Seattle, using Bridging the Gap funds, will be implementing “Complete Streets” on 15th Ave S and S Columbian Way on Beacon Hill. The latter will improve connections with the Columbia City Link station. Beacon Hill Blog reports:
You are invited to stop by the Open House and view project plans, provide feedback and chat with the project team. The event is Tuesday, August 24 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Jefferson Community Center Meeting Room, 3801 Beacon Avenue South. You may also email your comments to walkandbike@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7583.
Your headline is misleading and dangerous. These changes are about more than just bike lanes.
Are you referring to the loss of some street parking at various points along 15th Ave S? How is the title misleading or dangerous?
I occasionally ride my bike along these sections as part of my commute and have noticed tentative lines where the road will be revised. I also frequently drive along this stretch of road in my car. It looks great from my perspective!
I was speaking solely about the wording choice in the headline. I’m 100% in favor of these road safety improvements.
If you’re talking about the part of 15th between College and Spokane, that project is already underway (in fact, I thought they would be further into it by now… my impression was that actual construction would have started in late July, but perhaps I was wrong about that). The meeting tonight is about changes further south on 15th, and on Columbian Way between Beacon and S. Alaska.
Good point, fixed.
As usual, “road diets” are primarily for pedestrian safety. Try crossing the steep downhill portion of Columbian Way on foot.
As an adjunct to these improvements, I think it is high time that neighborhood access be improved by altering the 39 to turn on 14th Ave S and head toward Beacon Hill Station, terminating there, instead of turtle-expressing downtown. (It goes as fast as a turtle, but nobody gets on or off.)
Getting to the VA would end up being faster that way, since riders would have the choice of the 39 or the 60 between BHS and the VA. Some will cry “waaaah” over losing their 1-seat ride, but the math of having frequent options from BHS works in favor of riders going to the VA.
Nor would many car trips likely be generated, as people riding the bus to the VA are generally not car drivers to begin with.
It’s an easy, relatively painless cut (once people get over change) that’ll save ca. 11 service hours a day.
Even more service hours could be saved if Metro were willing to play hardball with the VA over their specialty bus stop that often adds 10 minutes to a trip. If the VA can’t provide an approach clear of long waits in line with cars, then they can have their valets drive vans out to pick up Metro passengers directly on 15th and Columbian.
When will we be seeing “Bridging the Gap” benefits in the Northend? Northgate Way is still horrible to drive from Greenwood to Meridian, 85th Street is still crappy from Aurora Avenue to 15th NW, and there are still no sidewalks on Greenwood Avenue for most of it north of 117th.
You can see the list at
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/btg_newsidewalks.htm
There are also some projects like Linden Ave going on
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/linden.htm
What makes that stretch of 105th/Northgate so horrible to drive?
There’s supposed to be a signal installed at Fremont & 105th this month. Heck, it might already be in; I haven’t ridden up there in a while. That’s part of the Bike Master Pland and funded by BtG.
Did anyone go to this tonight? I wasn’t able to attend.
I live just off of Columbian Way (my backyard basically is Columbian Way). I do believe that there is a desperate need for sidewalks on the south side of the street, particularly at Mt. View. Remember that the north side got great new sidewalks when Rainier Vista went in.
But I’m terribly annoyed about the move to add bike lanes for three reasons.
1. I don’t think Columbian Way has a critical mass of bikers (bicyclists?), particularly going uphill (westbound). I know many who bike down the hill but not up because of the steep grade.
2. The backup at the Beacon and Columbian light is AWFUL. This would only make that worse.
3. With the steep grade on Columbian Way, buses and large trucks creep along, and we need a passing lane.
If this plan goes through, we’d have only two lanes from Rainier Avenue up to the VA hospital. The waits at the MLK and Beacon lights are already bad, but this would make it a nightmare.
Someone out there … please convince me that this will be ok!
You won’t get a critical mass of bicycle riders if you don’t have a place they can slowly grind up a hill. Bike lanes are more important on the up hill side than the downhill where we can keep up with traffic.
Long backups of cars with bike lanes makes bike lanes more attractive. Bicycles in general don’t impede traffic through the intersection but with stopped cars in the main lanes, bicycling looks like a “faster” option which will lead to more bicyclists.
I was there but I didn’t get much out of it. There was just a summary sheet and large blueprints of the proposals. You’d have to be a resident of the immediate area to comprehend the blueprints and their impacts. Unlike the proposals for a Link station or the Broadway reconfiguration, which are generally comprehensible.
Afterward, I rode the 36 south to Othello Station, only to find out it doesn’t really go to Othello Station. It terminates at Beacon & Othello, and a shuttle goes to the station. I asked the driver if that’s temporary and he said, “It’s been like that ever since the shakeup, but will end in October.” I wasn’t sure if by “shakeup” he meant an entire year or just since June ’10. The shuttle departed just as I was approaching it. I waited a few minutes, then walked, thinking, “It’s only three or four blocks to the station.” Oops, it’s more like ten or twelve blocks. But that’s OK, I mainly wanted to remind myself what’s on Myrtle Street. But I didn’t see a shuttle the entire time I was walking.