Seattle Department of Transportation representatives will be at 14th Ave’s Washington Hall next Tuesday, April 23rd, as part of a series of “café-style conversations” to collect feedback about the city’s latest short-term bike plan. From SDOT:
Join us for cafe-style conversations with transportation planners and Department of Neighborhoods staff to discuss a draft six-year plan to build facilities encouraging and accommodating more people riding a bicycle. Read our recent blog post to learn about the projects being recommended. A variety of travel options are needed as Seattle grows to benefit livability, affordability, public health, economic competitiveness, and natural environment. Bring your thoughts and questions about how bicycling can be a part of the solution.
CHS reported here on Seattle’s increasingly modest plans for new bike projects as Mayor Jenny Durkan’s City Hall has downshifted on to relative snail’s pace on new infrastructure.
You can send comments to [email protected] by April 30, 2019 if you are unable to attend in person.
Thursday, meanwhile, brings a bike gathering of a different sort to Capitol Hill’s Optimism Brewing where Washington Bike Law will host a happy hour to talk “defensive bicycle riding and safer driving, what to do if you witness or are a victim of a crash, and the basics of liability and insurance.”
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Thankfully this is not tomorrow!
https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bike-program/protected-bike-lanes/e-union-st
Given that a alternative to E. Union might prove difficult to propose, here are some important considerations to be taken into account for design:
Union is the major arterial connecting the core of the Central Area to downtown and it carries a lot of the traffic – vehicular and bus traffic, thus any blockage of the traffic with buses stopping inline will create major backups.
Consolidating bus stops that are on hills will greatly impact bus users who cannot easily negotiate the steep hills.
Issues of safety: How will cars entering Union or turning off Union onto side streets negotiate bicyclists that are speeding downhill and don’t intend to yield? The cyclists will be hidden behind the row of parked cars so drivers will not be able to see them. In addition the cars will not be able to see oncoming traffic when they stop behind the bicycle lane and then if they pull out to see the traffic, they will likely block the bicycle lane. Also if the driver wants to cross Union they will not be able to see the cyclists or will have to pause partially blocking traffic on Union. All of which creates very dangerous situations for everyone. (This may be a good reason to look at side streets if any make sense, but likely experienced cyclists will continue to use Union because it is the direct shot.)
Having a protected lane only for the uphill portions of the travel and sharrows for the balance will be much safer, since it will keep cyclists visible to motorists when they are travelling at speeds comparable to the vehicles.