Seattle Bike Blog

Alert 9/10-12: Contrary to original plans, bike/walk access will be maintained during Montlake Bridge weekend closure

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 10, 2021
Photo from WSDOT.

We have a good news update about the ongoing Montlake Bridge rehabilitation work. The first of several weekend closures is still scheduled for this weekend (September 10–12). But despite original announcements, the west sidewalk will remain open for walking and biking after all.

Crews recently finished replacing the metal decking on the bridge, which required major car and bus detours. The next phase of work is focused on the mechanical elements that raise and lower the historic bascule bridge. Some of that work will likely require keeping the bridge in the up position, which will obviously mean no biking or walking. But not this first weekend, which is great news for people looking to bike to the Let’s Move Redmond open streets festival Sunday.

From WSDOT:
- Until further notice: Pedestrians and bicyclists should expect regular closures of one bridge sidewalk. Access will be provided on the opposite sidewalk during closures.
- 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 13: The Montlake Bridge will close to vehicle traffic for the first of five scheduled weekend closures. Pedestrian and bicyclist access will be maintained on the west side of the bridge during this first weekend but may be restricted at times during the following closures.
So this means people walking and biking shouldn’t need to worry about big detours until the second weekend of October. And even then, some accommodation for walking and biking may be possible. Stay tuned. From the project page: (more…)
tags: Bike Route Alert, montlake bridge, wsdot

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Sunday: Let’s Move Redmond open street festival spans from Central Connector to Downtown Park

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 8, 2021

With a pop-up bike protected bike lane, a kids bike rodeo, a roller disco dance party and more, the streets of downtown Redmond are set to be the place to be Sunday. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. between the Central Connector trail and Downtown Park along 161st Ave NE.

And no, I’m not just saying this because my wonderful spouse Kelli is one of the organizers of the Let’s Move Redmond open streets festival (though she really is wonderful). Open streets events are the best, and it’s always very exciting to see a brand new effort get going.

More details from Move Redmond:

This Sunday, 161^st Avenue and Cleveland Street in Downtown Redmond will be open to people walking, biking, roller skating, scooting, and playing. The ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ open street festival will connect the Redmond Central Connector with Downtown Park along 161^st Ave and fill the streets with fun activities for the whole family. Open Streets events are celebrated around the world and focus on opening streets so people can move and play. This is the first Open Streets event in Redmond, WA.

“Opening up our streets to people biking, walking, and rolling is a great way for those who live or work in Redmond to connect, play, and reimagine our streets as safe places for people,” said Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director at Move Redmond.

‘Let’s Move Redmond’ celebrates movement, transportation, and play. Attendees will get the chance to move their bodies and get active in fun ways, with a group run, classes like yoga, Zumba, and Dance Fitness. There will also be a kid’s bike rodeo, where children can practice their bike handling skills. Be sure to grab your roller skates or rollerblades for a roller disco dance party at 1:30.

This event will also encourage people to try new ways of getting around. ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ will feature a pop-up protected bike lane so people can feel what it is like to ride bikes and scooters in a low-stress bike lane. Participants will also learn more about Move Redmond’s campaign to build a protected bike lane network that will link trails to key destinations to the places people need to go. Attendees of ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ can test out a Spin Scooter, practice putting their bike on the bus with a demonstration bus bike rack from Sportworks.

There will be booths showcasing community partners, local businesses, and organizations that are supporting ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ including: 425 Fitness, AKT Dance Fitness, Briora Ballroom Dancing, Cascade Bicycle Club, City of Redmond, Complete Streets Bellevue, Eastrail Partners, Evergreen Health, Edge & Spoke, Hopelink, Indian American Community Services, iCode, Mayuri, Kirkland Greenways, Kiwanis, Semilla Flamenca, Spin, Sportworks, WSP

Move Redmond would like to thank the sponsors who made this event possible: Microsoft, Amazon, Sound Transit, King County Metro, Mayuri, 425 Fitness, Eastrail Partners, One Redmond, Signarama, WSP, and ZICLA

More information about the event can be found at Moveredmond.org/letsmoveredmond. Bring you mask! We will share one with you if you need it.

tags: events, let’s move redmond, move redmond, open streets, redmond

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Help family of man killed while working on the Beverly rail-trail bridge

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 2, 2021

Photo from Kittitas County.

Last month, Gabriel Zalaya was working on the state project to rehab the Beverly Bridge over the Columbia River when he fell and was killed. He was 39.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

A contractor for the State is rehabilitating the historic Beverly Railroad Bridge as part of the state-spanning Palouse-to-Cascades Trail. The bridge was heavily damaged by a wildfire in 2014, and is scheduled to reopen very soon. The opening celebration initially scheduled for September 13 has been postponed in part due to Zelaya’s tragic death.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support his three kids and their mother, according to her brother Manny:

Gabriel Zelaya had big dreams of buying a home for his kids, giving his kids a bright future, a life he never had as a kid, he had a rough life as he was growing up in California. He decided to move to Washington state 3yrs ago to give his family a better life. 3 weeks ago he decided to switch to a better job, working in bridge construction and maintenance, just to have a horrible accident, falling off a 70 foot bridge. He never made it home to his kids that tragic day. My sister is not receiving any pension due to not being legally married so its not a lot of help she is receiving.

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries are conducting independent investigations of the tragedy.

More details on the fatal fall, from Kittitas County: (more…)

tags: beverly bridge, gabriel zalaya, kittitas county, palouse to cascades state park trail

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Disability Mobility report makes a powerful, story-driven case for transit and street improvements across Washington State

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

August 26, 2021
Cover image from the Disability Mobility Initiative.

Disability Rights Washington released a report this week that is so good it should be considered mandatory reading for everyone working in transportation in our state. The word “report” doesn’t really do it justice because “Transportation Access for Everyone: Washington State” is filled with personal stories from people all over the state who are being left behind or seriously inconvenienced daily by our transportation infrastructure and services. The report then summarizes some of the issues people face and provides a non-exhaustive list of recommendations for politicians, transportation departments and transit agencies.

But even if you aren’t a politician or transportation staffer, the personal stories are very compelling. The term “disability” covers such a wide range of lived experiences, and the barriers people face are often caused by a lack of consideration in planning and implementation of policies, priorities, services and infrastructure design. Simply following the bare minimum to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act legal requirements is not good enough. Earmarking some funding for paratransit in a budget overflowing with highway spending is not good enough, either. Instead, we should work towards “radical inclusion,” which means being familiar with and serving as many people’s needs as possible. From the report authors:

We did not intend to create an exhaustive list of the needs of transit-reliant disabled people or a complete set of policy recommendations. Instead, this report should
be viewed as a starting point for policy- makers, elected officials, transit agencies, transportation departments, transportation advocates and civil and transportation engineers, and those in related fields, to humbly perceive their ignorance of the daily experiences of people who live differently than them and understand the urgent need for “radical” inclusion of disabled nondrivers in the planning processes across every level of our transportation systems and to begin, with urgency, to practice that inclusion.

While the report has a lot of recommendations, it makes two “major actions”:
- Shift resources to prioritize funding accessible pedestrian infrastructure and reliable transit service.
- Look to nondrivers as transportation decision makers and experts.
Big thanks to Disability Rights Washington and its Disability Mobility Initiative, led by Anna Zivarts, for this report. Thanks also to the more than 125 disabled nondrivers who shared their stories with the report’s authors. Check it out here.
tags: disability mobility initiative, disability rights washington

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Decades-long private encroachment along Burke-Gilman Trail finally cleared to make small lakeside park

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

August 24, 2021

Images courtesy of Stuart Strand.

For decades, a small public space along the Burke-Gilman Trail just north of the Seattle city limit has been hidden behind a private fence. But no more.

It took a remarkable amount of work to open this small space. Volunteers on a county advisory committee learned about the illegal fence and other private structures a decade ago when King County was preparing for its major 2011 remake of the trail from the Seattle border to Log Boom Park in Kenmore. Those volunteers — including Stuart Strand, who alerted me to the project and sent the photos — urged the county to take action to reclaim the space, resulting in a court battle that ultimately went in King County’s favor.

The space between the trail and Lake Washington just south of NE 151st Street became public property in the 1974 when the county acquired rights to the old railroad right of way from Burlington Northern. But it has been closed off from public access since 1979 when nearby property owners constructed a fence with a locked gate preventing public access to the space between the trail and the lake. They also built a shed and some stairs and maintained a lawn as though it were theirs.

But it wasn’t theirs. It belonged to all of us, as King County argued in court (counter-claim PDF):

“Plaintiffs have erected a fence across King County’s property, which blocks King County’s access to a portion of its property and prevents public enjoyment of a portion of that property.”

(more…)

tags: burke-gilman trail, king county parks, lake forest park cove llc, stuart strand

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Memorial ride for Max Kullaway August 29

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

August 19, 2021

Max Kullaway. Photo from the event page.

Expert bike builder Max Kullaway passed away earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. Kullaway was the force behind 333fab bicycles. For years Max made bicycles in a Fremont shop alongside Bill Davidson before he and his spouse Tarrell (formerly a Cascade Bicycle Club staffer) moved to California. I highly recommend reading this 2012 interview in The Bicycle Story.

The morning after he passed away, the kid and I were listening to KEXP while biking to preschool, and the DJ read a long memorial note for Max. It was a reminder that a single life can touch so many others. We are sending our love to Tarrell and all Max’s loved ones.

Seattle friends are hosting a ride August 29 in his memory. Details from the event page: (more…)

tags: max kullaway

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