New Traffic Control Manual Lays Out the Law

The Seattle Department of Transportation recently published an updated version of the Traffic Control Manual for In-Street Work.  SDOT’s Director, Peter Hahn, approved and adopted the new version with a Director’s Rule, which legally enforces the changes put forth in the manual.

Since the 1970’s, SDOT has published the manual to give guidance to those working in the public right of way to ensure work zones are set up consistent with federal, state, and local standards.  Those standards are designed to guarantee the safety of the traveling public and those working in those construction areas.  The manual was last Involving public and private entities, work on this revised version began almost immediately after the last manual was published 2005.  

As with every manual, this was a work in progress.  Revisions and suggestions kept coming in with this final version taking shape in 2010.  But that wasn’t the end of the work – that was the beginning of another round of review by about ten internal agencies including SDOT’s Traffic Management, Street Use, and Street Maintenance staff.  Then in 2011, external users such as Ness Crane and National Barricade began review with extensive evaluation late in 2011 by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Boards. 

This new edition includes updated sections on bicycle and pedestrian access, new sign codes, added language on curb space use, and revised sketches.

You can view the new manual on our web site at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/trafficcontrolmanual.htm

Spring is on the calendar, and in the air as well. More people are using bicycles for transportation than ever before. Expect to see more bicyclists on the road as temperatures moderate and daylight lingers.

Start with the basics of:  proper helmet fit, comfortable but not loose clothing, and a bicycle that is in good working order. Make sure you can perform basic maintenance and fix a flat tire.

Before you start riding in road with traffic, it can be a good idea to practice some basic riding skills in an open area or parking lot. Practical riding skills include: scanning, interpreting and executing evasive maneuvers to avoid obstacles; signaling left and right turns as well as stopping; and effective braking techniques.

Once you start riding and commuting, obey all traffic laws as they pertain to bicyclists. Be aware of your lane positioning and communication with drivers, especially when turning left or right, or stopping. Always honor the right of way and observe intersection etiquette.

The City of Seattle has been busy enhancing and improving bicycle facilities throughout the City. Familiarize yourself with everything the City of Seattle’s bicycle program has to offer and visit our webpage at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprogram.htm

Whether you are a new commuter or a seasoned expert make sure you have the knowledge to make informed decisions while riding in traffic and the confidence to balance caution, assertiveness and the skills necessary for safe urban riding.

SDOT crews recently repaved the Duwamish Trail.

Looking for an easy walk or bike ride? Try the Duwamish Trail, approximately two-and-a-half miles along the west side of the Duwamish River in West Seattle. It’s a wonderfully flat trail, starting from the lower South Spokane Street Bridge, following West Marginal Way Southwest, southward to the First Avenue South Bridge.

The trail runs next to the roadway for the most part, but here in the midst of one of the city’s largest industrial areas is a strip park along the river bank with view points and shoreline access. The middle portion of the trail, where it leaves the street to pass through a wooded area, was recently repaved by SDOT’s paving crews, thanks to funding from the Bridging the Gap trainsportation initiative.

Along the trail is the 17-acre Herring’s House Park, at Southwest Alaska Street and West Marginal Way Southwest, with a natural intertidal basin and areas of marsh, meadow, and forest, making it a great spot for observing birds and small animals that live along the river.  Interpretive signs inform visitors about the local ecosystem.

View of Downtown Seattle from the Duwamish Trail.

Marine industry view from the Duwamish Trail.

Just to the south is the Port of Seattle’s eight-acre Terminal 107 Park, at 4700 West Marginal Way Southwest.  A sculpture is located here–the scaled-down skeleton of a North Pacific halibut schooner–part of a series of installations comprising the West Seattle Cultural Trail. Information is posted here about the people who lived at this site over the past centuries, including a Duwamish Indian village and a commercial fishing community.

Walkers and bikers looking for extended excursions can explore the Alki Trail to the northwest of the Duwamish Trail. To the northeast, the path across the lower Spokane Street Bridge leads to Alaskan Way South, and then to the path along the Downtown Seattle Waterfront. To the south, from the Duwamish Trail follow on-street and off-street routes that connect with the Green River and Interurban trails located south of the Seattle city limits.

The T-107 Park is along the Duwamish Trail.

Sculpture of the skeleton of a fishing schooner.

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.