New Podcasts Now Online!

SDOT is taking the month of January to ask folks to replace one car trip a week with a walking or biking trip.  It can be as short as a close-by walk to the neighborhood library, or as long as a bicycle commute downtown.  It’s an easy way to have a positive impact on traffic congestion and air quality – not to mention working off some of that holiday cheer.

The SDOT Blog has supported this effort by providing resources and motivational testimonials from your neighbors that have taken the challenge.  And now SDOT staff share their thoughts on how to walk or bike more often in a three part podcast.  Listen as SDOT super stars Barbara and Heather talk about their resolve to walk and bike more and be healthy in 2012.  Enjoy!

Sure it’s wetter, colder and darker this time of year, but we hope these nuggets of info help inspire you to keep peddling through the winter.

Bike right.
Winter biking requires some common sense: slow down, brake earlier than usual and make wider turns.  Read more here.

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.
A rain jacket, rain pants and gloves make a huge difference.  You can go further with gear for your head, face and feet.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on these items.  In fact, you probably have workable examples of this gear in your closet. 

Have the (b)right equipment.

Illustration by Douglas Scott

In the dark days of winter, it’s a priority to be seen so adequate bike lights and bright clothing are a must.  A fender can make a big difference in keeping street grit off your back.

Exercise your options.
If you biked to work in this morning but the afternoon bike ride doesn’t look so good because it’s pouring, the temperature has plummeted or you just don’t feel like biking home in the dark tonight, you have options: put your bike on the bus or leave your bike at work and ride it home another day.

Well, it could be a lot worse!
Sure, it’s colder now than the middle of July, but keep in mind that we live in a mild climate.  Fellow bikers in the Midwest and Northeast face freezing and even sub-zero winter temperatures.  Better to be a bit soggy than frozen!

We need exercise in the winter even more.
In the sunnier months we naturally get more exercise from outdoor sports or simply walking.  Your body still needs the exercise in the winter.  In fact, we’re in the season of chocolate, cheese and (insert your favorite holiday food here,) so you need that biking exercise more than ever!

See you out there!

Access Road Area - AFTER

Access Road Area - BEFORE

Opening last Saturday with a ribbon cutting and community event led by Mayor Mike McGinn and Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, this new segment of trail is writing a new chapter in the life of the East Duwamish Greenbelt. 

The cutting of the ribbon October 29, 2011 was a joint effort by the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Executive Director Cynthia Welti; Beacon Alliance of Neighbors Representative Craig Thompson; SDOT Project Manager Terry Plumb; and Mayor Mike McGinn. 

Following the snip of that appropriately “green” ribbon, Mayor McGinn led a tour of the new multi-use Beacon Hill trail that extends from Jose Rizal Bridge west along the south side of I-90 and south along I-5 to the South Holgate Bridge.  The Washington Department of Transportation designed the trail with oversight from SDOT and also managed the construction contractor.  All who participated in the trail tour got a first-hand look at some of the amazing “after” views.  Of course, they are even more compelling when compared to the “before” shots, such as the photos from under the Jose Rizal Bridge, shown directly below.

As mentioned earlier, the before and after pictures are startling, in a good way, showing the effectiveness of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.  These include natural surveillance allowing people to see and be seen.  To that point, this is the first City of Seattle trail to utilize street lights; placed every 160-feet or so, they illuminate the entire area.  Add to that open fencing and landscaping and this urban forest becomes an accessible and usable neighborhood greenspace.  Features of the new ¾ mile of trail include: 

• 12 feet wide paved and level surface for walking, biking, and running

• Fencing along both sides of the trail (fencing to be completed now that configuration for 4.1 acre off-leash area is finalized)

Approaching Bridge - BEFORE

Approaching Bridge - AFTER

Before and after photos to the left show the trail area near the Holgate entrance – yet another stunning comparison of how access is greatly improved.

The purpose of this project was to extend the multi-use trail to connect with transit, other trails, and Seattle communities.  It is also part of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.  The majority of funding ($1.8 million) for this $2.58 million project came from the City’s eight-year Pro Parks Levy, which passed in 2000.  WSDOT also provided funds during design.  Then an $810,000 federal grant through the Puget Sound Regional Council made up the remaining difference, allowing construction to move forward.

The Mountains to Sound Trail is part of the larger Mountains to Sound Greenway effort that has helped create 100 miles of trail along I-90 from Central Washington to Seattle.  

Thank you WSDOT for the majority of the photos!

Happy Trails…

Construction of the Mountains-to-Sound Trail from the southwest end of the Jose Rizal bridge south along I-5 to Holgate is substantially complete!!!  The grand opening is scheduled for this Saturday, October 29.   Join Mayor Mike McGinn, Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith and a host of partners for the ribbon cutting and community event to celebrate this new trail through Beacon Hill! 

What: Ribbon Cutting & Community Event

When: Saturday, October 29 at 2:30 p.m.

Where: At approximately 900 Sturgus Ave. S – adjacent to Daejeon Park

Click here to view event flyer (PDF)

Come hear from Mayor McGinn, Deputy Mayor Smith, Mountains to Sound Greenway Executive Director Cynthia Welti and others about the collaborative work that is creating a new chapter for the East Duwamish Greenbelt. 

Discover volunteer opportunities for this area and participate in a tour with City Staff and community members to learn in greater detail about all of the improvements on and along the trail.

All modes of travel are welcome! Parking is available along 12th Avenue S and on S Charles Street as well as Sturgus Avenue S near Daejeon Park, where the event will take place. 

This event is part of Mayor McGinn’s Walk Bike Ride initiative launched in 2010.

Bring your bike or running shoes to take advantage of the new trail after the event is over!

Construction of this section of the Mountains-to-Sound Trail, which travels through Jose Rizal Park and state-owned right-of-way property, began on June 20, 2011. The only remaining project element is installing final fencing around the off-leash area to create a four-plus acre site.

Photo courtesy of Carfreedays

Excitement is growing in several Seattle communities regarding a safer, more comfortable place to ride a bike or walk. Called “neighborhood greenways,” these are nonarterial streets that are altered to give priority to bicyclists and pedestrians and to accommodate cars at reduced speeds.  Bicyclists and pedestrians who are not comfortable traveling on busy city streets may find greenways are just the thing to enable them to get outside to walk or bike.  For examples, we can look to Portland were many greenways are already in place (see a video).  

The Wallingford Neighborhood is about to get Seattle’s first greenway, on North 43^rd and North 44^th streets. Neighbors organized to develop the concept and propose the route, and they applied to the Neighborhood Street Fund program to fund planning and design. A greenway will also be constructed on Beacon Hill, again an idea generated by the community. In northeast Seattle, Children’s Hospital is planning and funding a greenway to enable more of their employees to bike to work. Other ideas are developing around the city.

Read more »

A lot of work went into repaving Dexter Avenue North from Fourth Avenue North to Roy Street, and the attention to detail shows.  Maybe we’re just paving nerds, but darned if it doesn’t look pretty!  Stand outs among the many improvements include two new crosswalks, dedicated transit islands at 10 of 12 bus stops and a buffered bike lane on each side of Dexter Ave N.  Here’s a trip down memory lane (all modes of travel welcome):

This complete streets project is a significant achievement in how it balanced the needs of cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles and mass transit – guided by the bicycle and pedestrian master plans.  Look for final touches of trees in the bus islands and plants in the rain garden over the next several weeks.

The bike box is an intersection safety design to prevent collisions. It is a painted green space on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside. In some locations it includes a green bicycle lane approaching the box. The box creates space between motor vehicles and the crosswalk that allows bicyclists to position themselves ahead of motor vehicle traffic at an intersection.  Several of these new safety features have been installed on Seattle streets including the freshest bike box at 34^th and Fremont.

The main goal of the bike box is to improve safety by increasing awareness and visibility of cyclists, helping cyclists make safer intersection crossings, and encouraging cyclists to make more predictable approaches to and through an intersection.

When the traffic signal is yellow or red, motorists mush stop behind the white stop line. Don’t stop on top of the green bike box.  Keep it clear for cyclists to use.

When the light turns green, motorists and cyclists may move through the intersection as usual, with cyclists going first. Motorists turning right on green should signal and watch for cyclists to the right, especially in the green bike lane in the intersection.

When the traffic signal is yellow or red, cyclists should enter the bike box from the approaching green bike lane and stop before the crosswalk.

When the light is green, proceed as normal. Be aware of right-turning motorists, especially while in the green bike lane in the intersection.

Check out this informative video about bike boxes put together by our neighbors in Portland.

The final results are in.

The winner of the July/August Walk Bike Ride Challenge contest is…
Everyone!

Seriously– everyone and every Seattle neighborhood wins when people get out, use active transportation for more of their trips and develop healthier travel habits. 

Here’s what the WBR Challenge community accomplished over this nine-week round:

• 1,296 people participated
• 299,000 miles of driving converted to walking, biking and transit
• 290,000 pounds of climate-changing pollution prevented from entering our atmosphere

The impact of the program will continue as participants keep up their new, healthy habits and use their new skills.

Here’s how the neighborhoods stacked up.  Ballard wins the competition, both in miles and in number of trips converted to walking, biking and using transit.  Congratulations, Ballardites!

See the charts below for further rankings for miles converted and for number of car trips saved.

Thanks to everyone who participated and helped others get motivated.  Thanks to our partners e-Moto electric bikes, Pan Pacific Hotel, Zipcar and Commute Seattle for providing prizes.

KEEP IT UP!
The July/August round of the Walk Bike Ride Challenge is our biggest round with the best weather, biggest set of prizes and extra hoopla, but you can take the Challenge any time of year.  SDOT operates six rounds of the two-month program each year. In every round you can win great prizes, receive support and be part of a community making a difference.   Sign up for the Sept./Oct. round here.  

A few notes:

• There is no prize for the winning neighborhood, this was just a friendly contest to encourage each other to walk, bike and ride.
• Some neighborhoods may have higher results simply because they have more residents.
• If your neighborhood is not listed here, it may be further down the list.
• Community members of South Park, Georgetown, West Seattle, Squire Park and White Center could participate in King County Metro’s “In Motion” program this summer.  

Update: Some finishing work remains and will be compltede within the next month to close out this important project!  Visit SDOT’s Flickr page to see construction pics!

In January 2011, SDOT began work on 15th Ave NE in the University District. The street was reconstructed between NE Pacific St and NE 50th St with new concrete pavement, and resurfaced between NE 50th St and NE 55th St with new asphalt. The project will be substantially complete September 16th – ahead of schedule and on budget! During the project, the team:

• Placed 11,093 cubic yards of base rock and concrete in the new roadway – enough material to cover a football field 5 ½ feet deep!
• Made 371 truck trips to haul away old pavement and gravel
• Installed 52 new curb ramps to improve accessibility
• Placed 6 new bus shelters
• Redistributed street lighting and installed 4 new pedestrian lights and 7 new street light poles to improve visibility along the corridor
• Installed 16 new stormwater catch basins and 49 filters to improve water quality
• Created a new northbound left turn lane at NE 42nd St
• Implemented a left turn restriction (transit only) during peak periods from northbound 15th Ave NE to westbound NE 45th St
• Rebuilt 6,500 linear feet of sidewalk
• Installed 26,913 linear feet of electrical conduit – enough conduit to wrap around the Husky Stadium track over 20 times!

Thank you to the nearby community for the support and patience as we completed this much needed improvement project!

Did the long days and the good weather of summer help you walk, bike and use transit more often?  Great! 

Well, don’t let the looming darkness and drizzle be your excuse to slip back into old travel habits.   Here’s a bit of inspiration to help you keep up your summer habits of active transportation.

• Working excercise into your everyday travel keeps you active and fights the winter blues when your summer outdoor activities fade. 
• “I’ve got to drive in the fall because I have to drop the kids off at school.”  It’s seems easy to hop in the car to take the kids to school, but you do have options.  Start a walking schoolbus or get involved in International Walk to School Month in October.  Our friends at Feet First can help you make it happen.  Plus, you’ll reduce the  pollution from that line of idling cars at your kid’s school.  Be part of CoolMoms’ anti-idling campaign for schools starting in October.   Time your walk to school versus driving and waiting in line or searching for parking at school.  Your feet may be faster.
• Yes, it rains in the winter.  But not very hard actually.  A bit of gear eliminates the “but… but I’ll get wet” excuse.  As the world’s greatest living explorer Ranulph Fiennes said, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”  He climbed Mt. Everest at age 65.  We know you have what it takes to walk to your bus stop even when it’s a “blustery” 45 degrees.