General – Page 12 – West Seattle Bike Connections

Another Hair Salon Crash

Yesterday, yet another hair salon was the victim of a collision with a vehicle, this time Salon 08 in West Seattle.

First question asked by media after the crash: “Was she wearing a helmet?”

Driver’s first statement: “I don’t know what happened. That salon just came out of nowhere!”

Talk radio chat: “Those salons should not be allowed on the road.”

Citizen comments: “Getting your hair done is too dangerous. I don’t know why people think they should do that.”

Advocacy groups: “We demand protected hair salons lanes”

Columbia City, August 2014, 6 people in hair salon and adjacent restaurant were injured, and the historic building suffered serious damage.

Compton, California, September 2013 , building red-tagged

Hockley, England, May 2011 , severe damage

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.

slow down – save lives

Driving 3.3 miles on 35th Ave SW from Fauntleroy to SW Roxbury takes 5 minutes at 40 mph, or 6.6 minutes at 30 mph, if you could make all the lights and no traffic slows you down. Assuming that was possible, how important is it to get there 100 seconds faster? It is worth risking lives?

graphic from SvR Design

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

Bikes + Trucks + Trains – West Seattle to Downtown

Alon Bassok teaches in UW Civil Engineering’s Masters of Sustainable Transportation program. His class chose to look at commuting by bike from West Seattle to downtown through the Port area. Coincidentally, Alon lives in West Seattle and rides a bike, in addition to being extremely knowledgeable about freight mobility, so he could give them some guidance and lead them to resources. One project stands out for its analysis, graphics, and ideas. Brian Wood and Bon Provenzano joined us at a recent WSBC meeting to share and discuss their work. Brian came in from Whidbey Island, mostly by bike, and Bon joined via Skype from the north of England. Take a look!

CEE 563 A – Brian Wood and Bon Provenzano – Modal Conflicts – Partial – Final

Thurs Nov 13 Tweed Ride – WS Bridge to Proletariat

Dress in your warmest, tweediest, and join us for a social ride, food and drink!

Meet at precisely 5:30 p.m. under the West Seattle Bridge where the trails meet, and ride to White Center.

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

Jeff 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.

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.