Seattle Likes Bikes!

Sometimes the Little Things Make a Difference

January 14th, 2012 by AiliL

Thank you Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). The clean path on the east side of Delridge, leading to the lower West Seattle Bridge was finally swept of the leaf and tree debris that accumulated for months – the path is much nicer (and wider) to ride now.

And another bonus this week was the addition of new path crossing zebra striping in a very needed place, the exit to Terminal 18 Public Access Park (the “Fishing Bridge”). More drivers have been using this area as a place to U-turn from Spokane Street and making sure drivers are aware there is a busy path in use is helpful. The park entry striping was also upgraded to be more visible.

Thanks SDOT!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Lower West Seattle Bridge – Can the Route be Improved?

January 8th, 2012 by AiliL

Last year, in late 2010, I was conversing with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) about the problems cyclists (and pedestrians) face at the intersection on the east side of the lower West Seattle Bridge. SDOT stated that no upgrades were to be done to the Major intersection at the S. Spokane St / east lower bridge area. Now is the time as other low bridge users have pointed out. In 2009, 139 cyclists were counted using the bridge in 2 hr period. 2010 counts should be out soon and likely the count will be higher.

The bike route follows the “Alki Trail” which is identified on signage in the area as the “West Seattle Bridge Trail,” from E. Marginal Way S E/W, crossing several busy Port of Seattle entrances and streets, to the west side of the lower West Seattle Bridge. Cyclists (and pedestrians) have the choice of crossing S. Spokane Street to access/exit the trail at the base of the bridge, or loop under the bridge and avoid the major intersection entirely. But many cyclists don’t even know the alternate route exits or are confused about how best to navigate the area. Just recently, after I had exited the loop and was pedaling up the bridge, another cyclist caught up to me and asked, “Where did you come from?” I replied, “Downtown.” A look of complete confusion crossed his face and he asked, “But how did you come up from behind the bridge, is there another street?” It turns out, even though he had cycled to Alki before, he had not known that there was route he could take to avoid the intersection. He was glad that he now had another option. But why did he have to ask another rider? Why is there a lack of signage in this very confusing area? What can SDOT do about it? Here is a map showing (in red) the trail loop and (in black) the intersection referred to: WestSeattleTrail

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Posted in Bicycle Master Plan, West Seattle | 1 Comment »

Major detour in south end, major headache for cyclists?

December 30th, 2011 by AiliL

A new detour has been released by Washington State Department of Transportation between S. King Street and S. Main Street along the waterfront Alaskan Way.

Detour Published by WSDOT

Note that if cyclists choose to use the detour several problematic intersections will have to be traversed, especially at S. Main Street and near S. Main Street (uncontrolled crossing of northbound traffic lanes using zebra striping) and at the S. King St. intersection at which cyclists proceed southwest or northeast to/from accessing/leaving the new path. Note that cyclists can continue to use the sidewalk along the west side of the street, but must yield to pedestrians if they do so.

Some discussion about the detour can be found here.

The inherent complexity of the detour is an issue but could other facilities for cyclists have been planned? Would bike boxes have been useful to get cyclists from the east side of the path detour to the west so they can continue west been helpful? Would a separate bike signal at King be useful here? Reliance on auto/pedestrian traffic regulation for a major bike route may not be helpful to cyclists.

Note that cyclists can also avoid this detour by using 1st Ave or Western Ave as an alternate route (note some drivers may detour to these routes as well so traffic may be heavier on them in general).

I have commented to WSDOT about the new detour. You can also comment to WSDOT on the Cascade Forum or by sending an email to Broch Bender at Benderb@wsdot.wa.gov. Feedback to WSDOT will also be important if you do choose to use the detour.

EDIT 1/3/12: I forgot Western ends/begins at the south end at Yesler, right at the north end of the construction area, i.e. it won’t route you around the detour mess but drop you right into it. Western be a viable route to get to Yesler, then route to 1st, then back down to King. Or, just stay on Alaskan as part of vehicular traffic. I did notice this morning that there seems to be some large new signage (covered in black plastic so I couldn’t read it though) right at the bike/ped crossing on the north end of the detour route, I’m thinking this is likely some warnings to drivers to yield to bikes/peds…

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Stop Signs in S. Alaskan Path Right of Way

December 23rd, 2011 by AiliL

Yesterday I encountered these newly placed stop signs while using the east side bike/pedestrian path on S. Alaskan Way, between S. Massachusetts Street and S. Atlantic Street.

Looking south along path on the east side of S. Alaskan Way.

The six signs (one set for northbound path users, one for southbound) are placed on the bike/ped path at the construction entry/exit points and are clearly intended for path users.

Looking north on bike path along east side of S. Alaskan Way

The placement of these signs in the right of way of all path users, puts the burden of stopping at all hours on cyclists and pedestrians, the more vulnerable street users, whether or not the construction site is active. No signage has been placed on the street for motorized traffic to similarly stop before proceeding past the same construction entry/exit points.

Southernmost stop sign, along with barrels moved to the center of the bike/ped path, creating an even more confusing/narrow travel path

The bike/ped path is part of the main arterial and as such, the signs should be placed so the construction crews know they themselves must stop before entering the arterial and must yield to all traffic, whether on foot, bike, or in a car/truck, before proceeding. If the construction crew is concerned about the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on the path, the crew should make sure their action of crossing a busy right of way is done in a safe manner.

I am looking into this and will follow up once I receive a response regarding the reason behind the stop sign placement.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

WSDOT: A better bike accomodation

November 29th, 2011 by AiliL

Recently, the problems encountered by cyclists riding on E. Marginal Way/Alaskan Way S. between S. Massachusetts and S. Atlantic Streets reached a head with wrong way drivers and poorly designed suggested bicycle detours.

Last month, October, Broch Bender of Washington State Department of Transportation addressed these concerns and led a reconfiguration of E. Marginal Way/Alaskan in this area. In my opinion, this has made a big difference.

Approaching Massachusetts, a rider still has a choice to cross at a marked detour and use the west shoulder to ride northbound against traffic. Many riders did this as it was preferable to fighting traffic behind them (including trucks heading to one of the several Port of Seattle entrances in the area) and not having the skills to take the lane. Now one can ride past the suggested bike detour crossing and use the left turn only lane to S. Massachusetts and connect to the bike/ped path along the west side of Alaskan. Even though one still has to ride across the intersection, a cyclist is more visible to traffic and the cyclist doesn’t have to feel pressured to make a left turn due to traffic approaching from or stopped behind.

Looking northbound at left turn only lane/thru lane at S. Massachusetts St.

While the new barriers do help protect users of the more southerly bike/ped path, the frequent flooding of the path can render the jerry-rigged path useless. However, I have yet to see a wrong-way rider or a pedestrian on the street side of the barrier. When the path floods I have noticed more cyclists heading south use the street instead, and pedestrians pick their way as best they can along the fence line (barriers are seen in the above image, left of center).

The other improvement made was adding two northbound lanes north of S. Massachusetts. When the Port entrance at S. Atlantic is unusually busy, both lanes can be put into service so that trucks don’t stack up and block the (formerly) one northbound lane. With one right turn only lane and in normal traffic, and one left turn only lane open, cyclists can now take the left turn only lane to access the new bike/ped path north of S. Atlantic. There have been, to my knowledge, no more wrong way drivers. It would be nice if the stoplight at the Alaskan/Atlantic intersection recognized cyclists however. I have reported this with no change to date.

Riding in left turn only lane, traffic turning right can pass on the right. Leftside left turn lane can be opened if Port Traffic is heavier than usual.

WSDOT deserves praise for this change. But it’s not permanent – ongoing construction ensures no consistency in the area. Maybe this can be a learning experience for WSDOT and integration of modes of transportation other than cars and trucks can be considered before implementation of detours and new street configurations. In any case, someone will be watching.

Posted in Construction, Uncategorized, West Seattle | 3 Comments »

SW Delridge Greenway Ride

October 22nd, 2011 by AiliL

On a chilly Saturday morning, October 15th, a group of cyclists and interested people gathered along with Council Member Sally Bagshaw to discuss the idea of making 26th Ave SW, just west of SW Delridge Way, into a bicycle Greenway.

Sally Bagshaw, members of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council

What is a Greenway? Neighborhood Greenways are dedicated residential streets with low traffic volume and traffic speeds. The street is an extended connection between parks or schools or neighborhood businesses. The connection provides a quieter, slower paced place where bicycles, pedestrians and neighbors’ safety are given priority.

A Greenway along this portion of 26th, even though fairly short at just under 2 miles long, would be welcomed by the community. 26th is used by cyclists to avoid Delridge, and drivers use it as a cut-through to avoid Delridge as well – creating a higher speed roadway at times than it’s designed for, for families heading to the four parks linked by 26th – including the new skate park. 26th is also already a part of the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail and is planned as a link in the West Seattle Golf Course Trail.

Traveling southbound on 26th Ave SW

Looking north from the very south end of 26th Ave SW

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Posted in Advocacy, Communication, Election, Reasons to Bicycle, West Seattle | 1 Comment »

When a Dangerous Detour Becomes More Dangerous…

October 15th, 2011 by AiliL

Many cyclists who travel northbound on E. Marginal / S. Alaskan encounter this detour near S. Alaskan and S. Massachusetts, at the south end of the Coast Guard facility.

Suggested bike detour signage on S. Alaskan near S. Massachusetts

While the detour is not mandatory, there’s no signage indicating this and some cyclists, especially those more averse to riding in the roadway, use the detour. The detour notoriously routes northbound cyclists against southbound traffic, basically creating a sanctioned Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) ‘bike salmon’ situation.

Detour route heading north, facing southbound lanes.

Even worse, now that the rainy season is starting, this section of ‘detour’ floods deeply when it rains, not only hiding an uneven road surface but forcing the detour users out into the busy street.

Same detour as prior picture (note someone has moved the markers to the "center" of the detour, creating a "two-way" detour split). This was taken about 6:50 am.

This not only effects southbound cyclists and pedestrians, who have to sometimes enter into the stream of traffic suddenly – if they are unaware of the flooding up ahead, hoping that a driver will slow to let a cyclist merge ahead of them – but those northbound cyclists who have followed the detour now have to ride in the actual southbound lane the wrong direction. The morning I took the flood pictures there was a constant stream of traffic (trucks, cars, delivery vans, 18-wheelers, etc.) and pedestrians and cyclists had to just hope that drivers were paying attention. We shouldn’t have to hope. If the City of Seattle wants to get the Greenways idea sold, then the basic bicycling infrastructure, even if it’s in a construction zone, and links to/from the infrastructure must be considered just as important. There’s no way to get those Interested but Concerned cyclists to the Greenways or new bike paths with problems like this.

UPDATE 10/21/11: Just spoke with Broch Bender of the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and she let me know that this area has had the drainage system updated and there will be barriers installed between the bike “path” and the roadway. Please post about your experience here if you have any comments about the changes.

While no cyclists went by when I was there, a jogger did pass, just before a line of cars came from the other direction and had to veer away from her.

Posted in Advocacy, Construction, missing link, West Seattle | 4 Comments »

Dexter Ave N construction – The End

October 13th, 2011 by laura

Do you remember back in gray and rainy March when construction started on Dexter Ave N? Since then we’ve monitored the signage, bounced over removed asphalt, and began to see the light at the end of the tunnel in June when Phase 1 finished.

Dexter Ave N is sporting wide bike lanes, painted buffers, bus islands, and notably did not pool water at the bottom of the hill near the bridge nor at the top by Thomas C. Wales park during this week’s heavy rain.

Bike lane, bus island, smooth pavement

Sharrows are painted at cross street intersections reminding drivers that there is a lane that needs to be noticed before making movements into the vehicle lane.

(as seen at Dexter Ave N & Newton St)

Not surprising and yet unacceptable is the first evidence of a car parking in the bike lane. (Feel free to call SPD Parking Enforcement at 206.625.5011 should you encounter this.) Let’s hope that was an anomaly.

Let it be known the construction workers throughout this project were fantastic – always looking for me as I was watching out for them (and the trucks, cones, gravel, etc.). They did a great job and the bar is set high for what cyclists can expect in future road construction projects. Send your e-thank yous to the city, contractor, and crew via Construction Communications Officer, Josh Stepherson, at josh@stephersonassociates.com. I am sure they would love to hear it.

Posted in Construction, Dexter Ave N | Comments Off

Wrong Way Drivers a Serious Danger

September 26th, 2011 by AiliL

On Friday, Sept 23, ~4:45 pm, I decided to ride southbound on Alaskan, after planning on proceeding through the Alaskan Way S. and S. Atlantic intersection on my green “walk” light. A train was blocking the east part of the intersection so I chose to use the roadway rather than the crowded optional bike detour route since there would be no motor traffic behind me and I could avoid the pedestrians and other cyclists using the detour. To my astonishment, TWO trucks were heading northbound in the southbound lane (the WRONG WAY), ran the red light and turned into the Port Terminal 46. After they passed and I was (legally) crossing the intersection, a driver of a car did the same thing – I actually had to move over or risk a head-on collision as I proceeded to the southbound lane. Then to my complete horror another truck pulled over the double yellow, as I was heading southbound in the southbound lane, and headed northbound – he swerved to miss me as I swerved to the right next to the barrier. Luckily he was not going fast. I know some riders have experienced the same thing, but until Friday, I had not. This is completely unacceptable and puts ANY rider, driver, motorcyclist in mortal danger. Driving on the wrong side of the road should be immediate cause for concern and monitoring from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Port of Seattle (Port) authorities. Just because a driver experiences a delay that’s longer than they expected does not exempt them from the laws pertaining to the roadways and endangering other road users. I have reported this to SPD, the Port of Seattle and BikeWise, who in turn reported it to the Walk and Bike Group, and to the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board. If you know of anyone who has experienced the same driver behavior, please make sure it’s reported to the official authorities. Making our voices heard is the best way to make changes happen.

EDIT: correction to my comment that I had never experienced this before. I found that I wrote up a post on BikeWise back in July of 2009 for the very same reason of drivers driving the wrong way to avoid traffic delays due to the train crossing.

Update 10/18/11: A good video about this situation was recently posted at www.bikejuju.com.

Update 10/21/11: Just spoke with Broch Bender of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) about this area. the northbound traffic lanes have been widened to one right turn only lane to S. Atlantic St. and two left turn lanes into the Port of Seattle entrance. This is good news and should alleviate those wrong-way drivers. This is a temporary fix that was do-able because some of the Viaduct work to the east was completed. In the spring, the roadway will be narrowed again so that a more permanent road surface (concrete rather than blacktop) can be installed.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Who Has Right-of-Way? Seattle Port Police Department or Pedestrians and Cyclists?

August 6th, 2011 by AiliL

Thursday morning I found these new markings on the west sidewalk and southbound bike lane on East Marginal Way, outside the Port of Seattle Police Office at Terminal 30.

Caution Driveway Ahead, westbound and southbound on sidewalk

Yellow crosshatch markings extending across sidewalk and bike lane

I would hope that on the Office side of the fence similar markings or signage, for those exiting the Office in their vehicles, would be posted indicating that exiting/entering vehicles should use caution because they are crossing a sidewalk and bike lane.

Port of Seattle Police Office entry/exit

No such luck.

The cautionary markings may be a good idea and cyclists need to be situationally aware at all times, but the execution of the idea confuses who exactly has the right of way on the sidewalk and bike lane. These markings seem to give the impression that pedestrians and cyclists who are using the sidewalk or bike lane must potentially yield to vehicles entering/exiting the Office driveway. Yellow crosshatch markings are standardly used, according to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), to move traffic away from an obstruction or to create a buffer zone between opposing lanes of traffic. And besides, you know, it’s the obligation of the driver crossing the sidewalk or bike lane to be sure it’s clear before entering said sidewalk (Seattle Municipal Code 11.58.230, Emerging from alley, driveway, private property, or building) or bike lane (Seattle Municipal Code 11.58.230 and 11.53.190 Driving in a bicycle lane). If the intent is to warn vehicles exiting the port that they are about to cross a sidewalk or bike lane, the yellow crosshatching should be used before the sidewalk and bike lane in the vehicle exit/entrance or white striping could be used on the sidewalk (indicating a crosswalk situation for drivers).

In no instance should yellow diagonal lines be placed in the right of way of sidewalk or bicycle lanes. I am contacting the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to find out if they knew about this and if they condone the markings.

What is your take on the use of this striping? I have never encountered it before, especially within a bike lane.

UPDATE: Commander Eliadis with the Port has directed (the Port’s) maintenance department to remove the pavement markings…thanks to Mr. Blake Trask of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board who also was a part of the communications along with SDOT.

Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »