SDOT Installs “First” Buffered Bike Lanes On 130th

“protecting cyclists from auto traffic” and protecting auto traffic from cyclists!

I recently was in MN and they have bike lanes to the right of the parked cars so that moving vehicles never have to cross the bike lane to park. Seemed smart to me.

Will this solve the ongoing annoyance of timid drivers who hold up traffic because they are terrified to pass bicyclists?

We have them in Seattle to: several blocks in the Alki business district. That works very well, and it provides a real buffer. Sorry, but paint a buffer ain't.

too (not to)

Presumably they will have to remove a lane of vehicle traffic on 11th and Roosevelt so why aren't they doing a buffered lane?

One thing I have wondered is why bike lanes are always on the traffic side of parking. Would not it make more sense to put them on the sidewalk side? All cars have drivers, but only some have passengers, so you reduce the risk of dooring. Plus if one has to swerve to avoid an open door a sidewalk is a much safer choice than a traffic lane.

Wouldn't it create a separate bike lane for the cost of some paint?

This isn't my hood, but I do go along here on occasion. I've never seen any bikes along here. It's steep and goes from nowhere to nowhere.

Maybe I'm wrong and this serves a real need, but it seems like McGinn is choosing the easy over the useful.

The “tiny” section on East Marginal is larger than the section installed in this location. It also sees some of the highest numbers of cyclists because it is the only connection to West Seattle from most of the rest of the city. The paint however is already wearing off after a year.

Also, Alki has long had buffered non-motorized facilities in a more effective way, by separating the bike path and motorized traffic with vehicle parking.

When SDOT starts putting these downtown and in other neighborhoods with heavy bike traffic I might start believing it cares about cyclist safety. Meanwhile, getting passed by motorists who practice the “six inch rule” is a daily reality for most people who ride bikes in Seattle.

I lived in Lake City when I first moved here, had to travel along 130th on occasion and have to concur. The hills are long and very steep, probably too steep for a cycle to practically use the arterial as a bike route.

Geez people, how about a “thanks!” or “that's a good start!” — I think it's a solid step in the right direction and then you all get on and just spew negativity.

Do we have any clue that SDOT is prioritizing these bike improvements based on volumes of bicycle traffic, or are they just “doing it where they can”?

There are a couple of problems with sidewalk side bike lanes however. Yes not all cars have passengers but whereas some (maybe even most) drivers are a bit careful when opening their door (even if it's just so that a car doesn't hit it), very few passengers use the same caution. Yes it isn't fun to have to swerve into a traffic lane though if a car is giving the cyclist 3-feet and the cyclist is aware of the traffic, they can enter the traffic lane with relative ease. But most bicyclists can't swerve up over the curb onto the sidewalk. Also many drivers use the curb as part of their parallel parking and are not good at parking without it, instead they encroach onto the bike lane. Parked cars also make for poor visibility and pedestrian/bike conflicts may increase.

I'm not saying this as a “never put the parking lane to the left of the bike lane”. But I do not think that this is the perfect solution either.

From a walkability standpoint, I would prefer my sidewalk to be next to a bike lane than to a parking lane. As a bicyclist, I'm not 100% sold either way.

That makes sense. Thanks for the reply!

I don't bike but its something I have often wondered about. Personally I would like to more consolidated parking and less street parking. If we could get rid of it on more streets we could put in full on bike lanes with traffic signals, grade separation, and the like.

I would really like to see a “watch for bikes” sign attached to parking signs on major biking routes.

At Alki where the bike lane is buffered by the parking strip cars cannot turn right so it works there and there alone. The problem with a bike lane between the sidewalk and parking would be a dramatic increase in right hook incidents.

Bike lanes will improve the safety for everyone including motorists and promote for a healthier environment. I just started to bicycle to work and having bike lanes will put me more at ease. I don't want a car to hit me by accident but I also don't want to hit a car! Also I just found out that with commuter benefits I can get up to $20/month to put towards equipment purchases, repairs and more. I learned more at http://www.commuternation.com/sea. Enjoy!

What I find disappointing is all the $ spent on these accommodations for bikes . . . and they still use the sidewalks and terrify pedestrians with their unpredictable swerves. In downtown Seattle, it's common to see bikes on the sidewalks swerving thru pedestrians while the so-called sharrows are unused or used by cars pulling over to deposit passengers and lattes.

Interesting point. I wish the city would do something super useful. Maybe fix the 10th Ave – Roanoke – Harvard clusterfuck. That's the main Capitol Hill – U District bike route and it's pretty bad. I would imagine any concessions to cycling would cause problems for car traffic and thus this will never happen. I suppose the adrenaline pumping descent on 10th tightened up my handling skills when I did it every day for a year…

The relatively long uphill climb into Capitol Hill makes that an inherently terrible and impractical route. I mean… they COULD re-stripe it, but honestly how many cyclists would use it? It'd be the cycling arterial equivalent of putting a coat of paint on a piece of shit.

Actually, the first buffered lane is along E. Marginal just south of the Coast Guard building. It's not very long, but it's a nice wide buffered lane with no parking on the street. SDOT actually removed parking to install the lane. No press covereage for that change for some reason.

The reason many sharrow lanes aren't use is because they simply aren't usable much of the day. 4th Ave Sharrows are in a lane used for parking much of the day. The new Sharrows down Stewart are in a lane used for parking much of the day on the south side and the north side is a lane supposedly shared by bikes and buses. Ever tried to share a lane with a Metro bus? Not possible. The outside lanes also put cyclists in a bad position for through-riding, as you yourself stated cars pull over into them for various reasons. The Sharrows down Western aren't bad, but it's a narrow street and have you ever been riding on Western with an impatient vehicle behind you who then forces you off the road? The cyclists aren't the problem, the motor vehicle culture is the problem.

Well, seeing as how Capitol Hill is, you know, a hill and all, there is no route that is not a relatively long uphill grind. You have to gain the elevation somehow! Usually I soften the blow by using Interlaken, but you're still riding through the 10th-Roanoke-Harvard area to get to it, unless you go around over the Montlake Bridge, which is also annoying and also features uphill grades. You could also use the rabbit hole that goes under I-5 to Boylston – Lakeview – Melrose, but there's still the elvation to be gained, half in the beginning and the other half on Pine, if you're headed to Broadway.

Anyways, I used to ride through there almost every day when I lived in the U district, and saw many others doing the same. I still see many do the same on those occasions that take me through there. That is why I suggest it's the main bicycle route: I see tons of people riding bikes through it. But if it's so shitty, what route would you suggest?

I like sharrows, but I sure do hate it when they're plastered under parked cars. Another example is the westbound side of Jackson.

I wouldn’t say nowhere since 130th travels between the Interurban Greenway Trail (22 mile trail Seattle-Everett) and Greenwood where the library is and it is Bitter Lake Hub Urban Village which house 5000 in mostly low income senior housing.
It is a steep incline where you need a McGinn style electric bike Walk Bike and Ride? We are still waiting for a completed street in Northwest Seattle for 50,000 people above 85th. SDOT just installed a huge ITS sign at Aurora and 137th that will divert thousands of cars onto 130th (west to Gwood East to I5) when the viaduct comes down.