Seattle Bike Blog

Alert 3/22-25: Weekend closure for trail that has a name almost nobody knows under SR 520 in Montlake

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 19, 2024

Closure map from WSDOT.
The trail that goes under SR 520 between Montlake Blvd and Montlake Playfield that you probably didn’t know had a name will be closed this weekend starting 10 p.m. March 22 and reopening by 6 a.m. March 25, according to WSDOT.
The Bill Dawson Trail*, a name that nobody except the most attentive readers of Seattle Bike Blog have ever heard before, is a bit difficult to find, but it is very useful for certain connections. It starts on the west side of Montlake Blvd adjacent to a freeway on-ramp. The trail then travels down an extreemly bumpy pathway before turning sharply to cross under SR 520 with only a few feet of headroom. But then it spits you out next to Montlake Playfield and connects to E Calhoun Street downhill from Interlaken Park.
WSDOT does not list an official detour, but your basic options are to take E Lynn Street or use the short but steep switchback trail connection on E Calhoun Street to get to 19th Ave E. From there, head over to the neighborhood greenway on 22nd Ave E. Note that E Roanoke Street will also be closed between 20th and 22nd Avenues. The detour options don’t look terrible, but they do require users to navigate the Montlake Blvd/520 interchange area.
*Though I have not seen any official documentation, the trail’s namesake Bill Dawson was most likely a Navy officer who often went by Bull. He was a former commanding officer at Sand Point Naval Air Station and was an active member of the Seattle Yacht Club, which is based near the trail. He was also a charter member of the Seafair Boat Club. He died in 1990 at 74.

tags: Bike Route Alert, bill dawson trail, montlake, sr 520, wsdot

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KUOW: Unbelievable interview with women attacked by cougar while biking

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 18, 2024

Listen to or read the story on KUOW.org.
You probably saw the headline shortly after it happened, but the full story of Keri Bergere and four friends (Auna Tietz, Annie Bilotta, Tisch Williams and Erica Wolf) fighting against a cougar that attacked them during a ride is truly unbelievable.
The five women in their 50s and 60s, part of the Recycled Cycles racing team, were riding on a gravel path near Tokul Creek northeast of Fall City and Snoqualmie when a young cougar attacked Keri, biting her face and holding on for 15 minutes. The other four women sprung into action and engaged in a grueling and long fight to free their friend before pinning the cougar under a bike until a park ranger arrived and killed it.
My words here are not doing the story justice. KUOW interviewed them, and you just have to listen or read for yourself. There are some gruesome details, but the courage and tenacity behind everyone’s actions is awe-inspiring. The web story also includes photos of Keri wearing her cycling jersey, but with all the scratches and holes embroidered in a rainbow of colors.
Go give it a listen or read the text version on the KUOW website.

tags: annie bilotta, auna tietz, cougars, erica wolf, keri bergere, kuow, tisch williams

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Rep. Schrier presses Mt Rainier Park to work with RAMROD

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 17, 2024

2019 RAMROD Ride With GPS route from the Redmond Cycling Club.
2023 RAMROD Ride With GPS route from the Redmond Cycling Club.
Representative Kim Schrier, whose 8th Congressional District includes Mount Rainier National Park, has pressed park leaders to work with the Redmond Cycling Club to help the 39-year-old Ride Around Mt Rainier in One Day (“RAMROD”) continue.
“Since the announcement, we have been grateful for the tremendous support we have received from Representative Kim Schrier’s office,” said Joe Matthews, President of Redmond Cycling Club, in a statement. “Representative Schrier initiated a meeting with the National Park Service, Mount Rainier National Park and RCC last week. Earlier today, she contacted me and shared her insights on the situation and possible solutions to explore.”
Rep. Schrier’s suggestion is that the park use their new timed entry system to maintain “a thoughtful balancing of cars and cyclists.” RAMROD allows a maximum of 800 registrations, though the rider count is lower due to last-minute cancellations and no-shows. The ride is also held on a Thursday, which is one of the least busy days of the week for the park.
These adjustments would seem to address the Park’s concerns, though it is not yet clear if they accept it. “Mount Rainier National Park officials have determined that an influx of approximately 800 bicyclists and additional support staff through the middle of the park would negatively impact the visitor experience and increase congestion in the park during peak visitation,” a National Park Service spokesperson told Seattle Bike Blog last week. “The safety of all visitors is a priority for the park.”
(more…)

tags: joe matthews, kim schrier, mount rainier, national parks, ramrod, redmond cycling club

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Parks Dept will fix Burke-Gilman bumps north of Matthews Beach + Transpo Plan looks to future trail rebuild

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 15, 2024

The signs are already up along the Burke-Gilman Trail alerting riders to the Parks Department’s plans to fix some bumps along the oldest stretch of the stories rail-trail north of Matthews Beach Park. Some of the pavement along this stretch is 46 years old. It may have helped launch the nation’s rails-to-trails movement, but it has long been showing its age. It was also built without the under-trail root barriers that more modern trails have, such as the section just north of the Seattle city limits. In addition, the sides have gradually eroded, making the width of the older sections a tiny bit skinnier.
Work on the first segment is set to begin March 25 and last up to two weeks. The final section is expected to be complete by July. And even more good news is that there appear to be easy detours for all of these work zones, which is not always the case for this trail. You can check out a map of all the planned detours via an online map from the Parks Department. Here’s the planned detour for the first section:
Trail pavements lasts a lot longer than roadway pavement. A half century of service is pretty darn good, especially since the Parks Department has not always stayed on top of maintenance. It is great to see the department continuing its maintenance work from 2023.
However, maintenance will only extend the life of the trail to a point. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed Seattle Transportation Plan (“STP”) includes a large capital project concept for a major upgrade of the trail from UW campus to Matthews Beach and UW campus to Fremont “to more comfortably and safely connect people walking, rolling, and biking on one of the region’s most popular trails with destinations along their route.” Inclusion in the “aspirational” capital projects list does not mean it is guaranteed to happen, but this is the first time I have seen the city officially designate it as a project. This project would most likely need significant state and/or federal grant funding. Below is the project description from the proposed STP:
(more…)

tags: 2024 Seattle Transportation Plan, Bike Route Alert, burke-gilman trail, parks and recreation, sdot

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A transportation funding ballot measure that inspires

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 14, 2024

Over the next 8 years, Seattle will improve safety on every high-injury street in the city.
That’s the kind statement I would love to see Seattle make when selling the transportation funding measure it will send to voters later this year. This is a high-turnout Presidential election year, and higher turnout should make it easier to pass a bold and inspiring package of forward-thinking and innovative transportation goals.
The next transportation funding measure is Seattle’s final chance to reach Vision Zero by 2030, the goal the city set when the program launched in 2015. Since 2015, the Vision Zero has conducted a series of very successful one-off projects here and there, and it is now time to scale these efforts up to address all our most dangerous streets.
We know safety is a top transportation priority for Seattle voters, and we also have a map of high-injury streets throughout the city. Put those together to create an ambitious but achievable goal that may have no precedent among large U.S. cities. Seattle can and should be a leader that inspires other cities by showing them what’s possible. With traffic deaths and injuries rising across the nation, Seattle can be the place that turns that trend on its head. We can take smart action by bringing SDOT’s modernized understanding of safe and efficient street design to all our most dangerous roadways, reversing historical inequities that place the most dangerous roads near lower income communities and communities of color. We can show that this work can be done at scale while keeping people and goods moving efficiently.
Map of Seattle’s high injury network from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed Seattle Transportation Plan. The “scores” shown in this map include a race and social equity weighting that gives a higher score in low income communities and communities of color.
Map of deaths and serious injuries 2019-2021, from SDOT’s 2023 Vision Zero Top-to-Bottom Review.
(more…)

tags: 2024 transportation funding measure, bruce harrell, sdot, vision zero

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SDOT will upgrade 4th Ave bike lane barrier to concrete

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 13, 2024

Images from SDOT.
The 4th Ave bike lane is getting concrete barriers to replace the paint and post style barrier it has had since opening in 2020-21. The upgrade should bring the 4th Ave bike lane up to the level of quality of the 2nd Ave lane. It will be constructed within the existing buffer area of the lane from Vine Street in Belltown to Jefferson Street on the edge of Pioneer Square.
Work will begin as soon as March 18 and be completed by July. The southbound lane against the curb will remain open, but sections of the northbound lane one or two blocks long will be closed as work progresses.
SDOT initially said that they would extend the bike lane from Jefferson to Main Street in 2023 or 2024, but that work is not part of this plan. The excuse at the time was that too many buses use those blocks of 4th Ave currently, but that they would finish the connection once Link light rail extensions to Northgate and the Eastside open. The 2 Line to the Eastside has been delayed due to issues building the tracks across the I-90 Bridge.
(more…)

tags: 4th ave, center city bike network, sdot

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