (Aaron’s Bike Repair) was at the meeting. He commutes daily along 35th by bike and is obviously experienced. He likes it because 35th is less hilly, and wants bike lanes and center turn lanes and one regular traffic lane each way.

There’s a repeat of this input meeting next week.3:30-5 pm at Southwest Branch Library on 35th at SW Henderson

Greenways: Tell SDOT What You Think

Delridge Greenway at 26th & Genesee (image from Google Streetview)
Delridge Greenway at 26th & Genesee (image from Google Streetview)

Have you biked, walked, or driven (gasp!) on one of the designated Greenways around Seattle?  Do you know there’s an existing Greenway in West Seattle that connects Delridge to Highland Park along 26th Ave SW?

There is a plan to build a network of 250 miles of neighborhood greenways in 20 years.  If you have feedback about Greenways, SDOT would like to know. Please take the time to respond to the survey they have available:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/greenwaysevaluation

You have until October 10th to voice your opinion!

We certainly want to see more Greenways and safe streets in West Seattle, and hope you do too.

Tues 10/7 WSBC Mtg & Presentation

6:30 pm at Winship residence, 3438 36th Ave SW

Come participate in an online presentation and discussion on solutions to modal conflicts:
Port Activity and Bicycle Commuting Between West Seattle and Downtown
by Brian Wood and Bon Provenzano,
students in Alon Bassok’s Transportation Choices and Technology class
UW Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Master of Sustainable Transportation Program

Excellent graphics and analysis – IMG_2253 lots to discuss!

Quick run through of regular agenda at 6:30.
Presentation/discussion 7:00 to 8:00

proposed SDOT 2015-2016 budget

Here it is. What do you think?

This is for two years and in the 2nd year it does not count on renewal of the Bridging the Gap Levy.

This week’s puzzler:  How much of the $429M 2015 budget is for bike facilities?

PARK(ing) Day – fun and games

PARK(ing) Day at the West Seattle Junction – fun and games and bike blender smoothies with fresh fruit and Husky Deli ice cream!

PARK(ing) Day happens once a year, on the thiDSC04598rd Friday in September, and is an opportunity for any Seattleite to temporarily turn parking spaces into public places. The event raises awareness about the importance of a walkable, livable, healthy city and helps people re-think how our streets can be used. Ours was one of two parklets in West Seattle, and 50 city-wide.

Thanks to Jeff Hallman for the bike blender cargo bike, Mike Oxman for all the trees and plants, Huky Deli and Mashiko’s for going along with this, Kathy Dunn for planning, permitting, hauling and staffing, and Lynn Shimamoto and Don Brubeck for hauling and staffing.  DSC04614 DSC04580 DSC04582DSC04588 DSC04564 DSC04556 DSC04549 And thanks to all who ventured into the little parklet to talk, play, sit or to have a smoothie.