Jeffrey Linn wrote to tell us about a bike tour of the proposed Green Lake to Lake Union Greenway. A group will meet tomorrow night (Wednesday, September 18) at 6pm at Green Lake Elementary School (2400 N. 65th St.) and everyone is invited to ride along:
This Wednesday evening, we will be having a bike tour of the proposed greenway route connecting Green Lake to Lake Union. This route is mapped out in the new Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, and we’d like to invite members of the community to come learn more about the route with us.Greenways are residential streets that have been traffic-calmed to allow safer passage for pedestrians and bicyclists. This greenway route would have the added benefit of connecting to several of our local elementary schools, helping to create safe routes for the kids of Wallingford and Tangletown. We’re exited to have representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation, McDonald International School, Green Lake Elementary School, and the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board riding with us.
We’ll be meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, September 18, in front of Green Lake Elementary School at 65th and 1st Ave NE.Here is a map of the route: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid= zBAiUx9CCL-U.kNPy484L2rKI and a for the event:
If it’s anything like the Wallingford “Greenway” along 44th St., prepare to be underwhelmed.
I hope the Sunnysiders (if I’m reading the North/South route of this plan correctly) are hip to this. Sunnyside has parking on both sides of the street (as is most of Wallingford)
so vehicle traffic can only move in one direction at a time. Intersections at 40th and
further down on Pacific are dangerous – are they planning to put lights on those
intersections? Will bicyclists be expected to “jump over” Pacific to access the BG trail or travel south and east/west on Pacific? I know this is a challenging project,
but hope that the planners are realistic with the vehicle traffic implications of this
route. I wish that as much civic energy could be applied to vehicle traffic horrors
as bicycle traffic. Sigh…
I live on the Wallingford greenway. Since it opened, there have been zero negative impacts. I don’t bike, so I can’t say if it actually made anything better for cyclists.
I’m very excited to see this greenway project is being talked about. As a Tangletown resident who commutes to Ballard via the Burke-Gilman, I may alter my bike route to work to take advantage of it. I wish I could join the ride tonight. Good luck to the organizers!
I agree with @Jen and @Prop3 … the existing green way on 44th is underwhelming. It doesn’t seem to be used by bikers and cars don’t seem to change any of their habits. Although the street crossing infrastructure on Stoneway is helpful.
If I remember correctly, the cost of the greenway between I5 and Stoneway was over $100,000. Is that correct?
Personally, I would MUCH prefer that any new money be invested into strategically located traffic circles and street-crossing infrastructure for busy thoroughfares, than into any green way that resembles what we have currently in Wallingford.
I agree with Jen and the previous poster that these greenways are underwhelming. They may be well intentioned, but I question whether painting some bicycle-awareness signage on the street accomplishes anything. I sorely hope that the city will work to make safe bikeways, but doing that is going to require actually making dedicated and separate space on the road, not pretending that signage exhorting us all to “share the road” is going to solve any real safety issues.
Yes, no offense to those who worked on the 44th “greenway” but as a neighbor and a cyclist, I find it has made no difference whatsoever. Cars don’t act at all more cautiously when crossing it. I wouldn’t send a kid along it. If it’s going to mean anything it needs stop signs and possibly speed bumps, like they use in Portland.
Sunnyside? REALLY? What genius came up with this idea? “hey, let’s take a street that is ALREADY impossible to drive/navigate (as Mary pointed out, parking on both sides, narrow, driveways crowded by the people who use the street for parking while at work…) and make it MORE congested”. Sure, big open streets like Meridian would be a safer choice, but why would that factor in to a decision? Oh yeah — and the Meridian school’s driveway is on Sunnyside — talk to anyone who lives on that block and they’ll tell you how much fun the street is at drop-off or pick-up time. Freakin PRICELESS decision people!
Well it makes as much sense as a dedicated bike lane from Green Lake to Tangletown following the Metro Bus RT 16 route. Up Woodlawn, up Meridian then up Kirkwood. A bike lane would eliminate the parking on these narrow streets. Look at the map and you will see it in a broken orange line. Wonder where they think the residents and customers of the bars in Tangletown will park?