The interim protected bike lane is now open on Roosevelt Way between NE 45th Street and the north end of the University Bridge.

This project is something of a demonstration for what a more complete Roosevelt bike lane upgrade could look like after the street is repaved and redesigned starting fall 2015. The city plans to complete a protected bike lane on the vital NE Seattle bike route stretching from NE 65th Street to the south end of the University Bridge.

Not so long ago, there was no bike lane on the street, requiring some scary lane sharing on the long, fast downhill commute route. In 2010, the city painted a skinny bike lane on the street, but it was not enough to make the street safe. See our coverage from one of Seattle Bike Blog’s first ever stories, and note commenter John C pointing out some of the safety issues. Turns out, John C was right. The bike lane design created new safety issues, such as placing people too close to parked cars and at risk of getting hit by people opening their car doors.

Since the bike lane was installed, Roosevelt has remained one of the most dangerous streets for people biking in the city, clocking 21 collisions in just four years (October 2010 – October 2014).

The new bike lane design will separate people biking from car traffic and create a much more comfortable and inviting space to bike. It will also remove conflicts with transit by moving bus stops off the sidewalk and into the space between the general travel lanes and the bike lane, much like the Dexter Ave transit islands. You can learn more about the changes from our previous story. (more…)