Comments

1
they seriously need to do this on one of the less-busy numbered streets downtown. Everyone would be much happier.
2
I promise not to drive in the separated bike lane if the bikers will promise not to ride in the vehicle lane.
3
But if we don't have a War on Bikes by cars, what will fuel tax-subsidized car-using suburbanites anger?
4
Good deal. And the Broadway cycle track's main benefit remains the same, to prevent endos from tires catching in the tracks of the new streetcar line. That's what finally pushed the City to do a cycle track, and high time too! It broke the ice.
5
@2: That's why it is inherently flawed. There would be crossing the line even if was hot pink instead of green. Cars have to take evasive action to prevent crashes and that requires crossing the line.
6
The fact that a number of cyclists observe the rules of the road that suit them contributes to the animosity. Rolling up the side to be the first in line at the light is not okay, and everyone should not have to wait to pass you.
7
The rules of the road were designed for cars, and in certain cases do not make sense for bicycles. I'm not sure exactly what situations biffp is referring to, but I wait in line behind cars when it's appropriate, and I will run along the right side to the light when its appropriate (ie. when there's a bicycle lane on the other side of the light: going west on Pine at 12th).

Idaho has a smart cyclist law: Bicycles treat stoplights like stop signs-- if no one is coming the other way, they can go. And they treat stop signs like yield signs. That just makes sense for bikes, but not for cars which can kill people.

The cycle track on Broadway is physically separated by a concrete island, so there won't be any 'evasive action' crossing the line in the middle of the block.
8
I always roll to the front and act like the green bike box that should be in front of the crosswalk is there. That way I get a jump on the light and am seen by all the cars and am in the safest spot.
9
@7
Idaho is not very friendly to pedestrians I guess.
10
If there is a bike lane, I'm fine with rolling up to the line. To go to front and expect everyone else to 'share the road' when it turns green, seems obnoxious, and I'm not driving a car. Not stopping at red lights when there might be pedestrians crossing or riding in the crosswalk to avoid the line is also asking for acrimony.
11
Dang, that's some kinda green there. Is that indoor/outdoor carpet or paint? Reflective at night? Whatever it is, be interesting to see how well it wears.
12
Looks like the new Whack-A-Hipster Fag course is open!
13
Ed Murray's a moron.
14
Keep f*cking that chicken, Stranger staff.
15
This is very nice, very professional, and safer. Nice job.
16
Idaho has a smart cyclist law: Bicycles treat stoplights like stop signs-- if no one is coming the other way, they can go. And they treat stop signs like yield signs. That just makes sense for bikes, but not for cars which can kill people.

That probably works really well for the dozen cars and one bicyclist in most Idaho towns. However, why can't cars approaching a four way stop late at night with no other cars around "preserve their momentum" and reduce carbon emissions by similarly treating them as yield signs ? It's pretty tough to kill the cars/people that aren't on the road.
17
@7 "The cycle track on Broadway is physically separated by a concrete island,"

I rode the open section (Denny to Pine) tonight: ~ 20% of the barrier is concrete and the rest is two lines of paint, ~ 50% of which hosts widely spaced flimsy plastic pillars.

i.e for most of Broadway the southbound cyclists are separated from the northbound motorists by little (or nothing) more than a narrow island delineated by two paint stripes. Not what I had imagined by "separated" lanes.
18
Note that a high number of car/bicycle collisions occur at intersections, and are either left-turning car strikes bicyclist, or right-turning car strikes bicyclist.

For all you people riding up the right side of a line of cars at a stop light, you're putting yourself in a dangerous position should the car driver wish to turn right. You are in a blind spot and the driver is looking left to spot an opening in traffic.

The issue of where to put the bike lane at intersections is an interesting one and the traffic engineering community is actively discussing it.

Here's what they do in the Netherlands, a separated safe space for bicycles at intersections, that cars are not able to intrude on. Pros include the raised medians separating the two types of vehicles, cons include more bicycle-pedestrian conflict points and the need for dedicated bicycle traffic signals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6…

But deeper than that is a cultural difference; Dutch motorists are trained to respect and watch for bicyclists nearly from birth. US drivers get no such training.
19
We desperately need something like this on 23rd ave., which SDOT has slated for a major re-engineering/paving project in the next year or two. Beyond that, we need a regional network of similar facilities through out our entire metropolitan area. Increasing density, making bike commuting easier etc, in Seattle only affects 15-20% of our metro population. 80+ percent of our region's pop lives outside the city limits. We ignore that fact at our peril. You can remodel your bathroom, but when the rest of your house is on fire, you're still pretty much fucked.
20
to be more factual, SOME bike stuff is good for drivers, but not ALL bike stuff is good for drivers. if you take lanes away from cars, this really isn't good for drivers. why don't we just admit that and say we want to do it anyway, since life is about choices and bikes should be preferred? this has the benefit of not condescending to drivers. and perhaps on some roads, really, if the bike ridership isn't there and the impacts on drivers are too severe in causing congestion, well, perhaps sometimes we should not take a lane from drivers and give it to bikes. it seems really childish to go around pretending you can take lots of lanes out of general use and not "harm" drivers and trying to tell them they're being helped is just damn condescending, and not factual.
21
Dr. Awesome Wrote:
"......US drivers get no such training...."

And that is really the root of the issue in Seattle. The bike road tracks/pathways were rolled out and implemented with little to no support by Seattle city government to engage and inform motorists and bicyclists of their rights, responsibilities and benefits of installing these pathways. That has created an atmosphere of animosity and confusion, and unfortunately this lack of a public policy directed towards fundamental and continued public education has, I my opinion, led to unnecessary injury and perhaps death. Frankly, I think it is perhaps one of the bigger public policy failures in Seattle history.
22
@3: Yes, because all the people driving on Capitol Hill are from the suburbs. No self-respecting Seattle resident owns or drives a car.

Moron.
23
I have a car, a bike, a motorcycle, and a scooter... and I have been hit by a car (while on 2 wheels... to the tune of a 55k hospital bill)

I am all in favor of anything that makes it safer for bikes, I have a bit more perspective than most I think since I use all 4 modes of transport... and know it sucks real bad to be hit by a car.

Without doubt the hate for bikes is real, of any of the modes of transport I use... I see folks on bikes behave like the traffic laws do not exist.

Blazing through red lights and stop signs and cutting people off (on foot and in cars), if you want people in cars to respect your space, dont be a dick! I could get to where I am going sooner too if I run every light.

Most of the anger directed to the folks on bikes has been earned, obey the traffic laws or shut the hell up. I dont care if your bike it tiny and nimble, I dont care if you think your all green and hot shit.

I care you stop at the red light and dont cut me off & I promise to do the same.

So I propose a new motto for people on bikes "Don't Be A Dick!"

I also get that folks on bikes hate the folks in cars but ponder this, of the 2 groups... who obeys the traffic lawn 90% of the time, and who ignores them 90% of the time.

Until the folks on bikes stop riding like dicks, nothing is going to change.
24
How funny to read this after a morning commute where my bus was stuck behind a cyclist in the bus lane for about two miles (15th/Elliott, from Interbay Golf Course to the Denny turn-off).
25
It's a simple problem. Bikers are irrelevant, and arrogant. Drivers are oblivious, and dangerous. The whole issue is the tail wagging the dog. There are actual problems in the city - this isn't one of them. The pro-bike crowd are barely worth listening to under the best of circumstances (they just don't statistically matter - and their complaints/demands are infantile), but prioritizing bike lanes over basic infrastructure improvements or real transit solutions is criminally negligent.
26
@2 deal
27
@21,

It's amusing, watching drivers on Capitol Hill not remotely understand how a bike box works, to the point of ignoring the *posted signs* telling them they can't turn on red.
28
I want to see cyclists ticketed for passing on the right. It's dangerous for all involved. The should also put traffic lights on the bike paths that are on the right of traffic. You look for them but they come up on the right much faster than pedestrians. There are reasons passing on the right is prohibited for cars. Do the same for the exposed bone bags on wheels.
29
You're absolutely right about the fear factor creating animosity between bicyclists and motorists. I don't bicycle most of the time because I'm afraid of being hit by a crazy driver, but when driving I am constantly afraid of hitting a bicylist (the streets are too narrrow or dangerous to pass or I'm never quite sure what the bicylist is going to do...will he/she really stop at that stop sign?) More bikeways are the way to go for everyone.
30
@27
Your comment validates my points. And it is not the least amusing. It's damn dangerous. The people responsible for this failure to promote and educate the public on the implementation of public policy decision should be either be removed their position or voted out of office. I'll state it once again: It is perhaps one of the largest public policy failures in Seattle history.
31
@23- "Without doubt the hate for cars is real, of any of the modes of transport I use... I see folks on cars behave like the traffic laws do not exist.

Blazing through red lights and stop signs and cutting people off (on foot and in cars), if you want people in cars to respect your space, dont be a dick! I could get to where I am going sooner too if I run every light.

Most of the anger directed to the folks in cars has been earned, obey the traffic laws or shut the hell up. I dont care if your car it tiny and a hybrid, I dont care if you think your all green and hot shit.

I care you stop at the red light, use turn signals, obey the speed limit, pass carefully, stay off your phone, and dont cut me off & I promise to do the same.

So I propose a new motto for people in cars: "Don't Be A Dick!"

I also get that folks in cars hate the folks on bikes but ponder this, of the 2 groups... who obeys the traffic lawn 90% of the time, and who ignores them 90% of the time.

Until the folks in cars stop driving like like dicks, nothing is going to change."

FTFY
32
As a driver, cyclist and bus passenger I think much of this animosity between cyclists and drivers could be solved by eliminating all parking on city streets. We have more than enough capacity for many modes of MOVING transportation. We have enough room for bus lanes, intelligent cycling infrastructure (unlike this cycletrack) & cars lanes.

For me the sticking point is these stupid subsidized street parking which does NOTHING to assist people in moving about the city. If you or I want to park our oversized single passenger cars I think it is our responsibility to find a parking spot off the street where it belongs.

It solves a plethora of problems single swoop. No more bicycles getting doored, no more cars getting stuck behind cars parked illegally, no more buses waiting to merge into traffic, visibility at intersections is instantly opened up so there will be fewer collisions between all modes.

TL;DR Streets are for moving (no matter how slow or fast) not subsidized parking spots.
33
I have biked on the bikeway three times in the last two days and each time I have encountered illegally parked cars. I have started to report this to the Seattle Police. Their parking enforcement hotline is 206-386-9012, which I have saved in my phone. I also take pictures of violators and submit complaints on the SPD website at http://www.seattle.gov/police/parking/de…. I think we all need to do this which will hopefully lead to some action. I would also recommend writing to city council members and the mayor.
34
@ 33
I understand your frustration with the cars parked in the bike lane however I believe that the City did not even remotely consider the effect that the Bike Track has on the businesses in the area. The bike lane has made it virtually impossible for the business to get any of their inventory deliveries or cleaning service that are required to operate as a clean and safe establishment.
I believe the concept of the Bike track was a good idea just poorly executed.
35
I've been a bicycle commuter in this city for six years and I seriously need someone to explain to me how the fuck you're supposed to turn right while southbound on this thing.

Wait, before we even get to that, how are you supposed to enter it? I'm southbound on Broadway and I cross Denny, the track starts over on the other side of the street with no facilities to transition over there. Am I supposed to just swing across oncoming traffic and into it? Do they expect to stop at the goddamn crosswalk or something?

Okay, now I'm in the cycle-track. Woooooooooooo! Whoop, but now I need to turn right onto Pine. Wait, am I supposed to stop in the middle of the track, blocking other cyclists, and wait for the crosswalk light? WTF?

I may be a cycle-track noob, but this seems dumb to me. Give me back my Broadway without the tracks in it.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.