Seattle Bike Blog

Mural painting starts in Burke-Gilman tunnel, Green River Trail bridge will be repaired

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 7, 2014

Mural rendering by Seattle artist Kristen Ramirez

Image from King County Parks

King County Parks has two trail notices in the area this month, one on the Burke-Gilman and one on the Green River Trail.

First, artists and volunteers began painting a mural in the Wayne Tunnel of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Bothell Monday. Work will continue until July 18. The trail will not be closed, but volunteers will be there to direct traffic and will ask people to walk through the short tunnel.

They still need more volunteers, so if you want to help out, sign up for a shift using the 4Culture website.

More details from King County Parks:

4Culture and King County Parks have commissioned Seattle-based artist Kristen Ramirez to create a colorful mural along the Burke-Gilman Trail in the Wayne Tunnel, a 250-foot-long passageway under 96th Avenue Northeast in Bothell. The artist will be on site daily from July 7 – July 18, painting the mural with the help of volunteers from 10 am to 2 pm.

Want to get your painting on? We’re looking for volunteers! Click here to see available dates.

The mural was inspired by Ramirez’s research about the trail’s history and through conversations and surveys of area residents and trail users. It is part of a series of improvements to the tunnel that will improve safety and enhance the trail experience.

The trail will remain open during installation. We’ll be on site managing traffic, which will be reduced to one side of the trail through the tunnel. Cyclists will be asked to dismount to pass through the tunnel.

People using the Green River Trail should be ready for a detour Thursday as crews repair the approach to the bridge over the Duwamish River at Cecil Moses Park in Tukwila. From King County Parks:

Important safety repairs to King County Parks’ Green River Trail require a short closure of the pedestrian bridge across the Duwamish River at Cecil Moses Park on Thursday, July 10.

The closure is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and could last for about three hours, as crews repair the trail at the western approach to the pedestrian bridge. The work includes removing shallow tree roots that have buckled the trail surface and repaving the trail.

Similar work will also take place along this stretch of trail on Wednesday, July 9, but closing the trail won’t be required. Instead, flaggers will direct trail traffic around the work areas.

The Green River Trail winds more than 19 miles from Cecil Moses Park near Seattle’s south boundary to North Green River Park near Auburn.

tags: bothell, burke-gilman trail, green river trail, king county parks, wayne tunnel

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Small improvements coming to Admiral Way, but protected bike lanes needed

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 7, 2014

The blue line on the Bike Master Plan notes a protected bike lane

The city will make some small improvements to the SW Admiral Way bike lane this summer, but the changes will not meet the recommendation in the Bike Master Plan, West Seattle Blog reports.

The bike plan notes Admiral Way as a key street for protected bike lanes, but the city’s proposed plan includes sharrows for white-knuckle downhill travel and a paint-only bike lane uphill that is sometimes squeezed into the parked car door zone.

I asked SDOT why the plans are not following the Bike Master Plan recommendation, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Program head Sam Woods emailed this response:

This is an upgrade to an existing facility that we are able to make this year, and it does not preclude installing a protected bike lane in the future. We considered a parking-buffered protected up hill bike lane, but because there are typically not many vehicles parked in the greenbelt area, we didn’t want to have just a few vehicles “floating” in the buffer area, or to have people tempted to park in the bike lane. (more…)

tags: admiral, sam woods, sdot, sw admiral way, west seattle, west seattle blog

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Kenmore won’t pursue negligent driving charge in death of Caleb Shoop

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 3, 2014

Caleb Shoop

This City of Kenmore has decided not to pursue negligent driving charges against Joshua Tucker, the person who struck and killed Caleb Shoop as he biked across a crosswalk in March. Tucker received a $175 ticket for failure to yield at a crosswalk.

Kenmore’s prosecuting attorney “does not see enough evidence to charge the driver with negligence, and therefore the Vulnerable User Law penalties,” city spokesperson Leslie Harris told Seattle Bike Blog.

The VUL, passed in 2011, was designed to create repercussions reaching further than a simple slap on the wrist when people driving make a mistake and kill or seriously injure a person on foot or bike. Previously, if the mistake was not enough to warrant serious criminal charges, the people responsible would just get a ticket and be sent on their way. The VUL was supposed to change that.

Bike attorney John Duggan disagrees with the city’s decision, noting that the citation for failing to yield is more than enough evidence of negligence to bring the Vulnerable User Law into play.

“This horrible tragedy is exactly the situation envisioned when our legislature passed the VUL,” Duggan wrote in a memo to Kenmore attorney Sarah Roberts on behalf of the Shoop family (see full memo below). (more…)

tags: caleb shoop, john duggan, kenmore, negligent driving, sarah roberts, vulnerable user law

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Mercer walk/bike path switching to south side starting Thursday

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 2, 2014

The biking and walking shared pathway on Mercer Street under Aurora is switching sides Thursday as construction on the Mercer West project continues.

Someday (fall 2015), there will finally be a separated and protected space for people to cross Aurora on a bike between South Lake Union and Lower Queen Anne. But until then, be ready for continued detour changes and sometimes scary temporary paths.

For people who had been using the tiny ledges that for decades were passed off as “sidewalks” on Mercer and Broad Streets as they pass under Aurora, the temporary bike/walk path created on Mercer in February was actually an improvement. But that’s a pretty low bar to jump over.

This actual text conversation I had with a friend recently pretty much sums up the experience of crossing under Aurora today: (more…)

tags: construction, mercer, mercer mess, mercer west

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Pick for Transportation Director was bike-friendly leader in Chicago, DC

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 2, 2014

Scott Kubly

Seattle’s pick for Department of Transportation Director is Scott Kubly, who worked in Chicago and Washington DC during some very bike-friendly years for those cities.

He has also been closely involved with bike share system in those cities, which could be great experience to have as Pronto Cycle Share launches here. He is currently acting president at Alta Bicycle Share, the company contracted by Pronto.

“Scott is the visionary who will give transportation in Seattle the leadership it needs,” Mayor Ed Murray said during a press event introducing Kubly Wednesday. If confirmed by the City Council, Kubly will be the first permanent SDOT Director since Peter Hahn was swept out with the McGinn administration. Goran Sparrman has served as the Interim Director.

Kubly said Seattle’s challenge is to give people more options so people can continue to get around during a period of significant growth.

“We’ll give people choices, very attractive choices,” Kubly said at the press event. “People will chose to walk, bike and take transit because it is the most attractive to them.”

Kubly is clearly proud of the bike projects he has helped make happen, including a major role in launching Divvy in Chicago and expanding DC’s Capital Bikeshare. He also talked about creating protected bike lanes “for Seattleites 8-80” years old. (more…)

tags: ed murray, scott kubly, sdot

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Advocacy leader Thomas Goldstein leaving Cascade

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 1, 2014

Thomas Goldstein is leaving his high-level advocacy position at Cascade Bicycle Club after only nine months at the organization.

“The advocacy work at the Club could not be more meaningful and Cascade’s board and staff have loads of talent and passion,” Goldstein wrote in an email. “However, the fit hasn’t been quite right for me. So, it’s time to take on new professional challenges.”

Cascade will conduct a full search for a new Policy and Government Affairs Director soon. The position is the highest-level advocacy position at the organization, which has been trying to rebuild and redefine its role in area politics in recent years.

Goldstein was the third person to hold the job since David Hiller left to join Mayor Mike McGinn’s staff in 2011. John Mauro held the job for a short time before leaving for New Zealand in 2012, and Evan Manvel held the position before he was let go last fall.

“We are sad that Thomas is leaving our club,” said Cascade Communications Director Anne-Marije Rook. “We were lucky to have had Thomas, his wealth of experience and knowledge working for bicycling for as long as we did. His opportunity in the for-profit sector sounds exciting, and we hope to work with him in different capacities for years to come.” (more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club, thomas goldstein

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