Category: Commuting

Trucks + Bikes this morning

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.

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WSBC Meeting February 3

6:30 to 8:00 pm.

Come join us!  Open meeting to plan and report on advocacy, events, rides to make it easier and safer to get around by bike in West Seattle.

Usually at HomeStreet Bank, 41st Ave SW & SW Alaska St, near the Alaska Junction. Check location the day of meeting.

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.
Photo: 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 Blog</p><br /> <p>Thank 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.<br /><br /> Looking forward to riding with you in the future, and hearing about your bike journeys around the world.

 

Options for Chelan 5-way intersection!

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.

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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.

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Unblocking Bike Lanes and Detours

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.
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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!

Party4OurStreets – Thursday Dec 11

We are part of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and it has been a great year for the Greenways movement. Let’s celebrate!

Join our friends from around the City at for a party this Thursday.  5:00-8:00, 7:00 award ceremony

at Washington Hall,  153 14th Avenue just north of Yesler.  If you ride your bike, we can do a group ride back to West Seattle.

More details here

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.

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WSBC Meeting Tues Dec 2

Monthly meeting, Tuesday December 2

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Homestreet Bank,  SW Alaska St at 41st Ave SW

Open meeting – you are invited and welcome to plan activities and meet others who are working to make it easy and safe to use a bike to get around West Seattle and beyond.

We need volunteers for:

  • advocacy to city agencies
  • participation and presentations for neighborhood associations;
  • writing stories;
  • taking pictures;
  • making maps;
  • graphic design;
  • grant applications for street and trail improvements;
  • representing us with our partners at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Sustainable West Seattle;
  • setting organizational tools and accounts,
  • leading or volunteering at events like Alki Summer Streets and Fiestas Patrias;
  • baking cookies for Bike to Work day;
  • working with businesses and schools on bike parking and safe routes to school and Bike Month;
  • helping organize new Greenways groups;
  • welcoming and following up with people who “join us” or “like” us online;
  • organizing or leading social rides around West Seattle;
  • organizing or working at DIY trail maintenance projects;

All these are potential meeting topics, but even if you can’t make an evening meeting, you can offer to volunteer in something that interests you, by email to us directly at westseattlebikeconnections@gmail.com

Justice for Jake, and Death on Delridge

DSC04402A driver convicted and awaiting sentencing for a road rage against one of our local heroes. Jake Vanderplas, community leader and initiator with Stu Hennessey of the North Delridge greenways, is a model for calm, responsible riding. Hard to believe that he could have triggered the assault by the driver, who is now awaiting sentencing. Good to see that the courts are taking this kind of crime more seriously.

Meanwhile, same day, another person walking across a street at an intersection was killed by someone driving a car. On Delridge this time. Traffic in the other lane was stopped for the pedestrian. This street has a 35 mph speed limit. The survival rate at that speed is a small fraction of what it is if speeds are reduced to 25 mph.

We need drivers to slow down and pay attention! We all need to walk, ride, and drive with patience and care for each other.

Thank you to West Seattle Blog for the reporting and the community conversations.

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South Seattle – Can you get there from West Seattle?

Yes, but it may not be for everyone. Could be lot better. Here is a start at some maps of routes.

Easy grades and fairly quiet streets are possible if you go all the way to the International District and double back on 12th S. Thanks to Stu Hennessey for this West Seattle Spokespeople ride route.

A quicker but steeper connection to Mountain to Sound Greenway and Beacon Ave is via busway trail and Holgate, but it’s better westbound. Eastbound involves poor access to a stair carry and sidewalk to get up the Holgate viaduct over I-5.

Via Georgetown is possible a few ways: 1st Ave S Bridge from West Duwamish Trail, or 1st Ave S viaduct from Spokane St Bridge.
There is also the newly re-opened South Park Bridge, via the West Duwamish Trail and route through South Park, but not sure about bike friendly routes on east side. Anybody familiar?

And you can continue south from South Park on busy 14th Ave S, then along a really crappy little trail/mudpatch by the Machinists union to West MargiSW-S Seattle 8 WS Junction-Beacon Ave 8 Alki-Col City bike routenal Place to get to a little ped/bike bridge over the Duwamish at Cecil Moses Park and the East Wind Fish Weir site, and then south on the Green River Trail at S 112th St.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6475498
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