Led by former Councilmember Mike O’Brien, Seattle passed an ordinance last year that all but requires SDOT to build out the planned bike network as part of any major repaving projects along a planned route. And the ordinance faces its first test as SDOT does not plan to build complete bike lanes on Delridge Way SW as part of the RapidRide H project.

We already saw the law have a positive impact on the joint SDOT/Federal environmental assessment of the RapidRide J project that includes Eastlake Ave bike lanes. Because compliance with local laws is an important factor in environmental review, the Eastlake bike lanes were cited in the study as in compliance with Seattle’s new ordinance. As we noted in our story about that study, the law flips the old script by making construction of planned bike lanes the path of least resistance for a project. Decisions not to build them would require jumping through hoops and review by the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee. (Full disclosure: My spouse Kelli was a legislative aide to Councilmember O’Brien and worked on this ordinance)

The key line in the ordinance is: “Whenever the Seattle Department of Transportation constructs a major paving project along a segment of the protected bicycle lane network, a protected bicycle lane with adequate directionality shall be installed along that segment.” “Shall” is a particularly strong legal term, though the ordinance does provide a path for SDOT if they feel they cannot build planned bike lanes. And that’s the process that’s being tested for the first time now.

SDOT has sent a letter to Council (PDF) outlining why a planned project will not build the bike lanes noted on Delridge Way SW in the Bike Master Plan when the RapidRide H project redesigns the street. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer or fall and be complete next year. UPDATE 2/28: For more information, here’s SDOT’s longer response (PDF) to Councilmember Lisa Herbold’s budget proviso on the project.

We wrote about this project in October, arguing that there is room for better bike lanes on Delridge than what is planned. The city’s plan is to build a one-way protected bike lane that only goes southbound from SW Juneau St to SW Cambridge St. Going northbound? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (more…)