Seattle Bike Blog

With newly-opened section, the Lake to Sound Trail is tantalizingly close to reaching the regional trail network

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 4, 2020

Imagine a new trail connecting Tukwila and Seatac to Renton. This trail would tie together the Green River Trail, Interurban Trail, Cedar River Trail and Eastrail, all while accessing rapid transit service. And someday, it could even reach the airport, Des Moines and Puget Sound.

Well, that trail is one step closer to reality. King County opened another couple miles of the Lake to Sound Trail between Tukwila and Renton. The new section doesn’t look like much on a map, but it included some difficult and important rail and river crossings as well as a connection to the Green River Trail.

Work is set to begin next year on a stretch between Seatac and Des Moines, but there is no current timeline for the major gaps between the new trail and the Cedar River or the Green River Trail to Seatac Airport. You can see on the map just how important this rare east-west link is to reaching much of south King County. Closing these gaps must be a major priority for future parks and trails funding.

More details from King County: (more…)

tags: des moines, dow constantine, king county parks, lake to sound trail, renton, seatac, tukwila

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The Seattle Bike and Outdoor Show is this weekend

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 3, 2020

The Seattle Bike and Outdoor Show is the area’s largest bike industry expo. So if you want to check out the latest gear, test ride some bikes, this is your chance.

The 2020 show is 9–6 Saturday and 9–4 Sunday at CenturyLink Field Event Center. Tickets are $12 and cover both days.

At least as of press time, the show is still on. Some major conventions and expos have been cancelled due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, so check the event website for any updates.

More details from the Seattle Bike and Outdoor Show: (more…)

tags: seattle bike & outdoor show

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SNG: Report traffic signals that don’t give enough walk time or skip the walk unless you push a button

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 2, 2020

Click to submit your idea to the Your Voice Your Choice map.

One of the most insidious ways our transportation infrastructure is designed to delay or harm people walking is mostly invisible: Traffic signals programmed to skip the walk signal unless someone pushes a button. Whenever a traffic signal skips a walk signal, anyone who shows up is faced with the choice to either wait an entire signal cycle or make a run for it without knowing whether there is enough time to get across. It’s a dangerous and completely avoidable situation. All it takes is for SDOT staff to change programming.

A few years back, the local #GivePedsTheGreen campaign tried to raise awareness of this problem. And though that did not result in a major signal reprogramming effort, it did lead to more people paying attention. Once you start looking for it, you see it everywhere.

Now Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has started an effort to get people to report signals that require a button push, take too long to change or don’t give enough crossing time to the city as part of the Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets program. This program funds relatively small community-generated project ideas to improve their local parks and streets. And it’s hard to think of anything smaller than a signal programming change. So is there a signal you encounter regularly that skips you or takes so long that people decide to run for it rather than wait? Report it!

More details from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways: (more…)

tags: #GivePedsTheGreen, seattle neighborhood greenways, your voice your choice parks & streets

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Trail Alert: Cedar River Trail closed near Cedar Grove Natural Area until March 2 to repair washout

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

February 28, 2020

Click for Google Map of the closure.

The Cedar River Trail was washed out during recent heavy rains, and crews will be out working with heavy machinery to finish repairs and paving. So the trail will be closed for 4.5 miles from 154th Pl SE east to Cedar Grove RD SE until Monday (March 2).

There’s no official detour, but SR-169 does have a shoulder for most of this stretch. Obviously, that’s not nearly as comfortable as a trail, and you need to be especially careful at intersections.

More details from King County Parks:

Trail closed from 154th Pl SE to Cedar Grove Rd SE

Excessive rain and flooding washed out a portion of the trail. While repairs to the embankment and trail subsurface have been completed, the Cedar River Trail will remain closed at 154th Pl SE east to Cedar Grove RD SE until Monday, March 2, so that resurfacing and paving can be completed.

Heavy machinery will be on the trail along with spotters for safety. No formal detour will be available.

tags: Bike Route Alert, cedar river trail, king county parks, renton

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Seattle’s new ‘mandatory’ bike lane law faces its first real test on Delridge Way SW – UPDATED

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

February 26, 2020

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…)

tags: delridge, Delridge Way SW, Lisa herbold, rapidride h, west seattle

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Got a buck? The Bikery launches $1 membership program + Seeks people to join their Board

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

February 25, 2020

From the Bikery website.

$1 now gets your a lifetime membership to the Bikery, part of an effort to expand participation in making decisions about the community bike organization.

For example, your first act as a member could be to apply to join the Board. Applications are due Saturday (February 29).

If you visit, volunteer or attend their events and have $1, you are eligible to be a member.

The volunteer-powered organization is based in a bike repair shop on Hiawatha Pl S not far from the intersection of Rainier Ave S and S Dearborn St since moving there in 2013. Its doors are open to anyone who wants to learn how to fix their bike. They have tools and space for you to work on it and helpful volunteers to teach what you need to know to get it rolling again. They do ask for a modest $5-15 per hour for your bike stand time. They also have a stock of new and used parts available and some bicycles for sale.

Details from the Bikery: (more…)

tags: bikery

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