Seattle Bike Blog

Sound Transit seeks feedback on South Tacoma Station biking and walking access improvements

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 2, 2022

All the potential improvements under study, from Sound Transit.

You have until December 5 to complete Sound Transit’s online survey about potential walking and biking improvements near South Tacoma Station. More details from Sound Transit:

In 2021, we assessed current conditions for walking, rolling, bicycling, and taking transit to and from South Tacoma Station. The assessment identified gaps and potential improvements to make it easier to access the station and get around the neighborhood. We did not do this alone! We started with more than 35 ideas drawn from city, county and transit agency plans, as well as Sounder riders and other community members during our spring outreach.

We evaluated each possible idea using criteria based on our goals. We took our work back to the community in fall of 2021 to get your feedback. Based on our analysis and community feedback, we identified some improvements to carry forward—those are what you see today. Read the report from our first phase of the project for more information.

Now, we’re refining the possible improvements and starting early design work. This will help us evaluate potential environmental impacts and financial limitations.

tags: sound transit, south tacoma station, surveys, tacoma

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Cascade announces 2023 events, including long-awaited returns of RSVP and the Emerald City Ride

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 2, 2022

The first Emerald City Ride.

Cascade Bicycle Club this week released its first full-strength events schedule since 2019. The 2023 season will see the return of two major rides that have been sadly missing in recent years: The Emerald City Ride and the Ride Seattle to Vancouver and Party (“RSVP”).

The Emerald City Ride launched in 2016 as an annual opportunity to bike on area freeways, a tradition that dates back to the 1970s but was mostly forgotten in the late 1980s. The date and route for the ride is not yet announced, but it’s on the list. Cascade notes that they “hope to announce an Emerald City Ride date in early 2023.”

RSVP was also impossible during the past three summers due to travel restrictions between Canada and the US. Insiders know that RSVP is actually more fun than STP, but they don’t share this information widely because spaces are more limited. But I’ve just let the cat out of the bag (or as our Canadian friends might say, “cat oat of the bag”). Cascade still lists RSVP as tentative, but they are clearly trying hard to make it happen.

It’s been a long time coming for the full Cascade events lineup to return. Events are a huge source of income for Cascade and Washington Bikes, so the past years of cancellations have been tough. A lot of great staff were let go in 2020, and they organization has been rebuilding under Executive Director Lee Lambert, who took the helm September 2021. The Cascade of 2023 will be very different than the Cascade of 2019. From what I can tell, there is a lot of good energy there these days.

Below is the schedule as of December 2, 2022. Check the Cascade website for the most updated info as some dates and details may change. (more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club, emerald city bike ride, RSVP, washington bikes

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I’m glad this Green Lake pool mural is no longer illegal

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 2, 2022

I thought I had seen all Seattle’s bike-themed public art, but I had never been inside the Evan’s Pool in Green Lake Park before this week. While my kid took a swim lesson, I found myself looking at this large hanging mural and thinking, “I’m glad this lizard is not breaking the rules anymore.”

One month ago, people using wheels, including bikes, were allowed once again on the inner path around Green Lake for the first time since early 2020. In response to the pandemic, Seattle Parks instituted a series of somewhat extreme measures that later turned out to be a bit too cautious. Not knowing much at all about how the virus spread, the response made some sense at the time. They banned bikes from the Green Lake path in an effort to reduce crowding, broke up picnics and even closed playgrounds by stringing caution tape between the swings and play structures. But while the picnic and playground bans were lifted before too long, the wheels ban stood for more than two and a half years.

In fact, for nearly two years this lizard was breaking two laws: The wheels ban and the King County helmet law. Now, you’re looking at a free lizard. Well, except that they are biking the wrong way around the lake (only counter-clockwise biking is allowed). But hey, they’re a lizard. Maybe they can’t read.

tags: evans pool, green lake, murals, parks and recreation

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Bloomberg: Olive Way crosswalk showed ‘how needlessly difficult it is to build safer streets’

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 1, 2022

There you go SDOT, something more in line with your policy pic.twitter.com/PBZibVAofZ

— Hamza (@hummusqueso) November 20, 2022

The crosswalk at Harvard and Olive Way is gone, but it left an impression on more than just the roadway itself. The social media storm following SDOT’s decision to remove it (and their clumsy response explaining themselves) elevated the action to achieve national attention.

Bloomberg has a story arguing that this guerrilla crosswalk and others like it “demonstrate how needlessly difficult it is to build safer streets in US cities.” From Bloomberg:

“This is infuriating,” Seattle councilmember Andrew Lewis tweeted. “We have the time and money, apparently, to expediently REMOVE a crosswalk, but it takes years to get around to actually painting one. No wonder neighbors took it upon themselves to act.”

Lewis made a reasonable point: When motivated, transportation agencies can quickly alter streetscapes. But they often seem to show more urgency removing citizen-built crosswalks than they do installing official ones.

Indeed, that is part of the power of guerrilla crosswalks: Even if they are not long for this world, they demonstrate how needlessly difficult it is to build safer streets in US cities.

Read more…

Reporter David Zipper cited some Seattle Bike Blog stories about former SDOT Traffic Engineer Dongho Chang’s response to the Cherry Street guerrilla bike lane in 2013, and then asked Chang about the recent crosswalks.

“It would be good to acknowledge the effort that was done by the residents,” Chang told Zipper. “If there is a way to keep the crosswalk, it would be ideal to try to do that.” Zipper accuses Seattle Bike Blog of garnering Chang with “enduring appreciation” and, well, guilty as charged.

tags: bloomberg, david zipper, dongho chang, guerrilla crosswalks

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It’s officially the season for hauling Xmas trees by bike

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 1, 2022

My wonderful spouse Kelli hauled both a tree and a kid home.

I definitely want to see your Seattle tree-by-bike photos. Tag them #SEAbikes if you post photos on social media. Or email them to me and I’ll add them to this post. [email protected]

UPDATE: Here’s reader Duncan with two kids and a tree. Love it. (more…)

tags: cargo bikes, christmas, christmas trees, SEAbikes

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Take this new Beacon Hill bike lane survey + Upcoming pop-up feedback sessions

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 30, 2022
From SDOT.

SDOT has released a new online survey to gather feedback on the proposed Beacon Hill bike lane options. So take a few minutes to complete it now (check the project page for non-English versions).

The department is also hosting a series of “pop-up information stations” around the neighborhood to gather feedback in person:
1. Beacon Hill P-Patch (1201 15th Ave S)
  Saturday, December 3rd
  10am – 12:30pm
2. Beacon Hill Light Rail Station
  Tuesday, December 6th
  4pm – 6:30pm
3. Hilltop Red Apple
  Wednesday, December 14th
  4pm – 6:30pm
If you want to get even more involved, Beacon Hill Safe Streets will be discussing the bike lanes during their meeting this evening (November 20). It’s a great group, and now is as good a time as any to join.

We took an in-depth look at the options in a previous story, so definitely check that out for more background on the project. But the short version is that they should probably stick with two one-way bike lanes unless they have a convincing reason why the two-way option would be better. So that would be Alternative 1 for the 15th Ave S segment.

In the open-ended boxes, I stressed the need for a full redesign of the 15th and Beacon intersection that prioritizes biking and walking safety and usability. The whole project hinges on that intersection. If it remains stressful, the whole route will be diminished.

This project is going to be a big deal for south end biking. Though people are understandably frustrated that the construction timeline has been pushed back to 2024, it’s very exciting to see the details come together.
tags: beacon hill, sdot, surveys

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