Equal Rights for Bikes
I’ve lived in Seattle for long enough to prefer rain to sun, but in 2019 I moved to an even damper climate, Dublin, Ireland. While there I rediscovered a love of getting around by bike. Getting an electric bike made Dublin’s hills disappear and the plentiful bike lanes made the traffic (Dublin’s is about as bad as Seattle’s) go away as well. I would go to theatre, shopping, work, and just about everywhere by bike.
In the summer of 2023 I returned to Seattle with my trusty e-bike intending to continue my bike centred life-style, and to a large extent I have. But Seattle makes it hard. Some of this is fundamental: the hills are higher, the distances longer. But some of the problems are the fault of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT): that cars are treated as the top priority, and bikes are in a three-way tie for fourth with pedestrians and transit.
Biking from the Central District to West Seattle
I recently had an appointment in West Seattle and decided to bike from my home in the Central District. There are plenty of good examples of the challenges of biking in Seattle on this ride, and also some of the good work that has been done to improve the safety and ease of biking.
First I headed down Jackson Street, which has a bike lane until you get to Boren. Of course it’s common to see a car encouraging on the bike lane. And in the photo below the car on the right has someone sitting in the drivers seat and she might open the door at any moment. Can you imagine if a business said that 20 times a day they’d open a door with no warning that would block a lane of car traffic?
After Boren the bike lane disappears and is replaced with bikes painted on the road. I’m not exactly sure what they mean, but my best guess is “There’s no bike lane, so you’re welcome to bike in the lane with the cars”. If there’s no bike painted on the road, you’re still welcome to bike in the lane with the cars, but this way it’s “official”. Bikes aren’t allowed on the sidewalks because it’s dangerous for the pedisterians to have vehicles moving at twice the speed as they are. Drivers of small cars complain about heavy SUVs. But it’s OK for bikes to be mixed in with cars that weigh ten times as much and are moving much faster?
When you get down to Pioneer Square you navigate around a construction site and finally get down to Alaska Way. At the intersection of King and Alaska you have an option: you can either follow the cars up an overpass with no shoulder or take the unmarked, hidden entrance to a great bike path. The first time I missed it, but the second time there happened to be a bicyclist going to the path at just the right time and I followed them.
The bike path is great through SODO, until you get to the bridge. Based on the sign, my first time through I took a right on Spokane Street and ended up on the road with no shoulder and a bike path up a curb to my right. What you “should” do is leave the bike trail and get on the sidewalk about 10 meters before this sign, then rejoin the bike path at the corner. Alternatively, you can make a hairpin turn at the corner.
Does this sign on the West Seattle side of the bridge refer to the bike path to the left or to the right?
After my appointment I went down to Alki where there’s a wonderful bike trial.
And I took the Water Taxi back to downtown. Seattle does a good job of making transit bike friendly.
Now that I know a few tricks, I enjoy biking to West Seattle. But it doesn’t feel as safe as it should.
All I’m asking for this for bikes to be treated with as much respect as cars. Would the city ever allow someone to obstruct a lane of car traffic with no warning, possibly leading to an injury? Car doors routinely block bike lanes and I recently missed slamming into one with less than a second to spare.
Look at these directions. Would a car route that suggested getting out of the car and push it be considered OK?
I’m not saying that Seattle is horrid for biking or that there have been no improvements. There are lots of side streets with traffic calming that are actually a joy to bike down. There are dedicated paths like the one through SODO that are safe and help tie the city together. But until we say that bikes, pedestrians, and transit have just as much right to travel safely in the city, we won’t create a transportation system that meets the needs of all citizens, not just those with cars.
All the photos are mine.
