Seattle Bike Blog

WA Bikes outlines 2016 legislative agenda

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 24, 2015

’twas the night before Christmas, and all through the web, every single creature was reading about Washington Bikes’ 2016 state legislative priorities.

Last year, transportation money was flying all around the state legislature. As usual, it ended with billions for new and wider highways (boo!). But it also included significant increases in Safe Routes to School funds and other trail and bike/walk access projects (not to mention the needed Sound Transit 3 authority, though heaven forbid the state actually fund regional transit).

Without a transportation package on the table this year, the WA Bikes strategy is a little different. Primarily, they are looking to protect funding already gained, protect trails (including the John Wayne Pioneer Trail), get the state to study the economics of bicycle tourism, and encourage stronger distracted driving laws (like, you know, making it illegal to look at Facebook while driving. That’s right, you can legally do that now because we live in a crazy world).

More details on the agenda from WA Bikes: (more…)

tags: 2016 legislature, washington bikes

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Long overdue sidewalk closure rules now in place, city will work on bike lane rules next

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 22, 2015

Top image: Seattle Bike Blog. All others: SDOT

If you are building something in Seattle and need to close the sidewalk, you can no longer simply send people walking out into the street.

That’s according to new rules outlined by SDOT (PDF), which we wrote about previously. During public comment, the city received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback on the rule, which should significantly limit the number of “Sidewalk Closed” signs you encounter when walking around the city.

The rule also outlines the preferred way to build temporary walkways around construction sites, including attention to accessibility, lighting and barriers to protect people from both nearby traffic and the construction work.

The rule mentions that SDOT may consider bikes when evaluating reroute or detour plans, but more specifics about how to properly maintain safe bike access near construction sites will have to come from a different rule change altogether. This rule pertains to sidewalk use, but bikes are vehicles and need to be addressed in the “vehicles and traffic” rules.

But good news! SDOT says that because so many of you commented that bikes need to be considered, they will be looking at creating new bike-specific rules in 2016. So maybe — just maybe — your trip down Dexter won’t be so damn scary soon.

More details on “SDOT DR 10-2015” from SDOT: (more…)

tags: construction, sdot, SDOT DR 10-2015

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O’Brien will Chair the Transportation Committee

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 21, 2015

It’s not just for photo ops, Councilmember Mike O’Brien really does bike everywhere.

But he’s also not just about bikes. O’Brien has a seat on the Sound Transit Board, and he has been a strong advocate for biking, walking and transit during his time on the Council. He was also among the only Councilmembers fighting hard against the downtown highway tunnel (he preferred investing in the waterfront, I-5 and transit service instead).

So it’s great news that O’Brien will be the new Chair of the Transportation Committee, taking over for longtime Chair Tom Rasmussen, who did not run for reelection. O’Brien is bringing the “Sustainability” with him to the now-named “Sustainability & Transportation Committee,” the Stranger reports. These placements all assume Bruce Harrell will get picked as Council President and the Council approves of his assignments.
(more…)

tags: city council, kshama sawant, Lisa herbold, mike o’brien, rob johnson, transportation committee

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Westlake bikeway construction will happen in phases starting January

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 18, 2015
The construction crew building out the Westlake Bikeway has outlined their schedule, beginning with phase one in January.

For the first six months or so of 2016, construction will happen in four seemingly out-of-order segments in the sprawling parking area as crews significantly modify the planting areas and parking alignments in order to create a continuous two-way bikeway between the Fremont Bridge/Ship Canal Trail and Lake Union Park.

The first thing you will notice is the removal of trees from the parking area (*teardrops*). But the plan is to move some trees and replace others two-to-one.

The map on the right shows the order you can expect work to happen.

Here’s the construction notice:
Westlake Cycle Track construction activities are scheduled to begin in early January and continue through early summer 2016.

Phase 1 of work begins between Crockett St and the south end of Railroad Park, shown on the map in orange.

What to expect during Phase 1
- Tree removal, primarily on the east side of the parking area
- Saw cutting, which requires temporary parking restrictions
- Pavement breaking and removal
- “No Parking” signs will be installed
- Equipment and materials will be placed in an established work zone
- Parking will generally only be restricted in the active work zone
- Increased noise and dust from large equipment working within the construction zone
- Typical work hours from 7 AM to 4 PM, Monday to Friday; some activities may require work outside of these hours
(more…)
tags: westlake, westlake cycle track

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It’s time for a transportation revolution east of Lake Union

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 17, 2015
Imagine a direct, fully connected and protected bike route from Roosevelt and Green Lake all the way to downtown. The city is studying how to make it happen.

And not only could the project fix some consistently dangerous collision hot spots, but the project would also fill in the last major missing piece in a complete Lake Union bike loop. This is guaranteed to become a major commuting and tourism draw, revolutionizing non-motorized transportation in the city and opening up Eastlake businesses to visitors like never before.

But that’s not all. The bike lanes can also come side-by-side with significant transit efficiency improvements connecting some of the most densely populated neighborhoods to our state’s biggest and fastest-growing job center.

SDOT presented three concepts for improving surface transit service between Northgate and the city center (you can see more details in this PDF):
- RapidRide – The cheapest option, this would be like our existing RapidRide service. Better bus stops and buses, a signal priority system, consolidated stops and not much else. For the rest of this post, we will ignore this option because it does not include significant biking and walking safety improvements. Sharrows on Eastlake Ave? Immediate disqualification.
- Targeted Investment – Basically RapidRide+. This option includes that RapidRide stuff, but also makes some changes to roadway design, including queue jumps for buses and bus lanes in select locations to help get buses around the worst traffic jams. This option could also come with bike lanes. Peak-hour transit speeds would improve 38 percent north of Denny, but only 10 percent south of Denny.
- Full BRT – Significantly more expensive that the RapidRide+ option, a full BRT option would involve major remakes of the roadway in order to provide transit-only lanes for nearly the entire length of the route. Plans presented also include bike lanes for the entire length of the route. Peak-hour transit speeds would improve 200 percent north of Denny. But the biggest improvement comes between Denny and Downtown (on Stewart/Virginia): 900 percent improvement in transit speed.
I know what you’re thinking. “Why even continue writing? Obviously we want Full BRT and bike lanes the whole way!” Well, you’re right. But there’s more to report, so stick with me. (more…)
tags: eastlake, fairview ave n, roosevelt to downtown hct, south lake union

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Big North Seattle stretch of Burke-Gilman Trail getting pavement fixes this month

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 15, 2015

The Move Seattle transportation levy kicks in January 1, but the expiring nine-year-old Bridging the Gap levy still has a little life left. And part of that remaining funding is being put to very good use: Fixing pavement on the Burke-Gilman Trail from 40th Ave NE to the city’s northern border.

Starting Monday, crews will work into January repairing sections of the well-used but deteriorating trail. These are some of the oldest sections of the trail, serving the city and region well for nearly 40 years. But there are also many sections riddled with bumps ranging from annoying to dangerous, especially at night when low light makes it very difficult to see and prepare for them.

So if you are biking the trial, give yourself a little extra time and be ready for some short delays or detours.

This investment comes after the city conducted a survey of trail conditions to prepare a trails upgrade plan. The city’s Parks District is also prepping more trail and parks access work in 2016.

Details from SDOT: (more…)

tags: bridging the gap, burke-gilman trail

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