First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar Bicycle Audit
Last weekend a group of cyclists gathered together early on Sunday morning to bike the various proposed alignments for the First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar. More information on these alignments can be found here.
As you may have heard, the South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) tracks have been dangerous for cyclists; both in where they were built on the roadway and in how perfectly a bike tire fits into them. More information on this can be found here and here. Many riders have been seriously injured on these tracks and we don’t want to repeat the same mistakes with the First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar. This audit was the first attempt (that we know of) to investigate where there may be bike/streetcar conflicts on this newly funded line. We hope to produce a report for the Seattle Department of Transportation soon, so that it can help guide their alignment decisions. Join the 12th Avenue Streetcar Facebook Group here.
Some pictures from the ride below. We began the day at the future Capitol Hill Link Light Rail Station, on Broadway and Denny. How will the streetcar meet the station here?
The group discussing the merits of a LOOP stop on E Pine Street - stops here could cause problems because Pine is such a main route downtown for bicyclists
looking northwest up Boren Avenue, a steep hill climb - bikes come down this hill at fast speeds and could get caught in tracks at the intersection
looking east across the Boren & Yesler intersection, possibly the most dangerous alignment location for bikes and streetcars
3 responses so far
I can vouch for that, this can be a serious issue. Keep up the great work - I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!!!
Kate, can you elaborate on who the right council members are to contact vis-a-vis bike issues with the streetcars? Just want to make sure to talk to the right people.
You should contact the incoming Chair of the City Council Transportation Committee, Tom Rasmussen: tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov.
However, it cannot hurt to contact the others as well their emails are here: http://www.seattle.gov/council/councilcontact.htm