Cars were turning around to try another route, instead of waiting for the trucks backed up from the Terminal 46 entry gate at Atlantic Street on East Marginal Way S. Bike commuters were going through without any problem.
A perfect example of how truck traffic in the port and industrial areas is in conflict with car traffic, NOT with bikes.
Using less roadway width than a general purpose travel lane, people on bikes move beside other traffic on S Spokane and East Marginal Way S. Bikes are not slowing down trucks and cars, and are not slowed down by trucks or cars. Every person on a bike could otherwise be a person in a motor vehicle adding to this traffic jam. Bike lanes on the major truck streets increase bandwidth and flow. A good barrier between lanes here would increase it a lot more.
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has decided not to run for re-election, as you may know by now if you read the West Seattle Blog or the Seattle Bike BlogThank you, Tom Rasmussen for serving us well. We will miss you especially in West Seattle, but you are leaving us a legacy of a better transportation network throughout the city. We really appreciate that you have always been willing to meet, look carefully, listen, and talk straight, not just telling people what they want to hear, but explaining the political and fiscal context of an issue and finding a way to create the best solutions for our community.
Looking forward to riding with you in the future, and hearing about your bike journeys around the world.
Short, Medium and Long Term schemes were presented at tonight’s Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board Meeting. These grew out of a workshop held last February with participation by SDOT and lots of stakeholders, including West Seattle Bike Connections. The short term option has funding and can be completed in 2015. The medium and long term options are unfunded. There was no support expressed at the meeting for the medium option – confusing and regular users wouldn’t use it. There was enthusiastic support for the long term “flyover” option. It adds a lane to the Terminal 5 truck flyover lane and passes right over the intersection, landing on the Alki Trail behind the Chelan Cafe. It would be obvious, safe, easy, gets bike riders out of the way of trucks at the 5-way, and provides an all ages and abilities connection between the Alki, West Duwamish, and West Seattle Bridge trails, attractive to fast commuters and slow family groups alike.
Flyover option cuts a gap in the guardrail at the T-5 stoplight, crosses SW Spokane St there, and attaches a bike lane to the inside of the curving T-5 ramp, peeling off before the RR tracks past the NW side of the 5-way intersection, sweeping down to the Alki Trail by the Chelan Cafe.
Only two hours left to NOT donate to us! We don’t want your money!
We just want you to ride your bike!
And maybe, if you have some time in 2015, to spend a little of it with us. Or ask us to spend some time with you on a project or activity to make it easier and more fun to go places by bike in and from West Seattle.
If you get involved just a little, we’ll be able to do more of what we did in 2014:
Social rides with friends and families, like the mini STP
Hosting the West Seattle Bike to Work Day commute station.
Getting bike corrals and bike racks at shopping areas and schools
Starting and funding after school bike club at Denny Middle School
Engaging SDOT and City Council on bike routes in South Park, on Fauntleroy, on 35th Ave SW, at the Chelan 5-way intersection, on East Marginal Way S, and for the Delridge/Highland Park Greenway planning.
Our Bike Rodeo at Alki Summer Streets, and participation in Fiestas Patrias in South Park. the White Center Community Summit and Morgan Junction festival.
Grant applications with Admiral, Alki, Highland Park, and Morgan Junction neighborhood associations for traffic safety improvements.
Night Out with the Junction Neighborhood Association.
Lobbying at City Council and in Olympia for bike/pedestrian transportation funding.
Participation in SDOT School Road Safety workshop, Cascade Bicycle Club Policy Ride and Bike Happy Hour in SODO, and another in West Seattle, and memorial and vigil walks and rides.
Meeting and working with our allies at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Cascade Bicycle Club, and Sustainable West Seattle.
We are a volunteer community group, so what WE need are more of us!
Today another vehicle driver decided that the bike/ped detour lane under the Alaska Way Viaduct near S Main St was a handy place to park and leave a truck. There has to be use of this area for loading for some of the businesses, but this van was obviously there for construction work, probably tunnel construction work.
Reporting to SPD Parking Enforcement didn’t work – non-emergency line was too booked up and the recorded message said call back later in the day. Worth a try, but would have been too late.
So, in addition to email to Cascade Concrete & Drilling directly to request better behavior, an email to SDOT’s “Construction Hub” program and WSDOT SR99 Viaduct Project got a quick response back from Melody Berry, SDOT Construction Hub Coordination Program Supervisor, promising enforcement. If you see a problem that has to do with construction detours or construction project use of streets in the downtown core area or the WS Junction, give them a try!
Back in February, Denny International Middle School parent and PTA member Theresa Beaulieu, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase bikes for students of the school. She was able to raise $1,500 in donations, enough to buy 10 KHS mountain bikes from West Seattle’s Alki Bike and Board, owned by Stu Hennesey.
The bikes came in boxes, so Theresa coordinated a bike assembly day (back in July) with Will King, Denny’s Out of School Program Director, who was able to get kids to help put the bikes together. The students rotated through assembly stations during a 3 hour period to help Theresa and two additional volunteers, Jason Beaulieu and Jeff Hallman. Saddles, wheels, pedals, handlebars and reflectors were installed and brakes were checked and adjustments made. The kids had fun learning how to work on bikes and even more fun test-riding them once they were done (a vital step that all mechanics use to ensure that the bike is safe).
These bikes are being used for Denny’s inaugural Major Taylor Program, which was held after school on Thursdays this fall. Cascade’s Major Taylor Program administers the program, which is co-lead by Miles Schulman of Americorps. According to Miles,
“Every Thursday a group of six kids and two instructors hit the roads around Denny, riding everywhere from Fauntleroy Park to High Point Pond, stopping on our rides to enjoy views, play football, and get some hot chocolate and snacks. We taught the kids hand signals, road safety techniques, emergency stops, and shifting. Students got to practice mountain biking techniques in the parks around their neighborhood. We climbed big hills and loved flying down them.”
Two of the club riders, Abdi and Kai, even participated in this year’s Subaru Woodland Park Cyclocross Series #6 race, held on November 9, 2014 at Woodland Park. Both students did exceptionally well, completing two laps covered in mud!
Photo courtesy of Dennis CranePhoto courtesy of Dennis Crane
We will be having another Spring Bike Club at Denny and look forward to the fun rides ahead. Thank you to all who have donated, supported and helped Theresa’s dream come true, and that is to have an after school bike club at Denny to help get more kids comfortable on bikes.
Beautiful evening for a ride, bonfire, hot drinks and Christmas ship caroling at Alki. with a few of us and others from Seattle Family Biking FB group. Thanks to Charity McCollum for getting us going!
In West Seattle, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has supported our efforts to create the North Delridge Greenway on 26th (completed); the Delridge/Highland Park Greenway (construction in 2015); vigil walks for traffic collision victims; the 35th Avenue SW Corridor Safety Project; and alliances with other groups.
This event is free. That’s because volunteers are doing the work. If you can help with set up (starting at 3:30), running the event (from 5-8), or teardown (after 8:00), contact Gordon Padelford at SNG: info (at) sng (dot) org.
