In its third day of operation, the 2nd Ave protected bike lane continues to wow people and transform the way people (and goods) get around downtown.

The new bike lane — separated from car traffic by either a row of parked cars or a painted buffer lined with reflective plastic posts — feels far safer to use than the previous skinny bike lane or any other central downtown street. It also allows two-way travel for people biking, which has opened up all new bike route options.

Nearly every SDOT staffer I spoke with was amazed at how quickly so many people started biking north on the bikeway, revealing a huge pent-up demand for moving north through this part of downtown. Previously, people either needed to climb way up to 4th (a huge hill at many points downtown) or take scary routes on busy 1st Ave or bus-filled 3rd Ave. Or, of course, many people simply biked up the packed sidewalk on 2nd. The uphill grade on 2nd is smooth and easy, and even though you are likely to hit a red light every two blocks or so, that’s a fine trade for a less stressful route.

SDOT collected lots of bike use data before implementing the new bike lane, and they have been counting bikes on the bikeway since it opened. That data should be available soon (stay tuned).

But the safety of the bike lane depends on people driving and biking understanding and following the traffic signals designed to prevent conflicts at intersections. Many people either misunderstand or disregard the red arrows and red bike signals and proceed anyway, a problem the city is aware of.

Volunteer ambassadors and SDOT staff have been out along the new bike lane helping to teach people driving and biking how the new lane and signals work, and those efforts appear to have been somewhat effective. Fewer people seemed to run the red left turn arrows and red bike signals on day two according to our non-scientific observations, a sign that people who use the street regularly learned their lesson on the first day and now use it properly. (more…)

Biking downtown will never be the same again. Monday morning, city workers completed work on a protected bike lane on 2nd Avenue connecting from Pike to Yesler, ringing in the beginning of a more family-friendly streetscape in the heart of the city’s downtown neighborhood.

“I live two blocks away, and I’m somebody who almost gave up bicycling because it’s so scary down here,” said City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw. But this new lane feels more comfortable for her and others who are on the fence about getting around town on a bike.

And watching Madi Carlson of FamilyRide (and a sometimes contributor to Seattle Bike Blog) cruise stress-free up and down 2nd Ave with two kids on the back of her cargo bike, you can get a sense of how having a little extra protection from cars will go a long way to make cycle more inviting to so many more people.

Of course, there are still a lot of missing links before the new lane connects comfortably to Seattle’s other neighborhoods, but what felt impossible just last week feels within reach today. (more…)