Category: Biking

Green Light for East Marginal Way!

Really great news for biking from West Seattle!

Funding and City commitment to fully protected bike lanes and signals on East Marginal Way S for the first phase of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project.  This is a win for moving freight safely and efficiently to our seaport and major industrial center; it’s a win for making biking a significant part of a sustainable transportation system.

We’ve been working for this since 2012 as top priority.  It could multiply severalfold the number of people riding bikes to downtown and points east and north. It’s a game-changer. SDOT is resuming design now, First phase construction is scheduled to be completed in 2021 from bridge trail at S Spokane to Portside trail at S Atlantic.

Quoting CM Lisa Herbold’s newsletter (Lisa has been a champion of this project):

“On Monday the Council voted to accept $5 million in grants for the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project. This will allow Phase 1 work to proceed.

“This is good news for bicycle access from West Seattle to Downtown. When I met with West Seattle Bike Connections members in March, this project was a high priority.

“”Phase 1 work will include work in the northern portion of the project:

  • “Constructing a bicycle facility between S Atlantic St and S Spokane St with full separation between people biking and people driving and delivering goods to make biking safer and more predictable
  • Rebuilding the existing traffic signal at S Hanford St to protect all bicyclist and motorist movements
  • Constructing a new traffic signal at S Horton St to provide a protected diagonal crossing for bicyclists
  • Updating the existing signal at S Atlantic St and S Spokane St to work better with the changes to the corridor
  • Potentially relocating the railroad tracks at S Hanford St to provide more space between truck traffic and the bicycle facility

“Phase 1 design work will proceed in 2019 and 2020, with construction starting as soon as fall 2020. The project website has an update about the timeline.

“In addition to the $5 million in grants, the Council legislation conditionally accepted another $4 million, which may become available soon. Voting to approve this now allows SDOT to accept the funds without an additional vote. The additional funds can be used for design of all the project work on East Marginal as far south as Diagonal Avenue. This will make it easier to apply for large federal grants.

“The website notes “Expect to see additional materials and events starting in summer or fall 2019. Comments and questions are welcome by emailing EastMarginal@seattle.gov or calling 206-684-8105.”

“East Marginal Way is a major freight corridor that provides access to the Port of Seattle terminals, rail yards, industrial businesses and the regional highway system, and between local Manufacturing and Industrial Councils (MIC’s). It is also a designated Heavy Haul Route, critical last-mile connector and vital route for over-sized trucks or those carrying flammable cargo. In addition, the corridor provides a major connection for people who bike between the West Seattle Bridge Trail, downtown, and the SODO neighborhood.

“This project will:

  • Improve safety and reliability in the movement of people and goods
  • Support freight loads by rebuilding the roadway
  • Promote efficiency through signal modifications and intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
  • Improve safety by better separating non-motorized modes from freight traffic”

Details of funding and phasing are in this SDOT report to the Levy Oversight Committee, starting on page 49 of the slide deck .

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Roadway definition and separation will prevent deaths and injuries.
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Separation of bike riders from heavy truck traffic and impatient car drivers requires more than paint and posts.
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Bike + Truck Rodeo at T25 with Port of Seattle, WSBC, SDOT, WSDOT, BNSF, SFAB, Drayage Truck Drivers. We are partners and allies with all those who depend on Seattle’s industies, import/export through our seaport, and freight mobility, for their livelihood. And that’s a LOT of us!

 

 

Bike to School!

It’s Bike to School Day for Bike Month! Lots of little engines powered the bike trains to Alki ES, Louisa Boren STEM K-8, Genessee ES, and other schools around town. There are always lots of riders to Lafayette year round, thanks to active parents and teachers – it only takes a few to make every day can be bike to school day!

West Seattle Bike Connections members helped out. Joe Laubach organized the day at Louisa Boren.  Bryan Fiedorczyk, Al Jackson, Kathy Dunn and Don Brubeck led and “caboosed” the trains to Alki ES. Bryan had some awesome custom Alki slap bracelets and stick-ons for the kids.

West Seattle Blog story and more pix are here.

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The bike trains arrived on time for school and socializing at Alki ES

Seattle pedaling backwards

We need safe bike routes on East Marginal, Avalon, Fauntleroy, Delridge, Sylvan/Orchard/Dumar and Roxbury.

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The 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan lists these as highest priority “Citywide” routes, slated for protected bike lanes or off-street paths. But Mayor Durkan is pulling SDOT back. The draft annual update of the work plan would cut back design and construction on almost all West Seattle safety improvements until at least 2025.
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The City is hosting several “cafe-style conversation” open houses to discuss the draft 6-year implementation plan for new bike facilities in Seattle. One will be in West Seattle.
Wednesday, April 24
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW
Café-style Conversations
6:00PM Doors open
6:15PM Short presentation
6:30PM Conversations
This is a good opportunity to give your feedback about the new implementation plan [PDF], and  to comment on some projects coming to or not coming to our neighborhoods this year.
Let’s tell SDOT to stop backpedaling. We voted for, we are paying for, and we all need safe streets now. Essential for safety, connectivity, equity, and for Seattle to meet it’s Climate Action Plan and Vision Zero goals.
Unable to attend a meeting? Send comments to CCBike@Seattle.gov by April 30, 2019.

 

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Map of where we stand with the build-out of the Bicycle Master Plan’s “Citywide” network routes. When will these highest-priority routes be built?

 

The Mayor didn’t like what she heard from the Bicycle Advisory Board (“find funds and build it”) or what she heard from the Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee (“find funds and build it”), so now she and SDOT are side-stepping the process mandated by City Council, hoping to get the answer they want from the rest of us. Please let them know how you feel.

BMP_Imp_Plan_2019_S sector map
SDOT’s draft 2019-24 implementation work plan for south Seattle, corrected to show what they have DELETED since the 2017-21 plan.
WSBC members getting out the vote for the Move Seattle Levy on Fauntleroy
Riding to to downtown in January
Families need safe routes to school, parks, libraries, and work

8/23/18 Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee Recommendations from “levy reset:

• Work with the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board on an annual basis to develop a 5-year BMP implementation plan, with projects selected taking into consideration stakeholder priorities, level of traffic stress, the quantitative analysis outlined in the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan, other modal plans, other projects in development, and additional funding opportunities

• Document how SDOT will fully fund and complete a proportional share (from a cost perspective) of the BMP network and programs each year, so that the entire citywide and local connector network may realistically be completed by the BMP milestones of 2030 and 2035

• Prioritize downtown bicycle network and connecting the urban villages on the citywide network.

Hope Springs Eternal – Ride to the M’s Games

When Al is not driving kids around West Seattle in a big yellow bus, you might find him riding his bike to a Mariner’s game. About 20 games a season by bike. Why ride? It’s fast, easy, fun and free. The nice bike cage at Safeco Field’s T-Mobile Park‘s garage holds 150 bikes, right by the staffed booth. Quick getaway after the game. Here’s his ride at the “road opener” celebration in April 2014, and the big glove sculpture all set for cool spring evening games.

bike & trailer at Safeco Feild parking garageKnitted ball glove

 

 

 

Here are the Mariners’ directions on getting to the ballpark by bike, walking, water taxi, …

Online voting for Neighborhood Street Fund

We have three West Seattle projects to recommend for District 1:

2019-134 Duwamish Longhouse Pedestrian Safety & Accessibility Project – from The Duwamish Tribe. See our post for more info.

2019-8 Brandon Street Sidewalks – Delridge to High Point

2019-124 Sylvan Way SW Low Cost Sidewalk South of Holly Street

There are also District 1 applications from members as individuals, and some from neighborhood associations that you might have a special interest in. The next step is up to you!

 

Please attend a community prioritization meeting or vote online

Saturday, February 2, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW

Monday, February 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, South Park Hall, 1253 S Cloverdale St

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Concerned About Congestion?

This is how to create more space on the streets:

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Source: Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan , Transportation Appendix

Compared to driving alone:

  • Walking is least expensive, and great for personal and public health. But it is slow.
  • Car-pooling costs extra miles, a bit of extra time. It can be inconvenient.
  • Transit uses road space efficiently, but is expensive to build and operate, It can be time consuming and inflexible, depending upon when and where you want to go.
  • Biking is great for personal and public health, and is often the fastest way to go  places in the city. No waiting, no worries about traffic jams.

Building and maintaining safe bike routes is a tiny fraction of the costs of building and maintaining streets, bridges, tunnels and rail lines for transit and cars.  But lots of people do not use bikes for transportation because they don’t feel safe on the streets they need to use. If you want to increase street capacity for driving cars, trucks and buses, it makes sense to support building a safe bike network, to get more people using bikes.

Spokane Street Bridge Bike Counts

2018 bike count is +2.9% above 2017 for year-to-date, despite a wet winter/spring, closure of the bridge for over a week for emergency repairs in June, and then the forest fire smoke air quality alerts.   If you look at the data in detail, a few things jump out:

  • Weekday trips far exceed weekend trips. These mostly are working bike riders.
  • Weather and light/darkness during commute hours are by far the biggest factors.
  • Alaskan Way Viaduct closures cause a spike. See May 2016.
  • Spokane Street Bridge emergency closures cause a dip. See June 2018.
  • We don’t yet have the key safe routes to downtown to really grow the numbers yet.  Fauntleroy, Avalon, Delridge, and East Marginal Way should be the game changers.

SDOT data. Our graph.

Delridge Greenway connections progress

SDOT is proceeding now with suggestions we made during the Delridge Transit + Multimodal Corridor planning.  There’s a good Neighborhood Greenway on 26th Ave SW from Andover to SW Juneau, parallel to Delridge and just two blocks west. It’s at basically the same grade as Delridge Way, with less traffic, and connects to the Spokane Street Bridge and Alki Trail.  There is also the Delridge-Highland Park Greenway up on Pigeon Point, along Puget Ridge to Highland Park and White Center via 21st Ave SW – SW Myrtle – 1 7th Ave. That one needs some improvements, and was not connected to the 26th Ave Greenway.

Now it is connected!  SDOT has installed speed humps on Juneau between 26th Ave and SW Croft Place, and along Croft, which angles up the hill for a less steep way to go from 21st Ave down to Delridge Way.

A crew was out yesterday installing bike detectors on Juneau to trigger the stop light at Delridge.  One of them asked me as I stopped at the light if I ride this way often. And he gave a nice unsolicited explanation of the bike detectors, here for you, too.     short video

SDOT agreed to a bunch of our suggestions to improve the Delridge-Highland Park Greenway to make it a viable compromise route in lieu of northbound protected bike lanes on the south half of Delridge Way.  It’s good to see work proceeding even before the final plans for the RapidRide H line are set.  Good bike and walking c0nnections are vital for people to safely get to and from the farther-apart RapidRide bus stops. It is time for safe routes to ride, walk and roll in Delridge.

New speed humps on SW Juneau St from Croft Place to Delridge Way SW.
New speed humps on SW Croft Place.
New speed humps on SW Juneau St from 26th Ave SW to SW Croft Place.
SDOT crew working on greenway improvements on SW Juneau St at Delridge Way SW
Bike detector to trigger the stop light on SW Juneau St at Delridge Way SW.

SPD says “Pay Attention!!”

Seattle Police say “The most important overall advice for any kind of pedestrian and traffic safety is PAY ATTENTION!!”

As bike riders, we know how important it is for safety to focus on our surroundings. As drivers, feeling safe, we know distractions can be so tempting.

From Jennifer Danner, SW Precinct:
“With children back is school, it is crucial to be reminded about general traffic and pedestrian safety as well!
“Pedestrians must be very mindful of how they are utilizing the street, sidewalks and crosswalks. Children should be reminded to be extra cautious when walking to and from school. Motorists and cyclists must pay attention to traffic conditions and all pedestrians. The most important overall advice for any kind of pedestrian and traffic safety is PAY ATTENTION!!
“Drivers, please be aware that with school back in session, children will be walking to and from schools and transit stops. As autumn approaches there will be less daylight; please pay extra attention, as children may be out early in the morning/late in the evening and may be more difficult to see.”