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I had the privilege of sitting down with KUOW’s Libby Denkmann this week to talk about some of Seattle bicycle history I wrote about in the first part of Biking Uphill in the Rain.
The Soundside episode is 30 minutes, so grab a cup of something and give it a listen on their website or however you listen to podcasts.
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The Eastlake Community Council last week voted 5-4 to kick those four members off the Board after they voiced support for a fully designed and funded bike lane and transit project ready to begin construction on Eastlake Avenue.
The act has sparked outrage and called into question the legitimacy of the organization, which has existed since 1971. Those removed include the only three renters on the Board as well as the three youngest members. Removing these volunteers for voicing a dissenting opinion is an extreme act that abandons the Council’s standing and legacy as a democratic voice of the neighborhood.
ECC President Detra Segar told the Urbanist that the members were ousted because they “had decided to undermine our efforts by sending a letter to some city leaders voicing their opposition.” The ECC Board recently voted, again by a narrow margin, to send a poorly-written letter to city and regional leaders voicing opposition to the RapidRide J project, which is preparing to search for a contractor to begin construction. The four ousted members decided to send their own letter of dissent to city leaders in which they identified themselves as “members of the Eastlake Community Council Board of Directors who disagree with the letter that was sent to you.” They note that the official ECC letter was approved by a 6-4 vote and was “in no way unanimous.” The dissenting letter is entirely factual and does not misrepresent the writers as acting on behalf of the Council, acknowledging clearly in the opening paragraph that the other letter received the majority vote. The official letter, in contrast, does not note the vote count or acknowledge that there was any dissent among the board members. You can read both letters in full at the bottom of this story.
Segar, meanwhile, has a history of making unhinged negative statements about people who ride bikes. As Ryan Packer reported for the Urbanist, Segar penned a 2022 letter then-new SDOT Director Greg Spotts in which she wrote, “The Move Seattle vision seems to only see able-bodied peak hour commuters pedaling along arterials pretending to be the equals of buses and cars.” It seems she feels that people biking don’t belong on her streets, and people who support bike lanes don’t belong on her Council. Unfortunately for Segar, the streets belong to everyone. Likewise, the Eastlake Community Council is supposed to belong to the whole neighborhood, which includes a lot of people who ride bikes.
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It’s finally out. Preorders should arrive in the mail any day now, and you will start to see it in bookshops around town. Or you can order it online from UW Press.
Last night was surreal. Thank you to everyone who packed the reading room at Elliott Bay Book Company. It was a huge relief to finally get to tell you all some of these stories that have been stuck inside my head and my computer since I started writing this thing in 2019.
My next scheduled event is 6 p.m. September 22 at Metier Racing & Coffee. Nook & Cranny Books will be hosting a reading and signing. I’ll try to have some more throughout the fall and winter, too, so stay tuned.
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Ahhh!
News on the blog might be a bit slow the next couple days because I am working on a presentation for the book release party at Elliott Bay Book Company 7 p.m. Monday (August 28).
So whether you preordered a copy or are planning to buy one at the event, you should come to the event. The presentation will be full of great images that didn’t make it into the book, and I’m hoping it will help add some extra insight to inform your reading of it. There will also be a Q&A, and I’ll happily add my terrible signature to your copy.
If you can’t make the Elliott Bay event, Nook & Cranny Books will be hosting a reading and signing 6 p.m. September 22 at Metier Racing & Coffee.
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A group of philanthropists will fully fund a $45 million set of upgrades to the downtown waterfront north of Pier 62, where the existing under-construction Waterfront Park project ends. The Elliott Bay Connections project includes cove and park improvements in Centennial and Myrtle Edwards Parks as well as a new walking and biking trail along the defunct Benson Streetcar rails.
The new trail will exist alongside the city’s planned protected bike lanes on the waterfront side of Alaskan Way, which is part of a larger street safety project for the relatively low-traffic street. The usability of the planned trail will rely heavily on whether Alaskan Way feels safe to cross.
The group hopes to begin construction in early 2025 so that it can be complete before Seattle hosts the 2026 World Cup in June. Expect a lot of community engagement this fall and winter.
The press release (PDF) claims the project “will be undertaken at zero cost to taxpayers”:
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(EDIT: I changed the headline because some readers thought the change was permanent. Bikes, along with all vehicles using the car deck, will only be disallowed during this construction period.)
Construction work to build a new elevated walkway at the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal will completely close off access to the ferry car decks. The good news is that Washington State Ferries (“WSF”) will maintain walk-on service. The bad news is that bicycles will not be allowed. From WSF:
We separate walk-on and ADA passengers from wheeled vehicles for passenger safety, which is why we cannot accommodate bicycles and electric scooters during the closure. With higher pedestrian volumes, it is not feasible or safe for us to mix pedestrians with bicycles and scooters both inside the ferry and in the terminal waiting areas. For those who want to store their bikes for use on either side of the route, the Kitsap Transit Bike Barn has 79 indoor and 33 outdoor bike parking spaces and we will provide a secure lock up area on the Seattle side or check into bike lockers. Another option is to walk on and use bike share in Seattle.
The closure is scheduled to begin 1 a.m. September 7 and go until 3 a.m. September 13. During this time, they will run single-boat service, though perhaps loading and unloading will be much faster without all the cars. They are also prepared to allow emergency vehicle access as needed.
It’s too bad that they are not accommodating bikes since biking could take a load off the limited car parking and drop off capacity on both sides of Elliott Bay. There are about 112 bike parking spots in the Bike Barn on Bainbridge, which may not be enough given how many people typically bike on board. The Seattle side will be a bit more interesting. WSF says they “will provide a secure lock up area on the Seattle side,” though they have not yet posted the exact details of how that will work and what the capacity will be. Typically, there is no publicly-accessible secure bike parking near the Seattle Ferry Terminal. WSF also suggests in the quote above that you should bike to a closer transit station, use secure bike parking there, then take transit to the ferry. This is a good suggestion if feasible.
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