Monday, December 13, 2004

Seattle Bicycle Facilities Collaborative

The big push on the bike front lately has been the Seattle Bicycle Facilities Collaborative. The effort is led by Councilman Richard Conlin and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington (Dave Janis has the point person but Barbara Culp is also heavily involved). The purpose of the Collaborative is to produce a document that details proposed improvements to bicycle facilities in Seattle. Council Member Conlin will use the document to guide future bicycling oriented decisions made by the City. By bringing the bicycling community together, it is thought that we will all be able to focus on a collective set of priorities.

My compulsive volunteer gene was triggered by Councilman Conlin's "Making it Work" email and I signed on to serve as the northwest team leader. There are six teams covering the entire city, and our study area runs from the Ship Canal on the south north to the City limits and from I-5 on the east to Puget Sound on the west. It's a large area, but we were fortunate enough to have Chuck Ayers (the E.D. of Cascade Bicycle Club) on our team and he sent out an email to all of the CBC members living in the NW sector. We received nearly 100 responses, many of which we fed directly into our recommendations. Other recommendations came from a lengthy weekend ride and other day-to-day observations we've all made during our daily commutes.

Our preliminary presentation to Councilmembers Conlin, Rasmussen, and Godden and City Attorney Tom Carr (an avid--almost hardcore--bike commuter) was made on October 12. All of the teams' recommendations were well received. One of our team members, Ron Lindsay, came up with a great proposal called the "Seattle Gem Trails" which is a concept to name the premiere bicycle routes throughout the City and promote the hell out of them to encourage cycling and show people that it is really easy to get anywhere you need to go on a bicycle. It's a great idea, and it was well received. I made a big map showing the location of the different trails, and I think it really helped the Councilmembers visualize the concept.

We are now wrapping up our recommendations and will be submitting our final report to Dave Janis after the holidays. He will be compiling and formatting the final comprehensive six-team report and submitting it to Councilmember Conlin.

I have to admit that it's pretty awesome having a City Council that is so interested in cycling. It makes me feel good about my City and the people who live here.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Back in the Saddle

Well, we lost. I really had high hopes for this election, but apparently my fellow Red-State Americans like all of the wonderful things the Bushies have done over the past four years. Personally, I feel really frustrated by the prospect of continued chaos and killing in Iraq, out of control deficits at home, more assaults on our natural environment, and the curtailment of even more of our civil liberties. I felt pretty depressed for about two weeks after the election. Then I read this article in The Stranger and it cheered me up tremendously. In a nutshell, here in Seattle we are surrounded by people who made the right choice in the presidential election and are just as ardent in their support of our amazing city as I am. It made me feel like we really can make a difference here in Seattle and set an example for others to follow.

So now I'm back, and I feel more energized than I have in a long time. There has been much activity on the bike front, and I will detail as much as I can in upcoming posts.

Cheers!

Matt

Friday, August 20, 2004

Think Small

Check out the Think Small website, it's worth a look.

Beer, Bikes, & Bridges

I will be staffing the Fremont Bridge Approach Replacement Project booth at Fremont Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 18 from 12:00 - 2:00. Come by and say hello. You could even buy me a beer.

Update on the Fremont Bridge Approach Replacement Project

Yes, this update is long overdue but to my knowledge there is not exactly a vast readership clamoring for more information about the status of the cycling/pedestrian facilities on the approaches to the Fremont Bridge. There should be, granted, and I'm doing what I can to cultivate that level of interest, but it's slow going.

The week of July 12 I sent letters to Councilmembers Conlin, Rasmussen, and Godden regarding the FNC's concerns about the lack of adequate (actually, any) disruption planning for cyclists and pedestrians during construction. More importantly, we also expressed our frustration that there did not seem to be any planning for bikes/peds after the bridge project is completed. This is a much bigger deal, because although the disruption due to construction will be a headache for about 18 months, we have to live with the completed bridge for decades.

I also managed to get myself invited to a July 22nd meeting organized by SDOT and PB with the "Seattle Bike/Ped Community." This was an interesting and eye-opening meeting. Due to the overwhelming public support for bike/ped facilities, PB revised many of their plans to address all of the shortcomings identified by FNC, Cascade Bicycle Club, the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, and others. They got it about 90% right, with one major exception--no bike lanes on the bridge approaches themselves, no queuing areas for northbound bikes, and no striping or signing at the Fremont & 34th intersection. Emily Allen (of SBAB) and I eventually fell into a good-cop/bad-cop routine (I think I was the good cop) and eventually got the engineers from PB to agree to put in the lanes, Denver arrows, and other signage improvements we suggested.

Shortly after this meeting I heard back from Richard Conlin, and he said he is also concerned about the project and offered to meet with me. I told him that we are satisfied with the efforts the City is making and that we did not need to meet at this time. I also heard back from Tom Rasmussen's office, and conveyed the same message to them.

Just today I heard from SDOT via email that they are finalizing the revisions that came out of the July 22 meeting and they are scheduling another meeting for sometime after September 7. Hopefully they got it right!

More news when I have it.

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Notes from Citizens Advisory Group Meeting

Notes from C.A.G., June 22, 2004


The Fremont Bridge Approach Project can be broken down into three discrete pieces:

1) Approaches (north & south)
2) Mechanical/Electrical upgrades to the bridge mechanism
3) Maintenance shop replacement (south end of bridge)

Questions: Is there a timeline available yet that shows the different phases, when lanes will be closed/altered/affected, when the bridge will be closed entirely, etc.?

Additionally, there is a companion project that will happen concurrently with the approach project, largely centered around improving and adding to the signalization and circulation within downtown Fremont. (more on this later)

The last CAG meeting will happen right around the time of 90% design; there is no date set.

July 21—meeting with Fremont Chamber of Commerce to review design to date; 8:00 am, probably at Red Door but not confirmed yet

July 22—Bicycle Improvements design review meeting. This is a small meeting with experts from the bicycle advocacy community. I found out about it from Rob Gorman (SDOT lead engineer) last week and managed to get myself invited. Other attendees include:

Emily Allen
Dave Hiller
Louise McGroody
Dave Janis
David Levenger
Chuck Ayres
Sarah Kavage

The purpose of this meeting is to review the modifications to the bridge approach designs that are intended to address the overwhelming grass roots support for better bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on the bridge.

If the FNC wants a briefing on the design as well, we can arrange that. We just need to let Rebecca Baker (PRR) or Rob Gorman know.

The city is currently planning on converting the northernmost westbound lane of 34th to a bike lane for the duration of the project, which means there would be striped bike lanes running both east and west along 34th. The representative from the Queen Anne Neighborhood was vehemently opposed to this idea, to the point of claiming that his council would write a formal letter, because “there are a lot of Queen Anne residents who commute to the U District and that would lengthen their commute.” He was the only one who seemed at all opposed to the idea.

There was much discussion about potential overflow traffic impacts on the Queen Anne neighborhood, particularly along Aurora and at the Queen Anne Dr & 4th N 7-way intersection.

I asked about striping bike lanes on Fremont Ave, and said that this would be a natural addition to all of the work being planned in the neighborhood and that the city had approved the idea several times in the past. Rob Gorman said he had never heard of it (!) and Suzie Burke (who was sitting next to me) said that it had never been done because the engineering had not been done, that the city did not know how to “channelize” the street to accommodate the bike lane. This contradicts what I have heard from Toby and Chip, so I would appreciate any additional info about the history of this idea that I can take back to the city.

SDOT also claimed not to be familiar with the Fremont Circulation Plan, which surprised Suzie.

Proposed Signalization changes:

Fremont Ave & 36th: Pretty straightforward addition of a traffic light at the Dad Watson’s/Dubliner death trap.

36th/Evanston/N 36th St (right near Lenin): Evanston becomes one way south with a right turn only onto 36th; a HUGE curb bulb will be constructed out into the street at the intersection, and will be filled with landscaping. Incidentally, the surface parking lot at that intersection has been purchased and a new building will be constructed once design review/permitting has been completed.

Three street trees just west of this intersection (near the funeral home) will likely be removed, according to Marko, because their roots will eventually destroy the sewer directly beneath them.

The intersection at Fremont Ave & 39th (near B.F. Day) will be modified to allow a left turn from Fremont Way onto Fremont Ave. To enable this change several parking spaces on the west side of Fremont Ave will be eliminated, and the stop line on the Fremont Ave north bound lanes will be moved south.

New traffic lights will be installed at Aurora and Bridge Way.

RPZ

Suzie Burke said she is opposed to the RPZ, and at a minimum said she wants the city to delay any action on it until the bridge project is complete. She said she wants the CAG to write a letter to the city stating this position. I said that I would not support that position and would definitely not support the CAG sending a letter until I had checked with the FNC, because it was my impression that there is a great deal of support within the neighborhood and the FNC board for implementing the RPZ ASAP (how’s that for acronym usage?).

The bridge maintenance shop is being completely rebuilt and relocated to the east side of the bridge on the south approach. The current conceptual drawings show a fair-sized public plaza on top of the building, which will likely feature art and a display about the location and history of Seattle’s drawbridges.

Questions: Is there a timeline available yet that shows the different phases, when lanes will be closed/altered/affected, when the bridge will be closed entirely, etc.?



Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Pay it Forward

One of my co-workers started riding her bike to work recently. I was impressed when she made this decision, particularly because she lives 19 miles from our office (about twice the distance I ride, one-way). Last week she told me that a friend of hers has also started riding her bike to her work. Her friend said, "I just wanted to let you know that you inspired me to do this." My co-worker said that she could not take the credit, because I had inspired HER to start riding to work. I was gratified to have had this effect, but I think the larger point is that our behavior can influence others in unexpected ways, even if we never hear about it.

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Why I Love Fremont

So I'm riding my bike home from work tonight and I stop at the "mid-point" light on the hill (39th & Fremont). A pedestrian standing next to me is wearing head phones, looking at note cards, and muttering to himself in German. "Right on," I think, this guy is learning a new language in anticipation of some travel. Or maybe he's just at little different, but either way I don't really care because it was kind of neat to hear.

A few seconds later I'm pedaling against gravity once again and passing B.F. Day School. I hear bagpipes, bongo drums, and what sound like cymbals. My curiosity is definitely piqued at this point, so I stop and walk up the steps to the basketball court and see (surprise) a guy playing bagpipes, some other guys playing bongo drums, and a bunch of women belly dancing.

On Wednesday. At 7:23 pm.

Fremont rocks.

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Dinosaur vs Mammal

I put the boy in the backpack after work yesterday and we walked to downtown Fremont to pick up a CD I had ordered from Sonic Boom. Afterwards, we were walking up Fremont Ave towards the playground at B.F. Day (he likes the swings) and we had to stop at the 39th/Fremont Way intersection. A fellow on a bicycle pulled up along side us, then a humongous Hummer (the new version; I think they call it H2?) pulled up along side him. I looked at the guy on the bike--probably in his early to mid 30s, and reasonably fit, as you would expect. Then I looked at the guy in the Hummer--about the same age, but clearly packing a few dozen extra pounds and some additional chins. I looked at the guy on the bike, and I said "Now here's a contrast for you: the most efficient form of transportation ever devised right next to what is probably the least efficient form of transportation ever devised." We shared a laugh, and then the light changed.

As it turns out, this anecdotal observation of mine that SUV drivers tend to be fat and non-drivers tend to be fit has been documented in a new study just released by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I find this very encouraging, because not only are the fossil-fuel guzzling behemoths that are clogging our roadways endangered by the inevitable exhaustion of oil, but the drivers are endangered by their own obesity. It is only a matter of time before these dinosaurs are gone.

Incidentally, Tom Toles has an excellent cartoon on the topic today as well.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Fremont Neighborhood Council Meeting

I attended my first meeting of the Fremont Neighborhood Council as a board member last night. It was an interesting meeting, and not surprisingly, there is a lot going on in the neighborhood! We received updates about a new affordable housing development that is being built in conjunction with CHHIP (Capitol Hill Housing Improvement Program) on an old City of Seattle site; traffic calming proposals for 36th Street on either side of the Troll; and we heard from a representative of the Wallingford Neighborhood Council about a proposal to convert an old King County Metro building just northwest of Gasworks Park into an "aquatic center promoting the creative use of water in Seattle's Urban landscape." I also heard in passing that Suzie Burke is trying to get a passenger only ferry from Kirkland to Fremont and has created a North Lake Union planning advisory board to make it happen. I will look into this and post more here when (and if) I find any information.

I gave my report on the Fremont Bridge Approach replacement project and suggested that we craft a letter to the SDOT and the City Council outlining our concerns. After the meeting I spoke with Candace Barroga and she said the Fremont Chamber of Commerce shares the same concerns I discussed and we are planning on collaborating in some fashion to present a unified front to the City. I'll post the letter here once it's been finalized and agreed upon by the FNC Board.

Friday, May 21, 2004

Bike to Work Day

Today was Bike to Work Day, and there was a pretty good turnout here in Seattle. I stopped at two stations during my commute: the Speedy-Reedy station at 34th and the B.G. reported just over 400 bicycle commuters as of 8:00ish and the Recycled Cycles station at Rainier Vista and the B.G. (south end of the UW campus) reported 550 bicycle commuters!

Unfortunately the weather was a bit uncooperative, and although it wasn't actually raining, the gloomy skies and relatively cool temperature may have disuaded some folks from taking the plunge. But a lot of folks were out, and it's always heartening to see the future out there on the roads and bike paths.

Friday, May 14, 2004

Welcome, and News on the Fremont Bridge Project

My name is Matt Stevenson and I recently volunteered to serve on the board of the Fremont Neighborhood Council to address bicycle commuting issues. Towards that end, I attended the Fremont Bridge approach replacement project open house at B.F. Day School Wednesday night. I talked to several of the engineers from Parsons-Brinckerhoff and was pretty disappointed by their lack of attention to the bicycle issue. I had a lengthy discussion with Darrel Chambers about a variety of concerns including the double-blind right turn problems for south and north-bound traffic on the bridge, striping on 34th and Fremont, and a few others.

On the Florentia Street problem, I drew a diagram illustrating the current situation and what I consider to be some workable alternatives. He quickly became frustrated and said "Look, our main objective is to fix this bridge." To which I replied "Who are you fixing the bridge FOR? Fremont and the surrounding neighborhoods have the highest concentration of bicycle commuters in the state, and the Fremont bridge carries a huge volume of bicycles." I pointed out that this fact warrants increased attention to bicycles in the design process. He was dismissive of Census data, calling it "fuzzy," and said he wanted to see "real numbers."

I mentioned this to Rob Gorman, the Project Manger for the City of Seattle, and he said that Cascade Bicycle Club has generated numbers on bicycle commuters. However, he said this with a clearly discernible sneer, so my suspicion is that they are not figuring heavily into their deliberations.

I was somewhat taken aback by this attitude, but I did the Census research myself and I'm sending the numbers and a map to both of these guys today. If you would like to see the map, go here and click on the "bicycle commuters" link.

I also sent an email to Peter Lagerway at City of Seattle and asked him if the City has done any "bicycle traffic counts" on the Fremont Bridge, and if so, why the engineers have not yet seen them. If the City has not yet done these counts, I asked him when they are planning to do them. This seems like a pretty critical piece of information to me, particularly in light of Mayor Nickels' stated desire to make Seattle "one of the most pedestrian and bicycle friendly cities in the nation."

I'll post responses as I get them.

Cheers,

Matt