Posted Thu, Dec 15, 10:36 a.m.

Pedestrians routinely START entering the intersection while the walk light is flashing red. Yesterday I had two people start to walk across the street as the light turned yellow. Most people spend more time driving than walking city streets these days, which, in my experience, leads them to think of ...

Posted Thu, Dec 15, 10:16 a.m.

My concern about safety gear is based on the physical reality of bicycles and cars operating in close proximity. Accidents are inevitable and they are horrible. Experience in Europe shows otherwise -- well-trained drivers and competent cyclists can safely share city streets with suitable speed limits and enforcement. Some level ...

Posted Thu, Dec 15, 10:05 a.m.

I guess we'll see. The mandatory use of helmets for motorcycles was eventually adopted over time in spite of rebuttals similar to yours…same for daytime use of headlights. Elective use of evolving technology for protective gear is yet to be determined but there’s no reason to believe that a case ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 11:43 p.m.

If serious numbers of people ever choose to commute on bicycles you're going to see a lot more of this. There are some remarkable body armor products today, much of it in Europe. Helmet laws have proven their value in reducing head injuries. I think, if we ever get close ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 11:27 p.m.

Anyway, what about requirements for specific standards for commuter bicycles and rider’s protective gear allowed on streets to be shared with automobiles. Without any additional safety standards, peer-reviewed public health research shows bicycle commuting reduces the risk of premature death by 40%. (That's a combination of factors, of course -- ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 4:28 p.m.

There is a duality in Seattle's pedestrian code: the pedestrian has the right of way at all street intersections, right? OK, so why do we have crosswalks at street intersections? Painted crosswalks serve two functions: 1. A reminder to motorists that pedestrians are expected, and that motorists should be prepared ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 4:22 p.m.

Using a crosswalk as a pedestrian should have two requirements, coming to a full and complete stop and looking into oncoming traffic to act as a human yellow light for two seconds so that traffic can pass or come to a reasonable stop. The law already has most of that ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 3:58 p.m.

So, how many moving violation citations have been issued to bicyclists year by year?? Any research into "Tickets for Bikes" or do we not have such a policy? With their budget as tight as it is, I would hope SPD bases their enforcement priorities on actual public safety threats. As ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 3:54 p.m.

star80 writes, I do stop and follow the traffic laws as a motorist, but I'm going to drive through the intersection if I have a green light, even if a grungy Occupy Seattle participant is still strolling through. Take your pick, obey the law or drive through an occupied intersection, ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 3:42 p.m.

dbreneman writes: Let's cut right to the chase here: When you are riding your bicycle, are you a pedestrian? Most people would consider a bicycle to be a vehicle, and as such it's not something they would find in a crosswalk. You're right, and that misconception is another sign of ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 9:28 a.m.

While crosswalk compliance is just one small part of the puzzle, if motorists are trained to drive attentively enough to comply with crosswalk laws, they will also be paying enough attention to avoid many other common accidents caused by sloppy, inattentive, or distracted driving. Every driver at fault in an ...

Posted Tue, Oct 25, 1:36 p.m.

@smacgry -- you're right that SDOT is very reluctant to install crosswalks, but with good reason: they know perfectly well that crosswalk compliance by motorists is so abysmal that installing marked crosswalks sometimes gets more pedestrians killed, because they expect motorists to obey the law. Until scofflaw motorists are brought ...

Posted Fri, May 29, 1:19 p.m.

@jk: Seattle's small urban bungalows are not suburban sprawl. They're century-old transit-oriented development, small homes on small lots with small yards, often without on-site parking, producing a density that used to support streetcar commuting.

Posted Fri, Dec 14, 11:11 a.m.

RE: The Big Tax Killed Prop 1: I don't see the "Seattle-centric" Richard does in Prop. 1 or in planning generally around here, which is mostly county and city based, and hardly Seattle centric or identifying with urban elites. So, how would Prop 1 have served a Maple Valley resident ...

Posted Thu, Nov 29, 6:37 p.m.

And watch where you ride: Little oversight that the city has installed the same sort of conditions that cost them the Missing Link lawsuit (see Cyclists Prevail in Missing Link for details.) So, watch out for crashing bicycles if you're on Westlake -- the city suggests they ride in the ...

Posted Tue, Nov 6, 11:05 p.m.

Counties aren't Regional Bodies: How much representation does an Edgewood voter get in the King County Council? How much sway do Federal Way voters have on the Pierce County Council? Do they have any influence at all on the Snohomish County Council? In most of the U.S., an area as ...

Posted Sat, Oct 13, 12:31 p.m.

Remembering When it was Legal: I remember when bicycling in Wilderness was legal, and it was a truly beautiful experience to roll smoothly along a trail far from anything motorized. It was only in the mid-80s that the Forest Service reinterpreted the Wilderness Act to ban bicycles from places that ...

Posted Sat, Oct 13, 11:59 a.m.

RE: W: One rubber toe, you're right of course, boots have to go! Nothing like a bootprint in the mud to remind you that you aren't really in unspoiled wilderness. Plus boots make it so much easier to go off trail in fragile alpine meadows or other sensitive terrain. And ...

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 9:06 p.m.

RE: Atlanta?: It is a gross oversimplification to say that the bulk of Seattle's commuters follow a simple pattern, north/south or east/west. In fact, there are plenty of diagonal commutes, Georgetown to Redmond, Auburn to downtown Seattle, etc. Some of our region's most congested roads and interchanges show the oversimplified ...

Posted Thu, Jul 26, 12:53 a.m.

RE: You need help out with these today?: So, do you always carry wallboard, a 50-lb sack of dog food, and a flat of flowers with you when you commute? No? Me neither. When I do need to carry building materials, I drive my car. But I don't need to ...

Posted Mon, Jun 25, 10:17 p.m.

No Quid Pro Quo? How Shocking!: Truly shocking, Seattle insiders do a favor for an old Seattle land family and they simply offer to sell their land to the highest bidder! What ever happened to cozy insider dealings, scratching each others backs, etc? Here's a radical suggestion: maybe Seattle should ...

Posted Fri, Jun 22, 7:13 a.m.

The case for "transit" or the case for *rail* transit: Brewster writes "The case for transit is not an easy one to make for the voters. Costs are very high, and only a few of the voters live near enough to the lines to get much direct benefit." Is this ...

Posted Tue, Jun 12, 10:04 p.m.

RE: What about non-highways?: I don't think anyone is proposing eliminating the gas tax for tolls. In which case, the gas tax would effectively be a toll on all driving, while tolls would be a surcharge for freeway driving. Diverting to surface streets burns more gas and takes more time, ...

Posted Tue, Jun 12, 9:55 p.m.

RE: Get those excess people off the roads.: A toll works three ways. First, yes, it does price some people off the road. Second, it does provide funding for road and transit improvements. But third, it takes the place of all those WW-II conservation posters: it asks people the question ...

Posted Tue, Jun 12, 9:38 p.m.

RE: aising the I.Q. of the "stupid bus system": Adjusting service based on current ridership is precisely targeted to not serve people who are not served now. One reason there's so little bus demand in many suburbs is the lack of service. Who wants to risk commuting on a bus ...

Posted Wed, May 2, 1:25 p.m.

RE: All I Hoped to Prove: is that bicycle riders are humor impaired Not all cyclists are humor impaired, of course, any more than all motorists. I'm sure there are just as many motorists who wouldn't see the humor in suggesting keying paint jobs and spiking tires, even if they ...

Posted Fri, Apr 20, 11:07 p.m.

RE: Well Reasoned Analysis - What Crosscut Should Be: Either a tunnel or a viaduct will work for pedestrian comfort, mass transit, and quality of life for the majority of Seattleites. A tunnel would be a bit better for quality of life for some downtown residents, lower for others who ...

Posted Thu, Apr 19, 10:22 p.m.

RE: repair: Replacements for the parking could include basketball courts, a weekend market (if not too redundant), a cafe, low-income housing, a skate park...the possibilities are endless. With all the talk of waterfront parks, and green space, etc. from the tunnel supporters, don't forget that the existing viaduct is high ...

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 10:07 a.m.

RE: urban dwellers: Sorry if I wasn't clear. If you build enough housing downtown for 200,000 people, under Seattle's current regulations that housing will be built primarily by tearing down affordable rentals, and the new housing will target upper-income markets. It will reduce the supply of affordable housing while increasing ...

Posted Mon, Apr 16, 10:57 a.m.

RE: Hey Piper: The viaduct strip itself is too narrow for buildings. The question is who benefits from redevelopment of all the properties whose view is currently blocked by the viaduct -- all those old brick buildings that haven't been worth enough to tear down while the viaduct is right ...

Posted Mon, Apr 16, 10:33 a.m.

RE: density needed: Density doesn't prevent sprawl. Density feeds sprawl, unless you propose allowing dense urban squalor as well as dense urban wealth. Add 200,000 units of high-rise condos to downtown Seattle. Those particular people won't be sprawled out across the region. But their doormen and domestics, nannies and baristas, ...

Posted Fri, Apr 13, 10:12 a.m.

RE: Drivers don't pay enough attention: Not to mention our absurd left-lane exits and on-ramps. Tell me how the left lane is supposed to be the fast lane on I-5 when it's full of merging traffic and people backed up for the next exit?

Posted Fri, Apr 13, 10:09 a.m.

RE: Let's Get Flexible: But before Seattle added traffic circles, it didn't have 4-way stops everywhere, either. It had, believe it or not, "uncontrolled intersections" where drivers had to actually look out for cross traffic before entering the intersection. You only had to stop of someone was close enough that ...

Posted Wed, Apr 11, 1:36 p.m.

Mixing Driving Cultures: Part of the problem definitely is the mix of driving cultures with all the people moving to the Seattle area from around the country. If you drive like a New Yorker in New York, everyone expects it. If you drive like a Californian in Los Angeles, everyone ...

Posted Wed, Apr 11, 1:04 p.m.

Green-light-to-honk-time: Matt commented about the long "sitting-at-a-green-light to time-to-honk delay" around here. Part of that is civility, but I'd attribute part to growing awareness of just how many people will run a very stale red light at full speed. It's just not *safe* to proceed when your light turns green, ...

Posted Tue, Apr 10, 1:50 p.m.

Bikes already pay their way: If we want bicyclists to pay their fair share, the obvious answer is to raise taxes on cars, since cars, not bicycles, are being subsidized today. There's a popular fallacy that motorists pay their way and other road users don't. But most city roads are ...

Posted Mon, Apr 9, 3:12 p.m.

RE: Taxand Ticket the Bikers: You can ticket cyclists already, they don't need to be licensed or registered to be ticketed. But it would take political will and bigger police budgets. Maybe fund better enforcement by cutting subsidies to freeloading motorists who impose expenses far beyond what they pay in ...

Posted Mon, Apr 9, 2:53 p.m.

RE: Why Locate a Public Park Across from a High Security Biolab?: One has to question the wisdom of locating a public park across the street from the UW's Primate Center where they have plans for working on SARS, Ebola, and the 1918 influenza. If that's really an issue, shouldn't ...

Posted Mon, Apr 9, 12:54 a.m.

Pretty Park, Bad Transportation Plan: Pity the new park had to be so bicycle-unfriendly, disrupting a major bicycle transportation route and providing few, if any, facilities for people who want to bicycle to the park itself. Is this the same city that just launched a new drive to incorporate bicycles ...