Neighborhoods all over Seattle have been hit hard by Mayor Jenny Durkan’s proposed bike plan cuts. And as is depressingly typical, West Seattle got hit especially hard. They already had lackluster improvements in the previous version of the bike plan, but the latest version cuts the remaining big improvements, like vital Fauntleroy Way and Roxbury St bike lanes.
West Seattle Bike Connections, the same community group that did amazing work to help their neighbors get around by bike during the Viaduct shutdown earlier this year, is sounding the alarm about the cuts to improvements their neighborhood needs to keep people safe and encourage more people to get around by bike.
We need safe bike routes on East Marginal, Avalon, Fauntleroy, Delridge, Sylvan/Orchard/Dumar and Roxbury.
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Let’s tell SDOT to stop backpedaling. We voted for, we are paying for, and we all need safe streets now. Essential for safety, connectivity, equity, and for Seattle to meet it’s Climate Action Plan and Vision Zero goals.
Unable to attend a meeting? Send comments to [email protected] by April 30, 2019.
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The Mayor didn’t like what she heard from the Bicycle Advisory Board (“find funds and build it”) or what she heard from the Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee (“find funds and build it”), so now she and SDOT are side-stepping the process mandated by City Council, hoping to get the answer they want from the rest of us. Please let them know how you feel.
You can attend an upcoming SDOT open house to push back against the proposed cuts:
6:00PM Doors open
6:15PM Short presentation
6:30PM Conversations
- Tuesday, April 23
Washington Hall
153 14th Ave- Wednesday, April 24
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW- Monday, April 29
Van Asselt Community Center
2820 S Myrtle St- Tuesday, April 30
Phinney Neighborhood Assoc.
Community Hall
6532 Phinney Ave N
Cascade Bicycle Club is also trying to turn out people at these open houses, and they have a list of priorities they want to see protected or restored:
The plan is a decision point between incrementalism and acting with urgency.
Do we invest in a few key, and – let’s be real – challenging projects between now and 2024, to create meaningful connectivity around new light rail stations and along key corridors where people already bike in high numbers, despite dangerous conditions? We say yes. Add your voice at an upcoming open house.
Another decision: should half the city remain disconnected by bike from nearby neighborhoods, downtown and the rest of the city, and without meaningful places to safely and comfortably travel by bike. We say no. We need to fund – as one of the highest priorities – a South East Seattle connection on Beacon Ave S. Stand with us this month.
Don’t get us wrong; it’s not all bad. This draft plan gets some of the bike network right – like completing the Burke Gilman Missing Link, advancing almost all of the Basic Bike Network on an accelerated timeline (read that again!!), keeping on track a handful of important projects across the city – from Eastlake, to East Marginal Way, to Delridge. But we need to go further. And if the city is willing to seek grant funding – a promise to voters that underpinned the goals of the Move Seattle Levy – we absolutely can go farther towards a city where biking is a viable option for all – not just the bravest of souls. Adding a handful of projects will connect Seattle by bike.
UPDATE: Seattle Neighborhood Greenways posted their priorities, as well:
- A convenient, safe connection for SE Seattle. The viable options are, in order of preference, Rainier Ave S, Martin Luther King Jr Way S, and/or Beacon Ave S. A spine along Beacon Hill connecting from Yesler to Way to Kenyon St on 12th Ave S, 15th Ave S, and Beacon Ave S may be the most viable option.
- Safe Routes to SODO Jobs. Connect the SODO Trail to Georgetown and jobs along the way, and close the Duwamish Trail gap to connect to the Duwamish Longhouse.
- Safe Routes to Transit. For Sound Transit stations opening in 2021 and 2024, this plan will make or break their accessibility and usability. Connect Central District to link via MLK, Admiral to the C-Line via 42nd Ave SW & Fauntleroy, and the Little Brook and north Bitter Lake neighborhoods to the new light rail stations.
Comments
6 responses to “West Seattle community group responds to bike plan cuts + Cascade, SNG outline their priorities”
I understand that equity drives the focus to where the few promised improvements will have the biggest impact, but the promised dream of a connected bike network for all ages and abilities from Move Seattle seems to have been just that — a dream.
RIP NE Seattle connected bike routes network
I see 20,000 cars for every 1 bike I see. Public funds should be distributed accordingly.
If you spend lots of time on freeways, you’ll see lots of cars. If you hang out along major bike routes, you’ll see lots of bikes. Your perception (or any person’s) is not a good measure of use and poor basis for public fund allocations. But the good news for you is that actual transport spending is probably not far off your ratio (sr 99 cost $3b, 530 Bridge was $4.5b, Seattle bike spending is about $10m/yr)
I understand your point and respect your opinion.
Was that all state money or does the fed need to pay for the bike paths for cycling enthusiasts? I like to play pickleball, I would like to city to make a bunch of pickleball courts available to me all over the city. It is time to STOP listening to the “Vocal Minority” and make some real progress on things that have a real impact on the city.
Do you pickleball to get to work? Or to the grocery store? Or to school? Because that’s how people use (and want to use) bikes. Bike lanes are not just about people biking today, they are for people who would bike tomorrow if the streets were more inviting. To reduce it to a hobby is not being honest, and I think you know that. Cars can be hobbies, too, you know.
I have to ask, what the bloody heck does “pre-planning” mean?