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Delridge/Highland Park Greenway Planning

 

Quick report from the Delridge/Highland Park community meeting tonight at the Salvation Army building on 16th near White Center, attended by several from WSBC who live in the area, and one who doesn’t.
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SDOT and SPU were there in in a big way with maps, diagrams, and people including translators, to answer questions and take input from the neighborhoods. At times the ratio of SDOT to neighbors was about 1:1.  You can see the proposals at
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/delridgehighparkgreenway.htm

Input was almost all positive, with one exception who feels that added foot and bike traffic would disturb her quiet cul-de-sac. Craig Rankin, who has been working for Highland Park greenways for years, noted the need for a connection east from the proposed route on 17th to 11th or 12th. Others noted the need for connection west to the 26th Ave Greenway, and safety improvements especially at the crossings of arterials. But what is presently in the plans looks to us like a realistic route, with storm water improvements along part of it, and worth our support. You can send comments or questions to John Vander Sluis at SDOT: john.vandersluis@seattle.gov or 206.684.4617

Gordon Padelford from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and Stu Hennessey, one of the leaders of the effort behind West Seattle’s first Greenways, on 21st and 26th Avenues in North Delridge, participated and lent their expertise.

Action Alert – State Transportation Funding

Here’s the takeaway from last night’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, thanks to Tom Rasmussen, our City Council Member from West Seattle, and Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee:

Contact all of your friends, co-workers and relatives who live in Duvall, Cottage Lake, Redmond, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Medina, Bellevue, Sammamish, Newcastle, Auburn, Covington and East Hill.

Urge them to tell their State Senators Litzow, Hill, Fain and Tom and to pass a Transportation budget bill that includes the funding that the House bill includes for bus, bike and pedestrian transportation. We can’t all just drive cars everywhere all the time. If we did, the highways would come to a standstill. We need buses and safe bike and walking routes to work and school.

Time is of the essence.

The Governor may call a 2-day special session of the legislature next week only if the votes are there to pass a transportation bill. The House passed a bill that includes funding we desperately need just to maintain bus service as it is, and to fund safe routes to school, and specific improvements to East Marginal Way, and other critical bike and pedestrian safety improvements in West Seattle that our local representatives worked hard to include.

The fate of the bill in the Senate is in the hands of four east side suburban Senators:

Steve Litzow R-41st (Mercer Island-Bellevue-Newcastle),

Andy Hill R-45th (Finn Hill, Cottage Lake, parts of Redmond, Kirkland, Duvall, Sammamish)

Joe Fain R-47th (Auburn-Covington-East Hill),

Rodney Tom D-48th (Redmond-Kirkland-Bellevue).

If they hear from enough of their own constituents that we need the transit, bike and pedestrian funding that the House passed, they will have the political cover to buck their leadership.

Our Senator Sharon Nelson and Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Eileen Cody,  are already fully supportive.  They and Tom Rasmsusen are our champions on this. It is good to thank them, but we already have their votes.  Please contact your friends in those four districts by phone, email, FB or ham radio! Only their own constituents can really influence them.

Don Brubeck and Kathy Dunn attended, representing West Seattle Bike Connections

 

Funding for Delridge Greenway & East Marginal Way S

City budget time. Council is listening. Time to be heard.

What: City Budget listening session
When: October 24, 6:00 p.m. (5 p.m. sign up)
Where:  Garfield High School Commons – 400 23rd Ave Seattle, WA 98122

Cathy Tuttle, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and Stu Hennessey, West Seattle Greenways, pass this on:

According to our briefing last week from a City Council staffer, continuing the Delridge Greenway and the East Marginal Way safety improvements are a high priority for SDOT. We need your help to make sure these projects stay in the budget and get even more money to be built in a timely way.

If you want to make sure sufficient funding for West Seattle improvements stays in the budget, please help to rally West Seattle Greenways and West Seattle Bike Connections, please show up and speak out next week at the budget listening session.

Be sure to thank CIty Council for funding — and let them know we all want safer streets asap. you can do this via email as well @ council@seattle.gov

 

Seattle Parks Bike Policy Update

A packed house greeted the Seattle Board of Parks Commissioners for the 10/1/13 public hearing on a draft update of the Bike Policies for Seattle Parks.  Present policy limits most bike use to paved roads and paths designed for shared use (at least 60 inches wide). The draft update would allow for some mountain bike trails, including single-track.

Public comments to the Commissioners can go to rachel.acosta@seattle.gov by email through November 12.

With a few exceptions focused on pedestrian safety on trails, Parks Commissioners were receptive.  The proposal would allow soft surface bike trails built to current standards, expanding recreational bike use in parks. This update was triggered by the proposals for the Beacon Bike Park in the Cheasty greenbelt. There are no specific trail proposals right now being reviewed. No changes are proposed at Lincoln or Schmitz Parks.

The existing policy was written in 1995. It views bikes only as recreation. Its concerns were for erosion on steep slopes, degradation of wetlands and streams, and disturbance of wildlife and people walking in the parks, Valid then. Now there are established standards for mountain bike trail building. Now there is demand for both recreational and transportation use of bikes.  Volunteer trail builders and users now have a track record of “giving the greenbelts some love”, by removing invasives and actually improving conditions for native flora and fauna.

My testimony for West Seattle Bike Connections was in support of proposed policy changes, but suggesting they go farther to embrace connectivity with Greenways and other routes. Bikes as transportation as well as recreation. We will submit written comments, so if you have suggestions, bring ‘em on.

In West Seattle, there are easy possibilities, like using the path along the west side of Riverview Playfield as a Greenway destination and connection. Same at Hiawatha Park. There are also more ambitious and valuable possibilities to provide safe alternatives to our high-speed, poor-sightline, steep curving arterials up through the Duwamish greenbelt, to connect to the Duwamish Trail, South Park and Georgetown. See WSBC member Craig Rankin’s mapped routes here: http://goo.gl/maps/vkDa5 including the yellow line from Highland Park Way up to South Seattle Community College.

People testified about the frustration of burning fossil fuel and spending hours driving to bike trails on the east side for an hour or so of riding with kids. Other noted the high value of this kind of recreational use for exercise, fighting childhood obesity, and positive activity for kids and adults, especially teens and pre-teen boys, “who need something stupid to do”, one dad said.

The hearing on the update was preceded by a presentation on Greenways. Bob Edmiston, a Parks Commissioner and Greenways advocate, with Sam Woods from SDOT and David Graves from Seatttle Parks. They showed the Streetfilms video on Portland greenways and reported on Seattle’s progress and plans. Commissioners debated whether or not greenway routes should be shown through parks in the Bike Master Plan Update, or left un-mapped until neighborhood outreach can occur later on. But no one spoke against using parks as routes as well as destinations. Nevertheless, it is not in current policies, so not likely to be implemented or even considered by Parks staff.

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways was well represented, including Exec Director Cathy Tuttle and members from several neighborhood greenway groups.  Jodi Connelly, our West Seattle rep on the Seattle Bike Advisory Board member, spoke, as did Brock Howell from Cascade Bicycle Club. Testimony urged parks to develop more partnerships with SDOT, with routes into parks, bike parking, and good safe places in parks for teaching kids to ride bikes.

Commissioner Brice Maryman, a landscape architect from South Seattle was an outspoken supporter of bike use in parks, including getting lines on the BMP Update map now, so they will be considered high priority for funding later.

David Greaves from Parks noted that Greenways are presently a partnership between SDOT and SPU, for green stormwater treatments. He mentioned that the green stormwater treatment is still at the experimental stage, and that the treatments for the Delridge Greenways won’t go in until 2015.

Don Brubeck

10/1 at Beveridge Place – Let’s Celebrate

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS – YEAR ONE

Let’s celebrate!  Pot luck at Beveridge Place Pub,

Tuesday 10/1 6:30 to 8:00 pm   or til they kick us out. Suggested, not required: A to M: salad, vegetable or bread, N to Z: protein, pizza or dessert; buy your beverages from Beveridge Place.  Thriftway is near, at Morgan.

In our first year, we developed connections with each other. We changed bike planning and action in West Seattle!

We developed relationships among bike riders from all over the peninsula. Our ranks include hard core commuters like Bill Gobie, who also does 1,000K randonneur rides. Moms like Jodi Connolly, who races cyclocross with her husband and kids, and serves on the Seattle Bike Advisory Board. And retired people like Kathy Dunn, who gets all over West Seattle and beyond using bike, bus and a little folding trailer, and never races but volunteers like crazy for her community. We found out how many would like to ride more places, but do not think it is safe yet.

Here’s a first annual report:  WSBC Year One

We developed relationships with other groups and agencies. These include West Seattle Greenways, West Seattle Spokespeople, Sustainable West Seattle, Seattle Department of Transportation staff and leadership, Mayor McGinn, Council Members Rasmussen, O’Brien and Bagshaw, the Port of Seattle, the Freight Advisory Board, the Bike Advisory Board, our local bike shops, some of West Seattle and South Park’s neighborhood and business associations, Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Seattle Bike Blog, newspaper and TV reporters, and last but by no means least, the West Seattle Blog.

What will we do in year two?  What would you like to do? Come talk.

 

Bike Biz – Garden Cycles

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I met West Seattleite Steve Richmond, owner of Garden Cycles, on the Alki Trail this morning. He was headed to a landscape restoration job with his trailer full of tools. We crossed paths again this evening pedaling home from our work places. Using bikes for work fits his philosophy and methods. Not all of the employees travel by bike, but they have three trailer outfits, and offer incentives for “green commutes”.  If you want to remove invasive plants and stabilize and restore slopes with native planting, that’s their specialty.   Un-driving video featuring Steve here.   Don Brubeck

South Park Connections

Art Brochet from SDOT briefed the South Park Transportation Committee on developments related to extension of the West Duwamish Trail through the industrial area of South Park at a meeting last Tuesday, 9/17. These street improvements are big deal for this vibrant, but under-served community. They fill in some key gaps we have recommended for the Bike Master Plan.

The West Duwamish trail extension will start at Holden, run southeast along the WA99 right of way, then east on Portland to 8th, with two added blocks south on 8th. Bike lanes along Portland will be separated from traffic by trees and lighting. Portland Ave is a gravel street at the moment, with truck traffic serving industrial businesses, and will be paved. The project is now proposed to extend an additional two blocks south from Portland to Kenyon on 8th, as requested by WSBC in our Bike Master Plan Update comments, with the bike lane on that stretch separated from traffic lanes by parking – a real state-of-the-art bike route! Because the path will be crossed by several entrances to industrial sites, with trucks and forklifts moving across the trail, Art would appreciate our help in designing signage to warn cyclists.

Design for the bike trail part of the project is at nearly 90%, but the road and drainage parts of the project are a bit farther behind. Still, Art expects the project to go to bid in November and construction to begin in May. He shared a draft project planning notice that should be finalized and available to us and others soon. More importantly, he plans to hold an open house on the project to solicit community reaction on November 12th from 5 to 7 pm (date and time to be confirmed), just before a meeting of the South Park Neighborhood Association. At least one business rep is opposed to the trail,  so our support at the meeting would be welcome.

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This report is from Bob Winship, West Seattle Bike Connections.  At the invitation of Dagmar Cronn, President of the South Park Neighborhood Association, Bob and others from WSBC began participating with the South Park neighborhood in working for safe bike routes to places people in South Park want to ride to, including parks, the community center and library, the Duwamish Trail, and West Seattle, where many South Park kids go to middle and high school. If you live or work in South Park and want to participate, please do! Let us know, or contact the SPNA.

East Marginal – Smoother Sailing

Wet and windy this morning, but the paving on East Marginal is feeling a LOT better. New surfacing at the Hanford to Horton intersections and another of the worst sections further north.  One less thing to think about when getting into the north bound bike lane, and just in time for wetter, darker riding.

Thank you SDOT!  These are more of the interim improvements requested by Mayor McGinn and approved by City Council, pushed by Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen.  Funded by savings from the Spokane Street Viaduct project.

IMG_0303  IMG_0309Some of the curved, buried RR tracks have been removed, and trees in the sidewalk from Spokane to near Horton have been transplanted along side or removed, and the tree pits have been paved. Still to come: moving hydrants and some signs out of the path and grinding down bumps. Puddle drainage. Widening the west side sidewalk to really convert the west side sidewalk to a multi-use path workable for two-way bike traffic?

If you have not tried the downtown commute via West Seattle Bridge Trail, East Marginal and Alaskan Way, this could be a good time to give it a shot. Not perfect (still have Lake Marginal and a big puddle near Spokane), but much improved surface, and there is still light to see and get to know it.  Come January, when the Viaduct is shut down for tunnel drilling, it may be dark and wet and colder, but a bike with lights and rain jacket for 30 minutes will beat being stuck in traffic for an hour or more.

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Here are a couple of “before” shots in the same area, from January of this year:

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video from Bike & Truck Safety Fair

Bike-truck_safety__130906_15a short video  from the Bike & Truck Safety Fair  September 6, at Terminal 25. photo and video by Don Wilson, Port of Seattle Photographer.  Starring West Seattle bike riders, truck drivers and SDOT and Port and Cascade Bicycle Club staff

This could become an annual event.