News May 28, 2014 at 4:00 am

In South Lake Union, Wealthy Parking Fanatics Are Running Over the Needs of Bike Commuters

A cycle track through this bike-unfriendly stretch of South Lake Union is the second-most-requested improvement for riders in this city. Seattle Department of Transportation

Comments

2
Thanks for following this so closely. It's really disappointing that some of my fellow citizens hold the safety of others in such low regard. Compromise is possible, and the current situation is amazingly dangerous. Given the horrible consequences of a car/bike collision, it's just unfathomable to think that anyone would be against fixing this. It makes me wonder how some people are capable of looking at themselves in the mirror every morning.

I really hope that the city will do the right thing and fix this as soon as possible. These kinds of people should not be able to dictate public policy.
3
Either you believe in solid framework that employs democracy or you don't.

And as it stands, a typically voting or election process in any city, county, or state, in the country we call the United States, those elections are decided by right around 30-44% of eligible voters which is not a majority.

We could easily have a majority if we didn't waste time, money and labor on the joke of a system called voting by ballot, and stepped into new technology called electricity and used the internet so that voter turnout would be in the 90-100% of eligible voters, which would be a majority and a real democracy.

the real question Ansel, is what are you going to do besides resort to gross exaggerations, twisting of words, linguistical manipulation, and just in general abuse of the English or any language, what are you going to do if that doesn't work?

You either believe in the democratic process or not, but you will look awfully foolish if you tout democracy, fair and just government, and rights of The People, or whatever type of representation of the Voice your exaggerated speal was all about

what are you going to do if you come to find out that your views don't align with the majority no matter what type of persuasive writing you publish?

hopefully you will not become the typical slogging hypocrite that Seattle Cattle for some reason take pride in
4
wow, I was wondering what all of those cards on the windshields meant when I was biking along Westlake last week. I learned early on to use the delivery lanes for most of that stretch of road- and to be VERY FUCKING CAREFUL when i wasn't biking in the delivery lane.
5
I was at the hearing last week and the crowd seemed evenly split between bike advocates and people who work, live or both in the Westlake corridor. One piece of information I found interesting is the the B&O taxes from that area represented 8% of the cities total in B&O, thats a lot in my opinion. I agree that the #1 focus is on making the corridor safe for all, pedestrians, cyclists, cars & freight. Removing bikes from the road and sidewalk will go a long way in improving the area, but they are designing the cycle track to be a 10 mile an hour max lane, so enforcement of the bike speed needs to be included into the design. I personally will continue to use Dexter more since it allows for a higher legal speed of bicycling to and from downtown. I do take issue with the tone of the article vilifying one side with out even acknowledging that Seattle has a long maritime/business history and that is important to ensure that it can still be viable on Lake Union. The project will be a lot better if every one shows a little more class, including the author of the article.
6
Reading Ansel hurts. Christ, he's a poor writer and his "articles" are merely reactionary op-ed pieces as extreme and sensational as anything on FOX News.

No one reads The Stranger expecting fair and balanced news. We lefties read it just like the radical right gobbles up their garbage, so the bar is already low, but hiring on this junior reporter Herz is a new low in standards.
7
#5: They later corrected themselves on that 8% B&O figure. It was for the entire zip code which includes South Lake Union and half of Queen Anne.
8
white zin,

When you are speaking in regards to journalists, the class you are hoping for is non-existent, a complete facade.

And if it wasn't, you wouldn't children's books and other age inappropriate places for British English and American English writers both ruthlessly abusing the English Language, throwing all sorts of subtle insults which the depth of low they stoop is everyday new record lows, and the nature of said insults are just as vulgar the only difference between the worst direct insults and a journalist's covert ones is the honor with being direct doesn't come with any of the rodent muskiness that comes with refusing to take responsibility for your words and actions

In setting where authors, poets, editors, and politicians are absent, I believe the term respect might be what you are thinking of. The class that even the classiest journalist possesses isn't worth squat unless you are a part of the no class club of working in the media industry, is only as good as what you are willing to believe, if you keep a close eye on it, they constantly undercut at it.

It's nothing personal against Ansel, in fact Ansel is no worse than any other journalist. This article was nothing more than the random tabloid crap that I decided I was no longer willing to simply let it go without speaking up and out against both republican cans and democrats when the script is blatant AP drivel

It was only within the last year or so that I realized journalists did not work for the CIA and did not intentionally provoke terrorist acts (which I always thought that intentionally attempting to provoke an attack was the worst way to go about fighting it, but what do I know?

9
Last October, Ed Murray came out against completing the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke Gilman Trail. He is no friend of cyclists.

Until these trails are completed, any bike accidents occurring in these corridors will be blood on Murray's hands.
10
Is it time for a protest? I suggest we block these businesses & parking lots from cars every Sunny Saturday morning from now until September.
11
Recently junior writer and recent Stranger hire Ansel Herz was sitting around wondering what he could write that would get him the most attention in his new job. He wanted the most comments, the most hits - he wanted it all, so he dreamed up a way to combine three issues to fire up The Stranger's base: "Maybe I could take an urban cycling issue, turn it into class warfare and hold the new Mayor accountable!" Realizing he had stumbled upon gold, he quickly penned this piece of yellow journalism.
12
Why is the cycle track preferred over bicyclists just using Dexter?
13
@5 the idea that a cycletrack would hurt waterfront and maritime businesses is flatly absurd and deserves to be called out as such.
14
@11 Exactly. When outright lying didn't work in the news shorts last week, he's now making up class warfare. And then he's going to say that cyclists in SLU are poor, or something...it's rich against rich up there.
15
Why not just re stripe the parking lot. Move the parking stalls to the East side and center of lot, then stripe in a two way path on the west side of lot. Obviously increase signage at all driveways. That won't cost 3.6 million, cars get their spots and cyclists can safely travel the gauntlet.
16
To those opposing the Westlake Cycle Track please read
http://tinyurl.com/kuvrut5
http://tinyurl.com/acskm3e
#BikesMeanBusiness #Seattle
17
#13 If you actually read my post, I stated support for the cycle track, but it could have a negative effect on some of the businesses along the corridor. I don't own a business there, but I was hoping for a more even handed conversation. The cycle track will help safety in the corridor, great! But it wont be a equal win, win, win. Have a little respect for the other sides of this issue.
18
When bicyclists are insured, registered, all wear the proper lighting, obey the rules on a consistent basis, display registration numbers and stop wearing the fake sponsored outfit, I'll passively accept this kind of proposal.

We, Seattle's residents and workers have bent over backwards for the bike horde.
I'm sick of it. I revel in delight when a bicyclist chooses to use one of 2 sidewalks not mentioned in this article. By doing so, they don't needlessly endanger themselves, pedestrians or drivers on a very busy 4 lane road.

I hate sharing the road. Think that's harsh? Try sharing the Burke Gillman trail with automobiles. I'd love to try that someday.

Unless you don't work on the waters around South Lk. Union then you really have no clue what's going on. It's nit a playground! It's where people work and live and it was doing just fine until bicyclists gang raped it and made the push for more bike lanes.

Fix the potholes that I pay for first, then we can talk about APPROPRIATE places for bikes.
19
@12 within the "cycling community" (ugh as ludicrous a fiction as corporations being people...) the current zeitgeist is "All Ages and Abilities" and kids and grannies can't climb the hill on Dexter.

Setting aside that we certainly don't want to share the roads with motorists of All Ages and Abilities (though arguably we have to...), pro-cycling progress seems to be measured in projects and dollars.

If we seek to increase the number of cyclists on the road we've kind of exhausted the ranks of those willing to ride up hills and with traffic and now we have to go after those who only like to ride on infantilized bike paths at poodling along speed.
20
@18 - Wait, you're the one paying for all those potholes? you're really a jerk and you're costing the rest of us a lot of money - cut it out already!
21
@18: You and your car create the potholes. Bikes don't, yet cyclists help pay for them. You're welcome.
22
Why is this such a high priority. Do the (newly installed) Dexter bike facilities not start and end in (relatively) the same location? Aren't there more pressing needs in other locations?
23
I realize that neighborhood boundaries aren't super well-defined in Seattle, but this stretch of Westlake is generally considered to be part of Queen Anne, not South Lake Union.

Also, the "Westlake Stakeholders Group" has a Wordpress blog. It accepts comments, for those who would like to address the group directly.
24
It currently is dangerous for everyone.
Dexter has nice bike lanes but they go up and down hill.
At this point the Westlake parking lot is half free and half pay. The free half always full, "paid parking spots in the lot weren't meeting the city's utilization targets." No one wants to pay to park if they can park for free.
There aren't consistent bike lanes so it is a dangerous free-for-all. That also means that there is potential for some cyclists to just pedal safer. IF people used that eastern most lanes perpendicular to the buildings, that would help.
How long until streetcar-mad Seattle just puts a line back in there too?
26
Riding a bike in an unprotected bike lane on any street in this city is an extreme sport. MoRE people would prefer to ride around town if there were avenues where we wouldn't have to worry about teens texting while driving, moms yelling at their kids in the back seat, etc...

Many people I know who commute have been hit by cars, the bicycle culture hasn't developed enough here for it to be safe. The westlake cycle track would be a link between the burke-gilman and downtown seattle.

I can't wait for it to be built so I can ride my bike to work without worrying about leaving my children orphans. If @18, that means I'm infantile than....WWWWAAAAAHHHH!
27
and, I meant @19. @18,the reality is biking is better for one's health and better for the environment; those are values worth promoting, in my opinion.
28
Time to correct a badly placed bike lane: Dexter was a stupid place for a bike lane--it forces bikers up and down a 150 foot hill. I prefer to use Westlake (and I do, taking an entire lane in order not to be run into the gutter by passing cars). Westlake can support a bike lane in each direction by making it one car lane each direction and a center two-way turn lane. I think most bikers would abandon Dexter in order to avoid the hill. Use Dexter for overflow parking for the moneyed interests on Lake Union. Everybody wins!
29
@26 & 27 - have you tried Dexter between the B-G trail and Downtown? it's really pretty good. (though there is a hill...)

There's little empirical evidence to suggest that two-way cycle tracks are safer, merely subjective and anecdotally supported feelings. Many people both you and I know who commute [by bike] haven't been hit by cars; I'll betcha they significantly outnumber those you identified that have been hit.

It's not the bicycling culture which is the problem in anything you've cited; it's the motoring culture which is the problem.

In contrast, there is empirical evidence to show that where motorists see more cyclists they are more likely to drive in an accommodating fashion. Saying you can't bike before there's a cycle track is putting the cart before the horse, and I guarantee any and all cycling-specific infrastructure eventually ends and you're right back out there on the street.

ride on!
30
How long before the insanely rich finally run over the insanely rich?
31
It's not safe. It's not cost effective in this location and it hurts businesses and workers in the area. On the west side of westlake is a sidewalk. On the lake side, there's a sidewalk.

Biking through the parking lot is not only stupid, it is against the law to use a parking lit as a byway.

If bikes get hit it's usually because in this lot, they go too fast and nobody can see then coming. I have no respect for that kind of rider and no pity when they taste pavement.

Insurance, license and registration numbers worn or affixed to the bike. That would help pay for all this silly garbage IF it's voted in.

20% of cyclists get my respect for understanding the rules and playing by then. The rest... I think hate is the word most of motorists would use.

Change the culture to obey the rules and riding in the streets wouldn't be so bad but keep using a busy lane and holding up traffic or running red lights or racing down sidewalks and parking lot lanes and I don't see me caring to cater to your Portlandian ethic.
32
@19,

Cities and countries that are serious about bike infrastructure accommodate even the "infantile", "poodling" cyclists. That's the only way to make bicycling a realistic option for most people, not just spandex jockeys.
33
@31,

Like it or not, bicyclists are using that parking lot. The only alternative to creating a bike path is to station police there and ticket bicyclists for passing through. Do you think that's a good use of police resources? How about if your precious drivers get caught up in that for breaking traffic laws as well?

And if bicyclists get ticketed for riding in the parking lot, a significant number will ride on Westlake, taking up a lane. Would you be happy with that outcome, being stuck behind a slow-moving bicyclist all the way to Nickerson?

The current situation is dangerous because bicyclists are passing through an area where drivers are backing out of parking spots, not because bicyclists are riding too fast. I wish they'd ride fast; I wouldn't have to wait so damn long for them to pass before I can back out of my parking space.

Any serious traffic infrastructure acknowledges what people are actually doing, not what they're supposed to do, not what infrastructure exists a mile away.
34
@21- The bike overpass on Elliott cost $10 million. How much did bikes contribute? Even if every bike commuter kicked in a grand it wouldn't cover it. I don't think the 30 seconds (on average according to DOT reports) you save as a pedestrian by not having to go down to the crosswalk and cross there was worth it. A school, that would be worth it, or 3 schools for that money.

@27- healthier... Ok. Better for the environment... Ok. How many lives are at risk when a parent on a bike with 2 toddlers in a tow-along carriage ride in traffic. Keep to the sidewalks and trails.

Running with the bulls in Pamplona seems like fun unless you're one of the few to get trampled. Think of biking on busy streets like running with the elephants on the same streets. Until there's an infrastructure for it, right or no right to, why try. It's stupid. If you want to play in the streets, insure yourself for collision and be prepared to be at fault and liable when something goes wrong like drivers do. (fine, 75% of them)

You few for these bike paths and in particular the bike track sound as logical to me as a kindergarten class that wants to take a field trip through downtown Baghdad. "make it safe, it's so dangerous, cars are the problem..." Cry me a river Betty.

In the very picture above this article I see a car turning into a parking lot having (I'll assume) to stop for a biker who won't. It sometimes is very hard to get from westlake to that parking lot at points and you have to pull in rather quickly. Easily done to look for cars/trucks but a bike riding @ 20mph hiding behind a car who suddenly passed that car is very difficult to spot. I see it all day down there.

The car is to blame. Running with elephants and I suppose the elephant is at fault when people are made two dimensional.

I'm typing this on my phone, not in traffic, so forgive any errors. I'm also really pissed off that the vast majority is being asked to pay for a myopic minority's playground.

What's next, skateboard lanes? Pogo stick paths, man-made creeks to float through the city on?

I've been around the world and to more states than years in my age. There are places where bikes work and places they don't.

If you're for this, you're being selfish and entitled. Will you stop and be happy when you can bike on the freeway, in traffic?

Get a grip. Seattle belongs to us all and I agree that you have a right to travel but seriously, with the elephants?! (cars and trucks, busses and cargo-haulers being the elephants)

Stop slowing down traffic, get off the road and on a sidewalk if you can and quit riding between cars at intersections. Don't be a pedestrian one moment and a vehicle the next, pick one and act like it so your actions are more predictable.

As a driver who loathes bikes in the street I'm saying I can work with that but stop taking away my parking and driving spaces so you can feel good about yourselves. I feel good all the time and it never requires me to wear inappropriate amounts of spandex. Seriously, most of you shouldn't be wearing skin tight anything IMO.
35
@33
Cops citing bicyclists would be better than having them shoot guys whittling wood, crossing the street or a loud barking dog so yes, Id love for them to patrol the lot. They aren't hauling in pot smokers anymore so there should be plenty of officers available. I see them directing traffic all day on Mercer. I'd think they would jump at the opportunity to earn some city revenue (which can pay for this bike lane hysteria we suffer through) and set the tone for bicyclists. No more free rides.

There is a predictability about a car in a parking lot. A bike, not so much. In the lane on one side or the other, in the middle, jumping on the sidewalk then back in the lane.

Don't think I don't know. I work down there. I've seen dozens of car/bike accidents and knowing I'm biased I still feel comfortable saying that usually the bike is at fault.

There are 2, (two) sidewalks on Westlake!!!
Make the rarely used one two feet wider and that can be the bike lane.

This bike track will hurt businesses, don't lie to yourselves. Ask anyone down there. It's not just the rich either. I work there and work very hard for what little I make. It'll hurt me, my crew and others like me who rely on free parking at various sites around the lake for work.

Are people really whining about a hill? What was all this about health benefits I heard so much about. I figure the hill on Dexter would be awesome to bikers. People pay hundreds a month at heath clubs for a workout like that.
36
@34 You're the one that's being selfish and entitled. You're complaining about cyclists getting a "free ride" out one side of your mouth while you whine about the perceived threat to your free parking out the other. Why do you think that your arrogant ass is entitled to park for free on city property?

People who want more and better cycling infrastructure aren't some tiny minority like you seem to think. We're the majority. Not all of us are cyclists. Most of us are drivers, too. Here's some actual data (PDF) about voter attitudes on bicycling to counter your anecdotes.

No matter how loudly you cry, you're in the minority. If you don't like it you're free to leave at any time.
37
Why aren't bicyclists using the Cheshiahud Trail that snakes along the sidewalk between the waterfront and the parking lots if they don't want to be hit by cars ? Most cars aren't pulling up on sidewalks. See, this McGinn-era improvement even has a little map showing it divoting along with the sidewalks.
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/LakeUnionLo…
38
@36
Free parking is a term. I pay sales tax, road tax, fuel tax, insurance which is taxed, license tax and property tax on Queen Anne. I also do work as a vendor for almost half the businesses on the lake. Free parking for 10 to 30 minutes a stop saves me $3 per stop of which there can be as many as ten per day. I pay for parking if I stay longer.

The free ride I'm truly talking about is how these 2 wheeled daredevils launch through intersections, weave in and out of cars and aren't policed or required to have the same insurance coverage as everyone else who uses the roads to commute.

I read your report. I saw no numbers of total persons called, no info at all about the participants. Even if I had, I don't see these numbers representative at town meetings where my views get standing ovations. I never see this 66% like your optimistic and flagrantly skewed datum suggest.

I loved figure 3 however for reasons people bike less than they would like to. Not ever the top 3 were safety related.

I flatly deny this reports findings and call bullshit. Analysts can do remarkable things with numbers as long as only they know where they come from. Any good report would have come with research parameters and study participant statistics. This was probably just a poll of some Magnolia heights elderly center.

Give me some time on google and I'm sure I can find a counter to your little post-it of a survey.

Obey the existing rules of the road and EARN a right to sit at the table to discuss the issues of sharing the same roads as cars.

Again, iterating here; THERE ARE ALREADY 2 F'N SIDEWALKS ON WESTLAKE!!!
You don't hear me asking for a 6 lane street down westlake to make it safer to drive do you? No.

Majority my ass.
39
@38 Total number of people called and report methodology are on the first fucking page genius. I'll wait patiently for you to come up with some actual data though.

Again, why are you entitled to park for free? I pay all those taxes too. I park on city property. Why am I not also entitled to park for free?
40
@34: What bike overpass on Elliott?

@37: The Cheshiahud Trail was created under Greg Nickels, not Mike McGinn. It's a dangerous clusterfuck that weaves through parking lots.
41
@38, you know what would make it easy to find this bicyclist who hit and ran with another bicyclist in late April? She's being sought for help with medical bills/insurance (I guess uninsured bicyclist insurance isn't a thing). Hint, hint - you replace them every few years on cars and pay extra for reflective coatings.

http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2014/05/1…

http://q13fox.com/2014/05/12/cyclist-wan…
42
www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E09B18F2-8…

Now here's what you should have brought.
I'm entitled? Perhaps not but there's a 200' zone for maritime activities on the west shore of Lk. Union and as I fall into that field, I have a need to be there. Oh, and it's free parking so I guess that's why the fuck I feel I'm allowed to park there dick holster.
Perhaps you should visit the place before you piss all over it and talk about shit you know nothing about?!

Come rain and the cold , all the free spaces which anyone is "entitled" to will be gone just like the fair weather bicyclist but I'll be there, the people who work there and the people who live there will be there but will now have to pay for half the available parking because the 50-100 bicyclists who brave the wet and slushy stuff needed a bike track.

Do you really think the businesses down there give a fuck if thousands of bikers pass by each day with respect to their revenue? No bikers are buying boats, fixing boats, getting diesel fuel or sailboat parts. All thousands of bike will do is jam up a steady flow of deliveries and shipments. Slow down the commerce that earns 8% of all of Seattle's B/O tax revenues.

I pity people who think this track will help anyone but the property owners along Westlake ave. Just like the moguls who own waterfront view buildings near the viaduct. They are the only ones who'll win in all this.

I love how eager everyone is to bike after the tour de France, a sunny day week or an event like "ride your bike to work day" comes up but when it's all over and the weather sucks again or you realize that grocery shopping is difficult to facilitate when biking, it's back to the cars and daily drivers are left looking at empty bike lanes.

See, I sometimes ride my bike in the city. I live on Queen Anne and grew up in Woodinville so riding a bike is almost as normal to me as anyone. The big thing that gets under my skin is how it's usually a choice a bicyclist makes to endanger themselves and others needlessly.

I never ride in traffic. I walk my bike at crosswalks and I look both ways twice before crossing a street.

How many sidewalks do you need on Westlake!? One hardly ever gets used. Bikes could go there and not be in any more danger than in a residential zone but they more typically choose not to. Why, how could I respect someone who could decide not to hinder, endanger and interfere with traffic and instead gleefully dance in the face of all that?

When I bike, I know I'm the little fish. Nobody ever flips me off. I never get upset at cars and I play by the rules.

Your survey sucks and most importantly was done for a purpose supportive to a cause. Great science-based results always come from having an objective to get a result that favors your position. Oh, wait. No, that's bad science. I can see how you might have thought that was a good report. I mean it was pretty. It had colors and shapes and stuff.

Look. Cars hate bikes and bikes hate cars. Until both decide to play fair, no peace.

Your report was garbage. Use the one I provided and you can gleam any result you want, pro or against your point depending on how you interpret what you read and what numbers you choose to fixate on. Thats what make it a good survey.

43
@39

Tada! Your library is full of picture book I bet

www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E09B18F2-8…

Now here's what you should have brought.
I'm entitled? Perhaps not but there's a 200' zone for maritime activities on the west shore of Lk. Union and as I fall into that field, I have a need to be there. Oh, and it's free parking so I guess that's why the fuck I feel I'm allowed to park there dick holster.
Perhaps you should visit the place before you piss all over it and talk about shit you know nothing about?!

Come rain and the cold , all the free spaces which anyone is "entitled" to will be gone just like the fair weather bicyclist but I'll be there, the people who work there and the people who live there will be there but will now have to pay for half the available parking because the 50-100 bicyclists who brave the wet and slushy stuff needed a bike track.

Do you really think the businesses down there give a fuck if thousands of bikers pass by each day with respect to their revenue? No bikers are buying boats, fixing boats, getting diesel fuel or sailboat parts. All thousands of bike will do is jam up a steady flow of deliveries and shipments. Slow down the commerce that earns 8% of all of Seattle's B/O tax revenues.

I pity people who think this track will help anyone but the property owners along Westlake ave. Just like the moguls who own waterfront view buildings near the viaduct. They are the only ones who'll win in all this.

I love how eager everyone is to bike after the tour de France, a sunny day week or an event like "ride your bike to work day" comes up but when it's all over and the weather sucks again or you realize that grocery shopping is difficult to facilitate when biking, it's back to the cars and daily drivers are left looking at empty bike lanes.

See, I sometimes ride my bike in the city. I live on Queen Anne and grew up in Woodinville so riding a bike is almost as normal to me as anyone. The big thing that gets under my skin is how it's usually a choice a bicyclist makes to endanger themselves and others needlessly.

I never ride in traffic. I walk my bike at crosswalks and I look both ways twice before crossing a street.

How many sidewalks do you need on Westlake!? One hardly ever gets used. Bikes could go there and not be in any more danger than in a residential zone but they more typically choose not to. Why, how could I respect someone who could decide not to hinder, endanger and interfere with traffic and instead gleefully dance in the face of all that?

When I bike, I know I'm the little fish. Nobody ever flips me off. I never get upset at cars and I play by the rules.

Your survey sucks and most importantly was done for a purpose supportive to a cause. Great science-based results always come from having an objective to get a result that favors your position. Oh, wait. No, that's bad science. I can see how you might have thought that was a good report. I mean it was pretty. It had colors and shapes and stuff.

Look. Cars hate bikes and bikes hate cars. Until both decide to play fair, no peace.

Your report was garbage. Use the one I provided and you can gleam any result you want, pro or against your point depending on how you interpret what you read and what numbers you choose to fixate on. Thats what make it a good survey.

44
@40
Elliot bay trail (terminal 91 bike path)
Elliot ave and 3rd ave
45
www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E09B18F2-8…
46
I guess that link qualified as HTML.
Try this;
(add a w) ww.pedbikeinfo.org/data/faq_details.cfm?…

Or

(add a w) ww.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E09B18F2-83…
48
@43 The study I cited, which you deemed bullshit, was based on a telephone survey of 400 people in 2013. The survey you found, which I presume you don't think is bullshit since you went to the trouble of finding and posting it, was based on... a telephone survey of 400 people in 2007. Page 20 of your study says that over 2/3 of people are in favor of using tax money to improve bicycle conditions. On page 17 you'll note that 76% of people who are not cyclists are in favor of more bicycling facilities in their community.

So no, it's still not true that "cars hate bikes and bikes hate cars." You hate bikes. You have anger issues and you're projecting. You along with your vocal minority of angry people. That's what it comes down to. You hate bikes, and you don't want your free parking to go away. You have no actual data to support your conclusion that taking away some parking spots will harm business, so you resort to anecdotes and name calling. I'm still waiting to hear one argument from you that's actually based in reason and not animus.

You want to talk about a bullshit number, I'd ask to see your source on that "8% of Seattle's B&O" number but somebody else beat me to it way back @7.
49
Like I said, read what you want to from the numbers/conclusions, as you did.
50
Lee, you fucking selfish, entitled prick - if bicyclists have their own protected lane, then they won't have to "run with the elephants"!

Eddie Murray is another fucking prick, and everyone should have known that going in. As Doug pointed out, he has never supported biking. Also, for a politician, he is totally lacking balls. He is the Establishment's politician in a city of progressives, so he has to please his Chamber of Commerce masters without riling the progressive block that follows the news and shows up to vote every time. The way he's doing it with the bike lane issue is the way he did it with the $15 minimum wage - appoint some blue-ribbon commission loaded with "stakeholders" - i.e. business interests - then hand over whatever hit job they did on the minimum wage, or the bike lanes, to the Council or the SDOT or whatever makes the final decision. Then he fucks the issue up some more behind the scene whenever he can, so that the thing that finally comes out might as well had not been done at all. But, of course, KIRO and the Seattle Times - the propaganda arm of the Establishment - will crow the praises of whatever shit comes out and say what a great decisive leader Murray is, "bringing all the people together", and Murray and his perfect haircut will put on some celebratory news conference to take credit, when he's just a lacky carrying the water for the rich.

He's a total piece of shit, he barely started and I already hate his guts, and I can't wait for his ass to be out of office.
51
Re: Ansel Herz's comments that the Broadway cycle track had no major outcry from Broadway businesses. You failed to come south of Madison Street, to NW Kidney Center (NKC 700 Broadway), or the 600 Broadway Medical Bldg, which contains numerous medical offices, including a day surgery, and Elliott Bay Kidney Center (EBKC, Ste 240). There were no notices about the proposal posted along Broadway, between James & Madison Streets. No notices posted in either building, even though the patients at 600 Broadway were very much affected by the track. Even The Stranger made no mention of it until after the track was completed. Sue Byers, of the Streetcar Commission, stated in an email that she had been in contact w/an individual in NKC administration, but she gave me no plausible reason for NOT informing patients of the affected buildings by posting notices. Her attitude, and the attitude expressed by SDOT at a later meeting with NKC administration was "Who cares?". A meeting not attended by a single patient, the ones most affected by the change. What makes their lack of concern for patient safety even more obvious are the flyers in both kidney centers inviting patients to "come see our bicycle track!" after its completion. Guess it wasn't too hard to find us then. It's insulting. Now: disabled people going to 600 Broadway on Access vans & other disabled transport vehicles must embark/disembark in front of 700 Broadway, where the cycle track rises up to sidewalk level. This means right smack in the center of the track. For night time dialysis patients at EBKC, this means waiting outside in front of 700 Broadway, after dark, in all weather. It also means greater chances of falling, while walking between 600 & 700 Broadway. Ambulance access to 600 Broadway is also blocked, as well as the trucks for the post office, Fedex, UKPS, etc. All these vehicles, plus personal cars picking up & dropping off for both building must share the same limited space in front of 700 Broadway. Fun, no? And the streetcar isn't even running along Broadway as yet. SDOT says there is plenty of room for large vehicles to park in front of 700 Broadway, and still have room for the streetcar to pass. I guess we'll have to wait to see if SDOT calculated space needs & limitations correctly.

I do sympathize w/the cycling community. They take their lives in their hands, braving Seattle streets. Sadly, the respect & consideration they demand from motorists is not extended to pedestrians & traffic laws. I know it isn't all of them, but cyclists: Is it REALLY too much trouble to warn a pedestrian when you are coming up behind them on the sidewalk, and to give them some space when passing? A person w/balance problems could fall, and you would be cycling away, completely oblivious. In the short time the Broadway cycle track has been open, I've seen cyclists on the sidewalk across the street. I've seen cyclists cruise through red lights on lightly travelled streets, such as Cherry & Columbia Streets. And despite special cycle traffic signals, which have bicycle stencils over the red,green & yellow lights. Lord knows how much money was wasted on those cutesy signals & signage. I guess the city of Seattle deems the wants of cyclists more important than the needs of the disabled.
52
@48
You're saying I made no valid points? Then in my assessment, you're dense. A crying little baby demanding a tit. There are other solutions but you seem to think there's only one.

53
@12 It's flat. You figure it out.
54
@50
Bite me. I've lived here since '78 son. I served and I vote worm.
There are many places bike lanes/tracks can go. There are very few places for maritime activities to go. Be reasonable for fuck's sake.

Work with the people who are going to be adversely affected.
55
disclaimer. I'm a biker, I love my bike and I do not own a car.

To imply that the business owners and people who live on Westlake are wealthy and using their money selfishly is a grossly misleading statement. There are no big houses on Westlake, people live in condos or boats. There are also no multi-national conglomerates along Westlake. All the business are small, proprietor owned. I live on Westlake, close to China Harbor and there is NEVER enough parking. Sure, some of the paid spots are sometimes free, but for people visiting/using the businesses there are not.

The problem with going through the parking lot is not that drivers don't look, but, with all the cars being front-in parking, they can not see easily. I've very very rarely seen a driver pull out of parking spot too quickly, there just isn't the room. Part of the problem, it must be said, is bikers who go the wrong way. If the parking lot is one way, a driver is going to be looking that way as he backs out. If you're coming the other way, don't expect him to be looking in your direction.

Also, there is another alternative for bikers, that is frequently used. Go on the sidewalk. And many bikes do, very fast and very dangerous to the pedestrian traffic.

I'd love to see the, very wide in places, sidewalk made into a proper multi-use pathway. That way, we lose very few parking spaces and gain the safety factor. But it has to be a 5 mph or less in some parts. Folks complaining about a speed limit need to learnt that we ALL share the roads, they are not just for bikers.
56
Let's not forget that one reason for constructing cycle track along west lake is that it gives people of all abilities a route to ride on and an awesome destination.

Just try getting a kid, older person, or someone new to biking to ride up and over Dexter... Biking isn't just about getting all dolled up in spandex and kicking ass up a hill. It's about getting the places you need to go - and joy while doing it.
57
@44: That's a bridge over train tracks and to a park that should've been built 30 years ago. You know, not every piece of concrete that isn't wide enough for a car to drive on is necessarily a path just for bikes. I believe I've even seen people walk on it!
58
@49 Feel free to point to any part of the report you posted that supports your conclusion that "bikes hate cars and cars hate bikes." Or was your point that facts don't matter unless you agree with them?

I never said there's "only one" solution. But it is clear that most of us who drive are in favor of improving bicycle infrastructure. I want it for the safety and convenience of my many friends and neighbors who cycle. Since I work and live within about a mile of Westlake, I'd like it to be there for myself to use as well. You are angry and entitled, and you're behaving selfishly and rudely over what, some parking spaces? I think this just comes down to your hatred of bikes, which are here to stay. Feel free to move to somewhere you won't be bothered by so many people who make different choices than you.
59
Well, little reporter Ansel Herz managed to combine cycling with class warfare and he made the Mayor accountable for it all. Now that's creative fiction!

Typical of a junior reporter. Make up shit to get readers. Little reporter Ansel Herz's writing isn't any different from FOX News.

I'd like The Stranger to have higher standards, but that's asking too much, apparently.
60
@57.
It's called a bike path. It's in the name...
@58
I'm all too sure the question asked was "would you like bikes to be in the busiest streets and parking lots of Seattle?" Not likely. More like "would you like to improve safety on roads in general?"
Nobody with a clue or worry about the people living/working down on Westlake would agree that the bike track is a good idea the way it was proposed.

In this economy with Seattle already stretching to make ends meet. A country at war with the world and our dollar about to collaps, I'd like to think people had better things to cry about but I guess not.
If the hill on Dexter is too much for you, use the sidewalk on the west side of Westlake and quit your bitching.

It won't get many people biking and it won't be statistically safer city-wide.
62
@61
According to google maps its a bike path.
63
It ought to be noted that the Thomas St. overpass was not funded by SDOT.

"The project is funded by Park Levy I and II, Puget Sound Regional Council Grant Funds, King County Grant Funds, and private donations. The total project cost for the West Thomas Street Overpass is expected to be approximately $10 M."

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/th…
64
I work in a building that uses this parking lot. I don't make that much money, but it's a job nevertheless. I have an old car that I rarely drive and when I do it takes about 15 minutes to find a (free) parking spot. I wish I could afford to pay to park but I don't make enough to warrant that, so I search for a free spot, which is rare when I arrive in the morning. Once I do, it takes about 15 minutes to walk to my office building. The days I do this are because I have an injury that doesn't allow me to walk, or I'm feeling too ill to walk the long trip. I would love to take a bus, however it takes TWO buses to get here from Capitol Hill, and it takes the same amount of time to actually walk. In the times I have parked here I have noticed.. the people who utilize the free spots are generally people who live in the area, other workers, houseboat dwellers and ocasional yacht owners and brokers. I'm sorry you see these people as the wealthy parking lot barons. It's never so black and white, we're all just trying to get from point A to point B as best we can.
65
@62: Thanks for sourcing. You officially have no credibility on this issue.
66
@65
Now you two can take turns biting me name nazi.
67
@60 The exact question was "Which of these changes would you recommend be made in your community to make it easier for you to bicycle more?" I know this because the exact questions, all of them, are included in the very study you linked to. But why would you bother with reading or facts when you can make sweeping declarations you're all too sure about just going by what feels truthy in your gut, right?
68
It's an ambiguous philanthropic question like "Would you like to cure all disease, end war and bring peace on earth?"
The answer of course will be "yes"

What the respondents don't get clued in on is that it will take the extinction of human beings to accomplish the tasks they apparently all wanted or at least the vast majority.

Same thing happened here. Still are two sidewalks not enough for you? Does obeying the rules offend you so you condone bikes using a parking lot as a thoroughfare illegally?
Does a tiny hill on Dexter prohibit you from riding to work of for fun? I didn't hear any bicyclists come to the podium @ the town meetings saying "No way is Dexter a good idea, we need flat spaces!" instead they cheered and patted themselves on the back for winning a small victory.

Show me you're open to compromise, ask for the street-side sidewalk to be widened and that way Westlake stays pretty much as it is.

If I lived down there, I would want to make my neighbors happy as I could. I guess it's not that easy when you suffer from a burdensome level of smugness as clearly the majority of cyclists who commute daily do.
69
Get rid of the sidewalk, place the track there, and erect a barrier between the bikers and traffic running the opposite way.

Let the pedestrians walk through the parking lot, as they're not going 25mph coming off of a hill.

It really is dangerous, but that's quite the strip of businesses, including boat shops and restaurants.
70
@69
I agree and concede to your request.
See how easy that was?

I'm sure the "majority" would agree that this is a great compromise.

The only people who might have a problem are the ones who want a view of the lake as they bike so clearly they'll think this is a stupid idea. Never mind it's safer, more easily funded and could be easily accomplished.
72
@65
DOUG, just wanted to add that I think it's funny how you seemed to not know about the bike/pedestrian bridge over elliot and then soon after became the Wikipedia of bike/pedestrian bridges over elliot. Who pulled your string anyways? Go back to sitting in your corner with your thumb in a dark orifice.
73
What needs to be more prominent in this discussion is that the whole area where the parking is is public street right-of-way. This is one of the widest streets in the city, if not the widest. It's certainly appropriate for the city to provide space for parking in public street areas (and much of the parking and loading area there is needed), but not at the expense of safety and mobility needs. The need for a safe bicycle facility there is already well established, since people bike through that lot every day despite it not being safe now. That's what's so galvanizing about this issue--it's a chance for the city to really determine what's most important: providing a safe, family-friendly bicycle facility connecting trails to South Lake Union park, or keeping lots of free parking.
74
Why should the City (me and every other taxpayer) subsidize businesses and residents here over other parts of the city? Yes. Subsidize - providing free and/or reduced-rate real estate to store your vehicle.
75
This is yet another symptom of Seattle's lack of comprehensive planning processes: real estate is allowed to be developed without on-site parking in a theoretical 'transit corridor' and wishful thinking urban planners believe that such a designation and a lack of private parking will cause people to forsake cars, only to discover that people will keep their cars but store them on public right-of-way. This has been an element in the fight over the Burke-Gilman 'missing link' in Ballard and opposition to aPodments throughout the city, and it should surprise no one that it's the crux of the problem in building a much-needed cycle-track through Westlake.

If businesses want to have dedicated parking for their customers, they should provide parking on their land and not claim public right-of-way for what is essentially private use. But at the same time, those who call for urban density need to recognize that a certain percentage of people (including hip young aPodment dwellers) are going to own cars and need a place to put them - and that place should be somewhere besides public rights-of-way.
76
Why did you idiots vote against Mike McGinn?

Apparently he was right on the tunnel.

He was right about building cheap elevated LINK lines to West Seattle and Ballard.

He was right about funding bicycle infrastructure.

Now you've stuck with a phony Democrat and a phony Socialist, both of whom act merely to serve the interests of the Downtown Syndicate.
77
@72: I am very familiar with the West Thomas Street Overpass, as I ride through Myrtle Edwards Park frequently and endured a year of construction detours while the bridge was being built. But your reference to "the bike overpass on Elliott" for "bike commuter(s)" was an inaccurate description of this particular bridge, and therefore I had no idea what you were talking about.

Frankly when it comes to knowing bike routes in Seattle, I pretty much kick Wikipedia's ass.
78
Westlake is four lanes. Bicyclists should start exercising their legal right to take a lane and ride in it.
79
Parking is an issue on a lot of Westlake. Not all of it, but enough of it that if I still had my office there I'd be freaking out too and I'm a supporter of bike lanes. SDOT just needs to really make a plan that works to keep parking and provide bike lanes. If the parking remains intact then there won't be opposition. ā€¦at least any rational opposition, but some of the irrational opposition stems from SDOTs inability to do things that actually make mobility better in this town.
The study that says there are so many unused spaces doesn't take into account where those spaces are or what time limit is on them. Right by the Fremont end you can find parking fairly easily, but good luck getting a free spot across from the TV station.
80
@64,

I also work in an area that has very little free parking. Were the city to take away even more of that free parking (it has already taken a considerable amount to accommodate Metro), I would suck it up and deal with it. Free parking isn't an inalienable human right.
81
Even liberal Stranger readers know it's bullshit to scream about class warfare in a story like this. Really, does Ansel think only rich people work and have to park in South Lake Union? I would actually content that your average bike commuter is a white, privileged liberal douche-monkey with a three hundred dollar GAP Che t-shirt and a smash capitalism app on his iPhone...in other words, a lot like Ansel himself.
82
To point out that this article is juvenile and sophomoric in the extreme would be do real injustice to juvenile sophomoric idiots everywhere.
83
McGinn!
84
I LOVE THAT MAN. I love you man. You're my hero.\read on:
Corporate giant Costco fails as a marketing model in terms of transportation. A single Costco induces 10x the fuel combustion compared to neighborhood stores or district shopping centers, while putting these out of business. Amazon and Boeing similarly fall short in these terms of transportation costs and impacts. A progressive carbon tax would bankrupt these (low-cost?) corporate giants.

Meanwhile, Wsdot consistently constructs absurdly substandard highways. Seattle transit agencies fall short of national standards, nevermind world standards. BNSF plans to dedicate its rails to fossil fuel transport through the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle's economy is more dependent upon diesel-spewing global trade
than any US port. Yeah, we could address global warming, but the subject of transport is too far down the list of concerns Seattlers hold dearly, never f'kn mind competent discussion among peers. So says this Oregonian.

Our ODOT was finished with your Wsdot boys in 2008. Your guys also misled our Port authorities about the oval track and Spagetti ramp hazards on Hayden Island. Washingtonian advice in transportation matters is no longer accepted
south of thee Columbia River.
Bertha must not proceed, period, end of story.
Drill-Fill Sea Fence? Not a good idea, period.
MercerWest QueenAnne Truck Route? How f'n dare you?

Check out the WsDOT angle for retaining Battery Street Tunnel. YOU WILL LIKE IT, honest, trust me. BOX CUT-COVER/SEAWALL? Do not reject/neglect its study.
Study it or shut up.

In your languagification experientialness:
Total fix plus adorbs;^)mannn....

(TOTAL FIX PLUS ADORBS W/FACE)
Are you listening to me!? Seatuhlers ?? Well!?
85
It appears that the cyclists are concerned about the safety for all. I don't think that any car driver or pedestrian would want to have a collision with a cyclist.
Since the cyclists want a dedicated bike only lane for their safety, then one would think that they would be willing to give up the right to ride their bikes in the street, parking lot, and sidewalks of that same stretch.

This of course would be done for the safety of all. I would like to be able to bring my small children and elderly relatives to that area for a nice walk. It isn't safe if the cyclists are riding in crosswalks and sidewalks as well as the parking lot.
Again, I am most concerned about safety for all.
86
Why did your article not mention the many bikers that use the existing multi-use trail that was put in place in 2001 that runs parallel to the parking lot? SDOT has refuse to place signs advising new bikers to the area to use the multi-use trail. SDOT and the Cascade Club wants bikers to use the parking lot.

Also, in our marina, we have 13 low-income ($1,200 or less a month) liveaboards that oppose the existing cycle track plan and were wearing blue shirts at the meeting.

I see at most 200 bikers a day using the parking lot -- not 2,500 that SDOT is claiming? Most bikers that cross Fremont bridge are using the new Dexter bike lanes to get down to South Lake Union.

Why did you not report the full girth of comments and questions? You will always get a few nutty comments in any meeting. There were many good honest comments and questions.

Why do you not come down do our marinas and do some real investing-reporting instead of depending upon the Cascade Bike Club's propaganda? I am avid reader of the Stranger but I am very disappointed in your lack of using any objectivity in this matter. I am hoping that with the advisory committee we will get to expand the existing multi-use trail to accommodate the needs of bikers. However, bikers that want to speed 25 to 30 mph will use the parking lot even if the slow-speed (10 mph limit) cycle track is built.

I invite you to come visit me and do some real reporting.

Respectfully, Gene Mitchell
2540 Westlake Ave. N.

PS My yacht is an amazing 12 feet long.
87
Why did your article not mention the many bikers that use the existing multi-use trail that was put in place in 2001 that runs parallel to the parking lot? SDOT has refuse to place signs advising new bikers to the area to use the multi-use trail. SDOT and the Cascade Club wants bikers to use the parking lot.

Also, in our marina, we have 13 low-income ($1,200 or less a month) liveaboards that oppose the existing cycle track plan and were wearing blue shirts at the meeting.

I see at most 200 bikers a day using the parking lot -- not 2,500 that SDOT is claiming? Most bikers that cross Fremont bridge are using the new Dexter bike lanes to get down to South Lake Union.

Why did you not report the full girth of comments and questions? You will always get a few nutty comments in any meeting. There were many good honest comments and questions.

Why do you not come down do our marinas and do some real investing-reporting instead of depending upon the Cascade Bike Club's propaganda? I am avid reader of the Stranger but I am very disappointed in your lack of using any objectivity in this matter. I am hoping that with the advisory committee we will get to expand the existing multi-use trail to accommodate the needs of bikers. However, bikers that want to speed 25 to 30 mph will use the parking lot even if the slow-speed (10 mph limit) cycle track is built.

I invite you to come visit me and do some real reporting.

Respectfully, Gene 2540 Westlake Ave. N.

PS My yacht is an amazing 12 feet long.
88
It is conveniently omitted, as one of the "options", that there is an existing bike lane on Dexter, one block over. This bike lane was created at taxpayer expense, and goes to the same location at the south end. Of course then the entitled bikers would have to go uphill for a bit, so I guess that is unacceptable.
89
Dexter is a strudging hillclimb both ways.
Dexter is NOT the bicycle route you want. duh
90
@42 I bike and own two boats, buy diesel and boat parts and frequent that area. Usually I go to the fuel dock by boat not by car. I've also driven to westlake and biked there for boat errands. I've done this for decades before there was a sidewalk and there were cars parked on the shoulders.

I support the businesses there and yes parking is necessary. It's great that you prefer to walk your bike across crosswalks and ride slowly. Just because I ride faster than you doesn't mean I'm unsafe. I also don't get flipped off.

The fact is dexter is too steep for some people. There has to be alternatives for everyone. I'm sure there's a compromise in here somewhere. One that leaves enough parking and a safe way for people to bike.

Stop lobbing bombs at your customers. Like me. Who own boats and bike year round.
91
This article is yet another reason demonstrating that The Stranger has become a most reactionary means of reporting. It is now right up there with the Seattle Time's editorial page.

If just .05% of the reporting and bicyclist fanaticism had been applied to the issue of there being NO SIDEWALKS in what are mostly the economically poorest sections of the City then maybe we wouldn't have seniors housebound, or wheelchair users in traffic, and kids who can't even learn to ride an effffing bike because the street they live is the last place you want to try and teach a kid to ride a bike.

But it is more important for the self-congratulatory, self-important and fake leftists to pursue their own agenda of being cool, 'green' and frankly, phony as hell. Meanwhile, they are burning through tax dollars on bike-frastructure that instead could be used to make every neighborhood have the basics that every person can use to be mobile. Its called a sidewalk people, and until every cranny of the city has them, pursuing costly cycle tracks, sharrows, bike lanes and greenways is disgusting.

92
You lost me at the headline "Wealthy Parking Fanatics. . .!" Really? Why not just title it "Assholes Want to Kill Babies for Profit" That would be about as meaningful as this shrill bike-victim drivel.
93
@90
If you read my "bombs" and you respect other commuters then you are not one of the targets of said artillery. I can deal with the likes of riders like you.
There are other alternative solutions but these plans being hammered out in city hall are ridiculous and supported by a bunch of sprocket nuts who think a victory at any cost is a good one. It's bull shit.
By the way, all you had to say is that you boat. I don't think I care more for your opinion now that I know your armada floats among us.

@91 Right on brother!

@a-hole bicyclists who want to piss off the people who are invested in Westlake:

If you bike and aren't actually in a race but you still wear "the outfit" you look like an idiot. Especially when you stop @ starbucks or walk the isles of a supermarket.

You keep biking in the streets/parking lots without regard for anyone's safety fine. Perhaps it's time for seattle drivers to mount cattle guards like old time trains used to use to the front of our cars and trucks and adapt a similar attitude towards bikes.

All day long I see disregard for rules and obstinacy with respect to right-of-way and harmony on the streets. Now parking lots are a target. @90-You say "Bombs," Ha! What do you think Westlake residents feel is falling on them you pompous ass?
94
Oh, one more thing and I hate to bring this up because you'll think I'm more of an ass than you already do.

There DOESN'T have to be alternatives for everyone. If that were really the case then I should start a citizen initiative for a go-cart path alongside or using the existing Burke-Gillman trail. Or better yet, I want to ride my horse through town but he's going to need feed and water along the route so pay up taxpayers, Grow me some grass! No place for grass you say!? Fuck it. Tear down some homes, close a school or two and make a few places. We'll make metro put vacuums on the front of busses to clean up after the horse.
Best of all, I can finally live out my quasi-gay fantasy and wear a puffy silk shirt, tight little breeches, a helmet and goggles to act like I'm a jockey! It'll be my version of riding a bike with a sponsored-up jersey.

I mean after all, we HAVE to "make alternatives for everyone"

If you can't do Dexter you probably shouldn't bike in city streets but if you're still trying to be all eco-hipster then obey the fucking rules and use either the street, the unused sidewalk along Westlake or the bike path on Westlake. Stop crying about a cycle track and quit riding through the parking lot, it's against the law!!!
I swear to god you people are the hardest group to talk to. It's like explaining to a volvo or Subaru driver what turn signals mean and once they figure them out, telling them that one blink of the signal doesn't mean that they can cross three lanes of traffic to get to an off ramp.
95
Bikers suck, regardless. They go from wanting to be treated fairly and be watched out for. They bitch and moan about cars, but at the same time they jump up on the sidewalk from the road then cut peds off then scrape a car while they hop back down on the road again, then they run a red light cut over three lanes. Bikes suck, I will never ever give way to a biker, I will never watch out for them. Its their dumb ass choice to ride a bike and put themselves in danger. Angry replies start!!!

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