[ad_1]
The RapidRide J line venture, presently scheduled to open in 2026, will improve the bus hall between downtown and U District Hyperlink gentle rail station, and embody protected bike lanes alongside Eastlake Avenue, one of many few bike tasks that former Mayor Jenny Durkan particularly went to bat for. Nevertheless, for a section of Eastlake Ave E between Harvard Ave E and the College Bridge, the designs for the venture haven’t included any bodily barrier separating the bike lane and the opposite car lanes, in distinction with the remainder of Eastlake.
The plans for Eastlake Ave south of the College Bridge nonetheless embody retaining the paint-only bike lane alongside the curb with no safety. (Picture: SDOT)
The intersection round Eastlake Ave and Fuhrman Ave has all the time been some of the harmful intersections within the metropolis for individuals on bikes, with the harrowing merge for southbound cyclists to show onto Harvard Ave shut behind. In October, the Bicycle Advisory Board was advised by the venture staff that visitors volumes have been simply too excessive between Harvard and the bridge to get rid of any of the 5 visitors lanes. The board pushed for inventive options, resembling elevating the bike lane to sidewalk stage or a narrower barrier.
Cascade Bicycle Membership and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organized a push to submit feedback pushing the venture staff to repair this section. “Dropping the protected bike lane on this space is very regarding because of the quantity of auto visitors that travels at excessive speeds in reference to the I-5 freeway on-ramp,” Cascade’s pattern letter wrote.
This week, the venture staff for the RapidRide J venture despatched out an e mail replace notifying individuals who had submitted feedback that the design would largely be staying the identical, with some extra inexperienced paint added.
The total e mail:
Thanks for taking the time to supply your remark concerning the multi-modal enhancements and the connections served by the protected bicycle lanes alongside Eastlake Ave E. The road width on Eastlake Ave E between Harvard Ave E and the College Bridge is proscribed and must accommodate all journey modes – together with individuals biking, strolling, driving, and taking transit. Due to the slender width of the roadway on this part, and as a way to accommodate all modes, the idea design plans don’t embody the 3-foot buffer that’s included alongside nearly all of the brand new protected bike lanes alongside Eastlake Ave E.
Nevertheless, the present design for this part does embody bike facility updates, resembling inexperienced markings on the roadway, that carry consideration to the potential battle factors between motorized autos and bicycles. Moreover, with the proposed redesign of the road, we might anticipate fewer motorized autos touring adjoining to the bike lanes, making the bike lanes really feel extra snug.
As we work in direction of closing design, we’ll proceed to judge choices to supply separation between the bike lane and the motor vehicle journey lanes alongside this part of roadway whereas contemplating all roadway customers. We are going to attain out to the neighborhood for a possibility to take part in these conversations.
Calling Eastlake Ave slender right here, when it’s 59 ft huge, is a wild assertion to make. An amazing quantity of effort is being expended to create space for individuals biking alongside nearly all of the Eastlake hall, and town is finally simply undermining their very own work in a method that may probably frustrate everybody. A greater resolution have to be discovered.
The RapidRide J and the accompanying bike amenities aren’t scheduled to open to be used till 2026, which needs to be sufficient time to discover a repair. However except the environmental assessment course of will get reopened for the venture once more, this key design flaw could also be baked into the venture.
Associated Tales
[ad_2]
