Category: Uncategorized

Transportation Levy – call for action

The next Seattle Transportation Levy will fund most of the next 8 years of work on our streets, trails and public spaces. The Mayor’s draft does not get us where we need to go. Deadline is this Friday for comments.

Please spend five minutes to take the SDOT “community questionnaire”survey.

The City’s polling shows that voters will support a $1.7B levy that could make real progress. Why would we want to vote for a $1.3B levy that just reinforces car-dependency, fails to act on climate change, and fails to improve safety, equity, and connectivity commitments to people walking, rolling, biking and taking transit.

Please  take the SDOT “community questionnaire”survey.
Group photo of bike riders from West Seattle at rally at Jimi Hendrix Park.
West Seattle represents at rally for Transportation and Housing for a Healthy Future.

Ride to the Rally

We rode to the Transportation and Housing rally with our allies… to tell the Mayor and Council that we need a Transportation Levy that prioritizes safety, equity, climate action, and the needs of people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit. The draft levy does not get us to where we need to go.
Poster for Transportation and Housing for a Healthy Future Rally, April 20, 2024
Because the Spokane Street bridge was closed to traffic, we took a route yesterday across the 1st Avenue Bridge through Georgetown and SODO that demonstrates the needs that the draft levy will not meet.
Thank you Stu Hennessey for leading the ride.
Group of bike riders in protected bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW
in protected bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW
Group of bike riders crossing street
Crossing from bike lanes on West Marginal Way SW to Duwamish Trail.
Group of bike riders on paved trail by railroad tracks and street.
On the Duwamish Trail
Group of bike riders on First Avenue South Bridge.
on First Avenue South Bridge.
Stu Hennessey at East Marginal Way S
Group of bike riders
Waiting to cross East Marginal Way S at S River Street/ 4th Avenue S

 

Photo of Clara Cantor taking a group photo
Clara from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways taking a group photo at rally

 

 

 

West Seattle group arriving at rally
View of people at rally at Jimi Hendrix Park
Rally at Jimi Hendrix Park

Bike Everywhere Day – May 17, 2024

West Seattle Bike Connections and friends welcome you once again to Bike Everywhere Day
at the west end of the Spokane Low Bridge
from 6 to 9 AM on Friday, May 17.

Homemade baked goods, coffee, and information on bicycling routes and planned improvements will be available, and local enthusiasts can answer questions about commuting, recreational cycling and other biking issues.

SDOT will be there with the latest info on the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project and local bike shops will be on hand for simple, on-the-spot repairs

Bike Everywhere Day – May 19

West Seattle Bike Connections and friends welcome you once again to Bike Everywhere Day at the west end of the Spokane Low Bridge from 6 to 9 AM. Homemade baked goods, beverages and information on bicycling routes and planned improvements will be available, and local enthusiasts can answer questions about commuting, recreational cycling and other biking issues including the newest campaign we are cooking up. photo of woman riding bike on trail approaching Spokane Street Bridge. Semi truck and high bridge in background.

Bridge Bike Counts 2020

Spokane St Bridge bike counts are down this year for obvious reasons, but climbing back up, as more people try riding across the river for excercise or to get to essential jobs.

With drastically fewer people working downtown, the  daily pattern is really different: more weekend riders; lower morning and evening commute hour peaks; more mid-day riding.

Too bad we don’t have data for neighborhood routes within West Seattle.  Casual observation shows an amazing increase.

Reconnect West Seattle – 10% by bike

 

 

We are happy to see that the City recognizes the role biking can play to mitigate impacts of the West Seattle high-rise bridge closure by creating an aggressive but realistic bike mode share goal. To get acheive the goal of 10% of trips across the bridge at peak hour by bike,  it will be necessary to make biking routes safe, comfortable and efficient.

But…

SDOT’s proposed funding and scope of projects to improve biking is insufficient. It will take fully funding the spot improvements list we provided in April.  While we appreciate the inclusion of many of our suggestions in the Reconnect Seattle Survey, we are disappointed to see that the City intends to implement only a handful of spot improvement projects, spending less than $1M [up to 10 projects at less than $100,000 each.] This is woefully inadequate to attract the numbers of new bikers and sustain their comittment to cycling for the years of the bridge project.

And…

Paint and post improvements need to be complemented with programmatic support. The City must act to support people from a range of backgrounds so that people of all ages, abilities, languages, ethnicities, genders and races can equally rely on biking as a safe, affordable and sustainable way of getting around during the bridge closure.

See our latest proposals to the City, 200812 reconnect WS – bike mode shift , made in collaboration with Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Cascade Bicycle Club, and endorsed by 350 Seattle, Transit Riders Union, The Urbanist, Feet First and Lime.

photo of woman riding bike on trail approaching Spokane Street Bridge. Semi truck and high bridge in backrou

 

Reconnect West Seattle

Deadline this Friday, July 31:
Please take the Reconnect West Seattle survey.

Your voice is needed to help get more people on bikes across the bridges safety and efficiently.  Mobility for West Seattle, South Park and Georgetown depends on it.

It’s going to take a lot more than 10 projects at <$100K each, but this is a start, and it’s what we have available to us at the moment, so let’s go for it. Most of the projects came from our input with Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.

 


There are also separate neighborhood surveys for the most heavily impacted neighborhoods in the south end of West Seattle, South Park & Georgetown.

 

Hah Ah Poos – Stand with the Duwamish to Rename T-107 Park

We ride on the Duwamish Trail. We live in the city named for Chief Seattle.

We acknowledge that we are on the unceded traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

We have been  working to support the Duwamish Tribe’s need for a safe crossing of West Marginal Way from the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center to the trail, park and river.

Here is another opportunity to support the Duwamish Tribe. Their video makes a compelling presentation, If you agree, you can take the Port’s survey , and fill in the Tribe’s name choice for T-107 Park:  Ha Ah Poos Duwamish Village Park

Duwamish River in fog with snowberries in winter
The Duwamish River

This  step is for nominations, to be followed by a public poll on selected nominations in September.

Picture of bike rider on the Duwamish Trail between railroad track and park
The Duwamish Trail at T-107 Park across from the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center

Your voice is needed

Please take the Reconnect West Seattle survey. Your voice is needed to help get more people on bikes across the bridges safety and efficiently. Mobility for West Seattle, South Park and Georgetown depends on it. It’s going to take a lot more than 10 projects at <$100K each, but this is a start, and it’s what we have available to us at the moment, so let’s go for it. Most of the projects came from our input with Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LM7MWN8
There are also separate neighborhood surveys for WS south end neighborhoods, SP & GT. Valuable input if you live in those neighborhoods.

 

WSBC July 7 meeting 6:30 pm

Agenda this month will focus on biking to help provide mobility during the West Seattle Bridge closure. We have invited guests from Seattle SDOT, SDON and the community task force.   See our proposals to SDOT

6:30 to 8:00 pm Zoom meeting.  Please join us!
To receive log in information,  email us at westseattlebikeconnections@gmail.com with your name and neighborhood.