Category: General

Riding in the Rain

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We’ve been riding in the rain!
In the city.. and in the country.  You can haul your own ark if you are worried about flooding.

Lots of ways to do it comfortably and arrive dry in our mild, moist, maritime climate. Cascade posted some good tips a while back. What are your tips?

Some of ours:

For safety: lights and light colors in daytime, more lights and reflectivity at night.

For comfort riding around town: Venting rain gear, WP mitts if it’s cold, no gloves if it’s warm; consider a rain cape if a jacket is too sweaty, or if it’s warm just wear quick-drying clothes. Waterproof work boots or dress boots or sandals can be easier than bike-specific shoes and booties. Finding the rain gear that works for you allows riding in normal clothes without the need to change when you get where you are going, if you adjust your layers, venting and pace to avoid overheating.

For less maintenance: Consider wider, sturdier tires to take water-filled potholes; disk or drum brakes; long fenders; single speed or internal gears.

Tweed Ride Report

We ride in the rain! It dampened our tweed outfits, but not our spirits! A few intrepid West Seattle Bike Connections members dressed up and rode to Bike Expo at Pier 91, all arriving warm, dry and looking good.  We enjoyed the amazing German bike acrobats, the food, the new bikes, the classic bikes, the presentations by Greenways advocates and by Willie Weir,  all the latest gear, and meeting bike riding friends from all over the city. Lots more emphasis on making bikes a practical way to get around, with bikes and carrying devices for hauling kids and groceries year round.  But plenty to keep weekend club riders and racers happy, too.

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West Seattle 5-Way Intersection Workshop

DSC00632DSC00635 This morning, City Council Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen opened a workshop with about 25 people invited by SDOT to brainstorm design input for the redesign of our #1 priority intersection: the 5-way at Chelan, Delridge, Spokane and West Marginal Way SW.

Thank you Council Member Rasmussen for securing funding for design of this challenging project, and SDOT and SvR for getting this diverse group together!

This intersection, and East Marginal Way S are currently the “deal breakers” that prevent willing but wary individuals and families from riding the final 20 minutes to downtown from West Seattle, or making the connection between the Duwamish Trail and the Alki Trail. Changing this will make a huge change for using bikes in West Seattle.

All the ideas we have brought up before were considered, and some really ambitious and creative long term solutions were proposed.  Short term and long term solutions will be planned, with initial design proposals back for stakeholder review in about 6 months.

Short term changes could happen fairly soon. The ultimate project will take years for full development, because, as Council Member Rasmussen noted, every mode of transportation uses this spot, including pedestrians, bike riders, cars, buses, freight trucks, fire engines, trains and ships. Well, maybe not airplanes, but most everything else.

The group included representatives from SvR Design, Port of Seattle, shipping companies, Seattle Fire Department, METRO Transit, Heffron transportation consultants, North Delridge Community Association, Seattle Bike Advisory Board, Feet First, UW, Cascade Bicycle Club, and West Seattle Bike Connections,  and SDOT’s traffic, bike/ped, signalization, and freight mobility groups. SDOT staff include a number who live in West Seattle and bike through this intersection regularly.

Don Brubeck and Bob Winship represented WSBC

Funding for Safe Intersections

We  have applied for two Neighborhood Parks & Streets Fund Grants grants and assisted other groups with two more — if you know people on the Southwest or the Delridge District Councils, please give these a plug. For small projects by SDOT and Parks.

– 11th Ave SW & SW Holden St:  Holden is a high speed arterial. We are requesting a flashing beacon sign at crosswalk, so kids and slower adults can safely cross. It’s on a planned Greenway route. Submitted by Highland Park Action Committee with support from us and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways — it’s on SNG’s top 10 list city-wide!

– California Ave SW & SW Juneau St:  requesting a marked cross walk with flashing beacon sign, and maybe curb bulbs, to connect future Greenways that will run parallel to California. This is a relatively flat spot to get to businesses, schools, and parks. Submitted by us, with support from Morgan Community Association and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. It’s the other SNG top 10 Greenway intersection in West Seattle.

– Alki Trail / Harbor Ave SW at SW Spokane St: Requesting trail markings to reduce bike/pedestrian conflicts at the corner and at Kitty Harbor and Cycle U.  Submitted by us, with support from Admiral Neighborhood Association, Alki Community Council, and businesses.

– Delridge Ave SW mid-block crossing at Boren School:  Requesting crossing improvements so kids and parents can get from parking lot, bike and walking routes to school.  Submitted by WSBC member and parent Craig Rankin with support from PTSA, Highland Park Action Committee, us, and others.

 

More changes at S Atlantic St / East Marginal Way S

Thank you to Dongho Chang, SDOT Chief Traffic Engineer, for riding out to meet and look at the bike detour. He’ll ask the project to move the fence behind the sign base and electrical box for a little more room. Video sensors now detect northbound bikes to change the light, and the east-west crosswalk signal goes on a cycle without having to press button.

Dongho Change, SDOT Chief Traffic Engineer
Dongho Change, SDOT Chief Traffic Engineer

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Port of Seattle says it’s really tight for trucks turning into T46, so it’s really tight for us.

We’ve probably got 3 to 4 weeks before the permanent path is finished, and then will not have to cross the road. The path will have a west side option for those going south or using sidewalk to go north, and an east side option for those using the northbound bike lane or turning north from S Atlantic St.

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Changes at S Atlantic St / Alaskan Way / East Marginal

We and others gave WSDOT some feedback on bike crossings and new detours at the newly opened Atlantic Street flyover crossing.  The viaduct replacement project has responded, as you have seen this week if you take that route to downtown. Kudos to all who spoke up! Here’s their message and an invitation for more communication this Thursday at Milepost 31, from 6:00 t0 6:30 PM.  211 First Ave S in Pioneer Square.

Hello Don,

Thank you for providing us with further feedback about the shared-use path at the intersection of South Atlantic Street and Alaskan Way South.  WSDOT and SDOT have been coordinating closely since the new South Atlantic Street overpass opened, and I want to respond to your questions and give you an update to some changes we’ve made after receiving feedback from you and others in the bicycle community.

We’ve changed the way the signals operate at this intersection so that it will no longer be necessary for bicyclists to push the pedestrian button to trigger the pedestrian walk signal to change. The walk signal will turn over automatically with each rotation of the signal cycle.

Due to limited sight distance and physical constraints, it is not possible to widen the path at the northwest corner of this intersection. Bicyclists should use caution when approaching this intersection. As a reminder, the width and curve of the path at this location will change when the permanent path opens.

Currently, bicycles approaching the intersection in the northbound bike lane do in fact trigger the signal sensors in the same way that vehicles do, using video detection which senses forward motion in the bike lane. This will continue to be the case when the permanent path opens.

We are committed to providing timely and helpful information to the bicycle community. On Thursday, Feb. 6, WSDOT and SDOT staff will be on-hand at Milepost 31 to answer questions and comments about the shared-use path. We have posted signs on this path to inform commuters of the event, and let them know how to contact us directly. We hope that you can join us, and would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this opportunity.

Prior to the new path opening in March 2014, we will notify bicycle stakeholder groups in the area and submit a post to the Seattle Bike Blog. We will be on-site during the peak commute times with information about the changing configuration. If you have any other suggestions about ways to reach out to the bicycle community, please let me know.

For the most up-to-date information on the viaduct program, visit www.alaskanwayviaduct.org.

Regards,

Genevieve Stokes
Communications Officer
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program

Ancient Fish Weir Technology Adapted to Bike Path Design

fish2DSC00233 DSC00230DSC00228 DSC00226 DSC00225 DSC00224 DSC00212   DSC00208DSC00211 DSC00206DSC00209DSC00192WSDOT and Contractor  Skanska are learning from the Duwamish and Suquamish

How long will this new bike trap last? Until the last cyclist is caught? Five foot wide blind corner with fence post blocks in the curve, for two-way bike and pedestrian traffic ?

What is wrong with these pictures?

Bikes for Kids!

963387_1390542716.6735Would you like to encourage kids at Denny Middle School to join and ride in their Major Taylor Club?

They need some bikes to ride!

West Seattle Bike Connections’ Theresa Beaulieu has a gofundme campaign started, to buy 12 to 15 new mountain bikes to get kids riding who cannot afford bikes, as her latest bike project at Denny.

Donate here

 

Chief Sealth has a Major Taylor for high school students, now in its third year, thanks to Cascade Bicycle Club.   These older kids have an Earn-a-bike program. Bringing this to Middle Schools is a new venture. West Seattleite Ed Ewing leads Cascade’s Major Taylor Club project.

 

 

Re-routes at S Atlantic St / Alaskan Way this weekend

Completion of the flyover lanes affects bicyclists this weekend

from Genevieve Stokes, Communications Officer, Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program

To complete the connections between the new South Atlantic Street overpass and nearby streets, crews must close South Atlantic Street and the State Route 99 off-ramp to Atlantic this weekend. Both closures will start at 4 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. The overpass and off-ramp will open to traffic by 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27.

During the closure, bicyclists will be able to travel from Alaskan Way South (south of South Atlantic Street) to the temporary bike path on the west side of the new overpass. However, bicyclists will not be able to use the bike lane north of South Massachusetts Street. Instead they will need to use the sidewalk on the west side of the street between South Massachusetts and South Atlantic streets, crossing in front of Terminal 46 via the crosswalk. In addition, flaggers will direct bicyclists riding east on South Atlantic Street.

When the new overpass opens, South Atlantic Street will remain closed to through traffic under SR 99. The crosswalks and sidewalks on the north side of South Atlantic Street will be open and bicyclists will also be able to use the overpass when a train is blocking the roadway. *Please note, the sidewalk on the overpass will not open until late in the week of Jan. 27. [WSBC note: the guardrail was not poured as of yesterday, Don’t try it!]

More changes coming soon to the shared-use path
Later this winter, crews will complete the link between the new path from South King Street and the on-street bike lanes south of South Atlantic Street. Until then, bicyclists will continue to use the temporary path between South Royal Brougham Way and South Atlantic Street. A map on our webpage highlights the temporary and future shared-use path and the bike routes in this area.

For the most up-to-date information on the viaduct program, visit www.alaskanwayviaduct.org.