The application is now available on-line, along with a timeline and a host of other resources to help you complete the application and answer any questions you might have about the process or type of projects that will be competitive. 

Completed applications must be received by December 17, 2012 to be considered.

Any transportation project is eligible if it is large ($100,000 – $750,000), is entirely on existing Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) right-of-way;  and has strong support from its local neighborhood District Council.  In the pictures, you can see how one project established a new sidewalk, curbs, and pedestrian lighting.

Timeline

After proposals are submitted on 12/17, here’s what happens:

January Each of Seattle’s 13 neighborhood District Councils will forward 3 proposals to SDOT for evaluation, including a preliminary scope and budget. If needed, SDOT will refine the proposed project in consultation with the applicant or to meet construction or design standards.  

February-May  SDOT will complete a high level scope and cost estimate of the projects selected by neighborhood District Councils (up to 39 projects in all).

June Projects will  be ranked by the District Councils and forwarded to the BTG Levy Oversight Committee. 

July The BTG Levy Oversight Committee will evaluate and prioritize projects for funding.

August Oversight committee will make funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.

September – November 2014 Budget adopted.

Project design work will happen in 2014, with construction taking place in 2015.

The NSF program began in 2007 and at the end of this year, 27 new projects will have been constructed thanks to BTG:

Projects Selected for Funding in 2010

• Fairview Ave E and Fairview Ave N Intersection
• Garfield Superblock 23rd Avenue East
• N 143rd St between Palatine and Aurora Ave
• Maynard Ave between S Jackson St and S Dearborn St
• Ravenna Ave NE between 85th Ave NE and Lake City Way
• 13th Avenue NW between NW 90th Street and Holman Road
• S Orcas Street between Beacon Ave S and MLK Jr Way
• 25th Avenue SW from SW Brandon St to SW Juneau St
• S Othello Street between Seward Park Ave & Chief Sealth Trail
• California Ave SW at SW Holden, SW Othello, SW Frontenac and SW Findlay Sts
• 33rd Avenue NE between NE 125th St and NE 130th St

Projects Selected for Funding in 2007

• Lander Festival Street
• Alki Sidewalk
• Delridge Sidewalk
• Sacajawea Elementary Sidewalk
• Greenwood Sidewalk
• Thorton Creek Sidewalk
• Eastlake Sidewalk
• Jackson Place Traffic Calming
• Wallingford Sidewalk Repair
• Queen Anne Pedestrian Improvements
• Ballard Sidewalk Repair
• Central District Pedestrian Improvements
• First Hill Pedestrian Improvements
• Belltown Pedestrian Improvements
• Columbia City Pedestrian Improvements

Starting onto the overpass on 3rd Ave West.

The West Thomas Street Overpass is a piece of the Lake-to-Bay Loop, a cherished long-term vision first articulated in neighborhood plans from the Uptown, Belltown, South Lake Union, and Denny Triangle neighborhoods. A pedestrian route between Lake Union and Elliott Bay, the Lake-to-Bay Loop connects some of Seattle’s civic treasures that have long felt much farther apart than they actually are, including the Olympic Sculpture Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle Center, Lake Union Park, the Center for Wooden Boats, and now, the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI).

Up and over Elliott and Western, two streets traditionally daunting to pedestrians.

As the city moves to address the Mercer Mess; the state takes Highway 99 underground; more employees from places like Amazon, the Gates Foundation, and other organizations need to get in and out of South Lake Union; and more tourists visit the city on cruise ships, the Lake-to-Bay Loop becomes more and more important – and with the West Thomas Street Overpass, it is closer to becoming a reality.

I’ve written about my hopes for the Lake-to-Bay Loop before.

Over the train tracks.

As for the bridge itself: Lifting off from 3rd Avenue between Thomas and Harrison, the overpass takes bikes and pedestrians over Elliott Street and the Burlington Northern/ Santa Fe railroad tracks straight into Myrtle Edwards Park, coming out at the head of a beautiful little pocket beach with a view of West Seattle and Bainbridge Island.

View of the Port from the overpass

Tourists coming the other direction from cruise ships or Waterfront visits will find themselves walking toward the Space Needle, with glimpses of the Great Wheel, and at least for now, the P-I Globe.

The project was funded by Park Levy I and II, Puget Sound Regional Council Grant Funds, King County Grant Funds, federal grants, and private donations. It’s an example of how leveraging funds from multiple sources, in hard budget times as well as good ones, can pay off hugely for our communities.

Pocket beach at Myrtle Edwards.

I am particularly glad to note that enhancements to pedestrian and bicycle mobility are a key component of the 2013-2014 Proposed Budget.  The proposed budget funds bicycle facilities, sidewalk safety, Safe Routes to Schools, the creation of a Center City Mobility Plan, the continued good work of the Bike Master Plan, cycle tracks and greenways.

From the SDOT presentation, here’s a summary of Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancements (Table 1, Sect. 5):

“Proposed enhancements include new Safe Routes to School projects, additional funding for sidewalk safety repair and greenways development, and creation of a Center City Mobility Plan. Also funds Shoreline Street Ends program additions, improved multimodal traffic data collection, and study of potential Burke Gilman trail extension.”

And here is Table 2, Section 18, a summary of Bike Master Plan implementation (Table 2, Section 18):

“Adds $338,000 in 2013 and $1.369 million in 2014 of federal grants for the Westlake Cycle Track project which will provide an attractive, north-south bicycle facility along the west side of Lake Union. Also adds $150,000 of General Fund to develop designs for bicycling corridors through Center City Seattle.”

It was good to get an overview from SDOT, and I look forward to more specifics, as requested by Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen, in the weeks to come.

Updating the Bicycle Master Plan

Seattle’s various modal plans are the product of many hours of professional and volunteer labor, so I also want to call attention to the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, which reported on the state of the city’s Bicycle Master Plan to the City Council’s Transportation Committee, chaired by Tom Rasmussen, on September 11. (Watch the committee meeting.)

They talked about the process of updating the Bicycle Master Plan (pictured below), which was first released in 2007, the feedback they’ve been receiving from the community, the development of priorities, and how they are reaching out to the public.

New goals that support greenways and cycle tracks

Over the last four years, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has invested nearly $36 million in bicycle improvements guided by the Bicycle Master Plan.  We have made progress, and we know that best practices for bicycle and pedestrian safety have changed internationally. 

So I was thrilled to see that in a response to public feedback, SDOT has added three goals tailored to support the greenway and cycle track movements: connectivity, equity, and livability.

These three concepts are at the heart of the greenway vision – and I appreciate having these concepts captured in our city’s Bicycle Plan so clearly.  Here’s how the proposed updates address those goals:

• Connectivity – Create a bicycle network that connects places where people want to go and provides a safe and time-efficient travel option.
• Equity – Provide equal cycling access for all ages of riders (“8 through 80” is in the public parlance… I prefer to think “3 to 93”!)  through public engagement, program delivery, and capital investments.
• Livability – Build vibrant and healthy communities by creating a welcoming and safe environment for bicycle riding.

A recent study showed that nearly 60% of people polled WILL ride their bikes to work or school, or even a mile or two to the library or grocery store, IF safe and separated streets or cycle tracks are provided for them. 

Click here to download a side-by-side comparison of the vision, goals, and objectives for the 2007 Bicycle Master Plan and those proposed for the 2012 Bicycle Master Plan Update.

Creating prioritization frameworks

SDOT is charged with building and maintaining our roads, and that includes new cycle tracks and  Neighborhood Greenways.  Assuring adequate funding requires us to think about the city roadway as a system.  We don’t need a Greenway or cycle track on every street, nor do motorized vehicles need to have priority on every street.   

I strongly believe we need to bring the freight community into the conversation as well, so I’m glad to see funding in the 2013 Budget for a Freight Master Plan. I want to see an integrated and connected transportation system where roadway real estate is safely shared by all, and bicycles and trucks have prioritized space on different streets.

 SDOT may consider separate frameworks for the network including connections that are neighborhood-based, and those that are corridor-based.  Greenways are best-suited for non-arterial streets in residential neighborhoods. Cycle tracks, on the other hand, which physically separate bicycles from motor traffic, have proven to be safe and effective in high-volume traffic corridors.  Developing dual prioritization frameworks – and funding both – would ensure that both corridor facilities and neighborhood greenways are built and link to one another.

It is my hope that SDOT sets aggressively aspirational goals and that we make serious progress every year toward our desired network.   Of course, I recognize that goals like these have funding as well as workload and staffing implications for SDOT, and the city must make this a financial priority.

The good news is that we have determined interest city wide, and a commitment to create a world-class transportation network that accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, freight.  We also have new national standards thanks to NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) which will help us learn from other cities.

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways

All this reminds me that it’s been too long since I last pointed to the great resources and volunteer opportunities on the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Web site.

This group, which now includes advocates from 19 Seattle neighborhoods, has recently refined its own goals for creating safe and healthy streets and connected neighborhoods. 

• Reduce speeds on residential streets.
• Minimize cut through traffic on designated residential or local streets.
• Ensure safe crossings of busy streets for people who walk or ride a bike.
• Provide safe convenient access to schools, parks, businesses and places people want to go.
• Improve walking and biking conditions for those of us from 3 to 103 years of age!

I want to recognize and thank the members of the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways group for their tireless efforts and strong neighborhood advocacy.  Their goals look a lot like my own personal ambitions for our city.

If you’re new to the idea of greenways, here’s a collection of previous blog entries I’ve written on the subject.

And finally, I just had to put this in here, because I find it so impressive: “Seattle’s transportation infrastructure is valued at over $13 billion. Major system assets include: 1,540 lane-miles of arterial streets, 2,412 lane-miles of non-arterial streets, 135 bridges, 494 stairways, 587 retaining walls, 22 miles of seawalls, 1,060 signalized intersections, 47 miles of bike trails, more than 200 miles of on-street bicycle facilities, 35,000 street trees, 2,150 pay stations, 40 parking meters, and 26,200 curb ramps.”

• A question of a park or parking in Ballard (KING)
• Plan for new Ballard park stirs up battle over parking (Seattle Times)
• Seattle Times turns park discussion into battle over parking (Publicola)

I wanted to tell you a bit more about the design, background, funding, and progress of the park, and the impact it will have to parking in the neighborhood.

Here's a snip from the current schematic. There's a link to the whole thing below.

I also wanted to clarify that this discussion about 14^th Avenue NW is unrelated to the package of zoning changes now under discussion in the Council’s Land Use Committee referred to as “regulatory reform” (C.B. 117430). Our 14^th NW Park Blvd is a Parks and Green Spaces Levy Project.

The 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy provided $24 million for the acquisition of neighborhood parks in up to 20 identified areas throughout the City. The Ballard Residential Urban Village was included on that list.

What and where is this park?

The project converts two full blocks of 14th Ave. NW to a new park between NW 59th and NW 61st streets with transition lanes to the park from the north and south. A park will replace the gravel parking median and portions of the existing asphalt roadway.

The project lowers the speed limit of 14th Ave. NW from 30 to 25 mph; includes safety improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles on the street; and converts existing stormwater treatment from piped conveyance into on‐site biofiltration swales.

An early conceptual sketch presented to the community.

Here’s a bird’s eye view of the schematic for the park (PDF), provided by Mithun, the design company that DPR worked with in the first phase of the project. Parks is now in the process of hiring a design consultant for the second phase of the project, and when that design has been developed, Parks will hold a public meeting.

Why here?

In 2006, DPR performed a Gap Analysis (PDF) to show which parts of the city needed more parks and green space, based on population- and location-based goals, such as providing one acre of urban village open space per 1,000 households.

As an urban village, Ballard is going to continue to attract new residents for whom transportation is a priority, as are jobs and housing. Growth is occurring and will continue to occur, which is why green and open spaces built-in now are so crucial.

How did we get here?

The driving force behind the park is the East Ballard Community Association (EBCA), working in concert with business owners in Ballard. The EBCA started work on the project six years ago, when the Vision and Action plan was funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple Fund.  (Here’s a link to the group, the East Ballard Community Association, how they are thinking about the park, and how to make your voice heard at their regular meetings.)

The community then applied for the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund grant, which is capped at $1.5 million dollars per project. EBCA did a great job with planning a park that would fit into those budget constraints, but when Parks looked into it and applied the lessons they’d learned from working on the Bell Street park downtown, they recreated the project budget to take into account the cost of changing a street scape.

As I’ve been learning while I investigate Greenways, changing an existing street scape is much more expensive than you might anticipate.

Parks made the following changes to the project:

• Adjusted the size of the roadway modifications around the park from half a block to 2 blocks,
• Added the cost of demolition and concrete saw cutting,
• Added the replacement of existing roadway paving,
• Added the green  storm water infrastructure required by SPU and planting materials for the bioswale,
• Added the cost of pedestrian lighting.

The final estimated budget for the park when these additions were included was $2.9 million. This was considerably more than the community had guestimated, but since Parks had Levy money earmarked for a park in East Ballard, they drafted legislation to pull that funding out of the 2008 Green Spaces Acquisitions fund and transfer it into Development, and make the park happen.

What about parking?

DPR held two public meetings in January and March of this year. You can find information about those meeting, including agendas and meeting notes, on the Parks Project Page. (The East Ballard Community Association site also has material posted on the meetings.)

Feedback gathered by Parks at these meetings has been accompanied by a fair number of emails, phone calls, and letters from Ballard residents. The main issue on people’s mind has been the park’s impact to parking in the area.

DPR performed a parking study in January, and more recently performed a second parking study as a result of constituent concerns – you can find it here: http://seattle.gov/parks/projects/ballard_hub_uv/. (Click on “Parking Impact Memo.”)

The first parking study showed that there was an average of 417 parking spaces available within a 4-block radius of the park during the study period.

The supplemental parking study showed that there was an average of 384 parking spaces available during the study period.  The reduction in parking spaces was due to construction on the southern side of NW 56th Street between 15th Ave NW and 14th Ave NW.

That means there was an average of 400 open parking spaces available in the study area. 

Of the 400 spaces available in the parking study area (14th Ave. NW from NW 58th St. to NW 54th St., one block west to 15th Ave. NW on all the side streets, and one block east to 11th Ave. NW on all the side streets), 311 will remain available after the park is built.

A total of 89 spaces will be removed.

What’s next?

The Parks and Neighborhoods Committee, which I chair, will review legislation to transfer $2.9 million of Parks and Green Spaces Levy funding from the acquisition category to the development category for the 14^th Ave NW Park this summer.

The draft of that legislation is now under review in the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee will consider it at their May 21 meeting.

After review by the City Budget Office and the Law Department, the legislation will come to the Parks and Neighborhoods committee, probably in late June or early July.  I predict this park will bring some inconveniences while it is under construction today, but it will be a much-desired and beloved community amenity tomorrow.

Fifth and Pine, after the removal of kiosks that blocked pedestrian traffic.

I would like to take a moment to strongly encourage neighborhood leaders to apply. This fund provides a great opportunity to tackle projects that create community, and to promote all kinds of projects, including things like neighborhood greenways.

The NPF can be used for projects valued up to $90,000 to fund park or street improvements. Here are some examples:

• Playground improvements
• Pathway upgrades
• Neighborhood Greenways!
• Accessibility improvements
• Traffic circles
• Traffic calming
• School zone speed limit signs

Who decides which projects will be funded?

Each District Council reviews applications and chooses three projects.

Then the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Parks and Recreation (Parks) perform detailed feasibility and cost analyses and provide feedback. 

The City makes its funding decisions based on recommendations from District Councils, Parks and SDOT, with the final decision made by the Mayor.

What do District Councils look for?

District Councils looking for projects that will have a widespread positive impact on the neighborhood as a whole and that have the support of multiple neighborhood or community groups. (Both residential and business groups are encouraged to apply.)

Fifth and Pine before the kiosk was removed.

Recent examples of projects funded by the NPF include the reconfiguration of the dicey intersection of NE 55th Street, Ravenna Boulevard NE, and 22nd Avenue NE in Ravenna, and the replacement of bulky kiosks that blocked pedestrian traffic on Fifth Avenue downtown.

How do I propose a project?

Complete the application form before February 1, 2012. If you have questions or need help, you can contact your Neighborhood District Coordinator.  

Here are some tips for applying to the NPF:

• Get community buy-in: Go to your community council, talk to your neighbors, make sure your project aligns with the priorities of your neighborhood.
• Have a big picture: Use your Neighborhood Plan as a reference. This fund is great for implementing things that are already on your plan.
• Understand the constraints: It’s not a lot of money, so make sure you ask for something that can be done within the budget. For example, the Greater Duwamish District includes four neighborhoods, but the neighborhoods work together so that one at a time can apply for the fund, rather than all four asking for a quarter of the total available. They cooperate to leverage the funds.

Brian Fairbrother memorial ghost bike. From The Seattle Bike Blog.

Last year’s HR 1217, a state bill designed to make it easier for Washington cities to lower speed limits on non-arterial roadways, received bipartisan support in the House and passed unanimously – unanimously! – thanks to Shoreline’s Representative Cindy Ryu’s leadership. Alas, it stalled in the Senate.

This year, Rep. Ryu is again leading the charge and we are calling upon our legislators statewide to follow her lead to allow us to lower speed limits on chosen streets.

Here’s why I’ll be supporting it.

Vehicle speed is a public safety and a public health issue. Sure, we all like to get where we’re going fast. Perhaps more importantly, we all want to get where we’re going in one piece.

More than anything else, the speed of a vehicle – whether it hits a car, a pedestrian, or bicyclist – effects the outcome of a collision.

The chart below graphically shows a pedestrian’s chance of dying if hit by a motor vehicle by miles per hour. Gross, I admit. But as this graphic shows, the result will not be good – for any of us or our kids who are hit by a car going 40 miles an hour.

The just-released SDOT 2010 Traffic Report breaks out the details, but here’s a masterful summary that appeared in Crosscut, by Doug MacDonald, former secretary of transportation for Washington:

“The numbers are stark, starting with the death toll. In the three years 2008–2010, there were 62 traffic fatalities in Seattle. More than half involved pedestrians (25 deaths) and cyclists (7 deaths)… For just two years, 2009 and 2010, there were in addition serious injuries to 79 pedestrians and 32 cyclists, and hundreds of less serious injuries on top of those.”

62 traffic deaths in three years. All are tragic, and all are avoidable. As our public health leaders have stated, “Crashes happen for a reason. They are not accidents.”

 This past year has been another tough one for traffic fatalities. The deaths of Seattle cyclists Mike Wang, Brian Fairbrother and Robert Townsend focused attention on the safety on our streets – and vocal, widespread public concern was the impetus behind the Road Safety Summit that kicked off on Monday at City Hall.

Many Councilmembers joined the Mayor and Dr. David Fleming, Seattle and King County’s Director of Public Health, and an energetic roomful of citizens Monday night. We represent walkers, bicyclists, freight interests, and drivers (including a representative from AAA) who gathered to make specific recommendations about what we can do to improve conditions on our city roadways. You can join as well.  

Lowering our speed limits on our non-arterial streets , as promoted by Rep. Ryu, is one easy, inexpensive act we can take to improve safety for all of us. Slowing cars down a bit increases our chances of getting where we’re going, and it certainly makes our neighborhoods calmer, nicer places to live.

I’ve written extensively in this space on Neighborhood Greenways in the past, but the point I want to make here is that in every community I visit, people talk to me about how valuable it is to slow down cars passing through their neighborhoods.

They want to protect the residential character of their neighborhoods by making non-arterial, residential roads calmer and quieter, and make sure every one of us whether we’re seniors, juniors, joggers, or kids on bikes can safely make it across that street.

Current law requires cities in our state to undertake expensive and time-consuming speed and engineering studies before we can reduce our speed limits. HR 1217 will let us, like cities in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, proceed with common-sense speed limits, help us get our Neighborhood Greenways in place, and make our residential roads calmer and quieter.

Supporting our state legislature’s efforts to allow cities to lower our speed limits on non-arterial roadways is something we can do to promote our safety and public health – and it’s a low-cost way to take action that works.

As I have previously written,  I want to adopt a city-wide attitude where we take a deep breath and think twice before flipping someone off, or as one driver did this week, to beat his chest after pushing another car off the road.  This angry behavior led to two deaths this week, one in a car, one on a bike.    Unbearable tragedies, both.  Why would a civilized city accept this?

My goal: to have Peace on Wheels, to create places on our roads for everyone so we can all get around safely and comfortably.  Other cities are doing this — so can we.

Please take a moment to see what StreetFilms.com and Portland have accomplished together:  Neighborhood Greenways where the community comes together and rides to work and school and just for fun.  It’s inspirational and shows how we can make good use of our existing neighborhood streets, our stormwater money, and more.  This makes me smile. Being flipped off and pushed aside by a young man in a car last week didn’t.   http://www.streetfilms.org/portlands-bike-boulevards-become-neighborhood-greenways/

In Copenhagen, cycling includes bikes built for more than just riding.

For decades in Seattle we have argued over road real estate. We all want our space on the road, whether we drive a truck or bus, commute by car, walk to work, or ride a bike. Sharing that space — especially when we are in a hurry — brings out our cranky side, and our usual polite “Northwest Nice” evaporates.

I have been writing for many months about Neighborhood Greenways (read my blog posts here, here, and here) and argued we can adopt lessons learned from other cities to bring the war between transportation modes to an end. My stretch goal is to create a new reputation for Seattle as a city where we all get around more smoothly by sharing a little road real estate. This means that we try something slightly new for us: we make a conscious decision to designate separated space for pedestrians and bicyclists, and prioritize and protect routes for moving goods.

Separated lanes for cars, bikes, and pedestrians

This is a do-able goal. During my recent visit to Copenhagen, I bicycled for six days through this established city where transportation has become a top priority. People get around efficiently, and surprisingly the people on bikes, in cars, and on foot get along. Years ago Copenhagen residents exchanged car-clogged streets for smoother flowing traffic by adding safe and segregated bike lanes on many of their city streets. Traffic moves smoothly and bikes move even faster. What changed?

Cyclist demonstration on City Hall Square in the 1970's prompted transportation reform

In the 70’s Denmark faced the triple-threat of an energy crisis, a recession, and increasing congestion. People were finding that gas was ridiculously expensive, getting to work on time was hard, and road rage was becoming a regular occurrence. Sound familiar?

So the people demanded more investment in their transportation infrastructure to give them more transportation options. A photo of a rally where people cried for better mobility is now famous. More buses, more trains, and yes, more separated bicycle lanes and something called cycletracks — parallel to and separated from pedestrian walkways — were built.

Over the past thirty years, Copenhagen has added light rail as well as 350 km (218 miles) of cycle tracks, and identified certain non-arterial streets as Greenways. The Greenways are off the main arterials giving pedestrians and bicycles priority. The city planners think about moving people and goods as a totality, figuring out ways to move thousands of people by keeping them out of each other’s way.

No spandex, no lycra, no hydration packs. Everyday clothing for everyday people.

Initially, the decision to add the bike lanes and cycletracks in Copenhagen did not start to promote cycling itself; rather it was seen as a less expensive way to move lots of people fast. Today, Copenhageners say they continue to ride their bikes into town because it’s faster than driving, more convenient to their work, and cheaper.

The infrastructure includes bike stop lights, pedestrian lights, turning lanes. Astonishingly, people obey the lights letting pedestrians and bicyclists go first, and allowing time for cars to turn right.

Obeying the traffic signals make it work

Since making the investments in bicycle infrastructure, some stunning facts have emerged. A full 50% of the people ride their bikes at some point during the day, and a full 37% ride their bikes to work (even in winter!). Most kids ride their bikes to school. Parents have worked with the local government to select and create safe and protected routes to school and prefer their kids start their day with a little exercise.

They are healthy people; their rate of obesity is very, very low. Parents take their children to day care on their bikes. Cargo bikes with kids snuggled in the front are very popular, and women in dresses and heels ride their bikes equipped with fenders, chain guards, and skirt guards.

The infrastructure has become a tourist attraction, bringing dollars into the City. Tourists come to ride. They ride bikes to restaurant and to museums. They ride a water taxi directly to the opera house. They take the train back to the airport. Copenhagen is proud of their city and they promote its mobility.

Coexistence

We can do this too. Granted, this will require a slight attitude shift. It will require the commitment to new Road Manners whether we are hauling freight, driving in a car, riding on a bike, or walking on our feet. But the results can be Positive Motion for everyone.

How do we start?

• Start Simple and Easy: Add Neighborhood Greenways in our neighborhoods that want them. Greenways are lovely additions on non-arterial existing streets  that provide safe and comfortable ways to walk and bike to schools, libraries, and local business districts.   Wallingford, Beacon Hill, Ballard, and NE, here we come!

• Our students and our health: Work with our allies, including local health organizations, schools, and freight community representatives to identify and fund separated bike lanes and cycletracks.  Safe Routes to School is a great beginning.  We can improve our health by walking and exercising more, reduce obesity and at the same time make getting around easier for everyone.  Hey UW, Virginia Mason, Swedish and other Major Institutions, will you follow Children’s lead and work with us?

• Put Bicyclists in our Place: Bring stakeholders together to design fully separated north/south cycle tracks to and through downtown. This will provide safe places for “willing but wary” bicyclist like me to cycle. Providing safe lanes or cycletracks for bicycles provides predicatability for bicyclists, reduces the number of drivers, and leaves space for those who must drive into and through downtown. I suggest we consider designating one lane on one way streets – perhaps 2^nd and 4^th Streets through downtown for bicyclists, connecting to 5^th, 6th or 7^th through South Lake Union area. East/West connectors will be considered as the stakeholders designate.

• Designate and respect priority streets. Designate certain freight corridors that have priority over other modes to move their goods. Sure, fast bike commuters may lawfully take the most direct course, but the rest of us will prefer to ride on protected non-arterial roadways and cycletracks designated just for us.  Truck drivers need access to I-5 and other highways. We can share the roads.

• Remember our manners! This will require each of us to take a few conscious steps to watch out for the other guy. Rule 1: Think soft to hard. Pedestrians have priority in the crosswalks, but pedestrians must stay on the side walk when the Don’t Walk signal is flashing. Rule 2: Bicyclists give way to pedestrians and obey the signals. Rule 3: Cars give way for pedestrians and cyclists and get to turn when their time has come.

• We can all get along. Remember that at one time or another either we, or someone we know and love, is walking, biking or driving. Say “thank you” to the person willing to walk, bike, bus and carpool, because those of us who do make room for those who must drive their cars and trucks.

We can become a city where people WANT to drive and ride downtown again.  As one colleague said to me last night, what is taking us so long?!  Will you work with me to make this happen?

Our destination was also a celebration of the great work accomplished by Friends of Lewis Park, who’ve worked tirelessly to restore the Lewis Park natural area. The park stewards have also been awarded a Small & Simple Grant to support their efforts on the steep hillsides of Lewis Park.

There’s nothing better than a Saturday celebration, especially one that involves the efforts of a enthusiastic and involved community. Dylan Ahearn, Dee Dunbar, and everyone involved in these projects deserve recognition for their efforts. Our afternoon was spent with a great BBQ, tours of Lewis Park, entertainment, and quality time with neighbors and park advocates.

Image by Holly Krejci

You may have noticed a lot of bicyclists on our streets this sunny morning.  It’s Bike to Work Day!  I have written many times (here, here, and here) about Neighborhood Greenways on my blog, and I am working with other leaders in our community to create alternatives for those bicyclists, who, like me, want safe and separated places to ride.

My interest in Greenways started by focusing on our residential areas.  Neighborhood Greenway conversations are gaining momentum and interest city-wide, in Wallingford, Beacon Hill, Northeast Seattle, the University District, Ballard, Othello and more. Neighborhood Greenways provide safe links between places where people want to go: our parks, schools, and neighborhood business areas. 

While we are getting our Neighborhood Greenways in place, I would like to expand the discussion to connecting the Greenways.  To do this, we must change the debate about bicycles versus cars and make it a peaceful discussion looking for resolution. Rather than thinking about competing needs, I want to focus on complementing solutions.

How we get around – and make this community safe for everyone of us – is a promising conversation that has something for everyone.  Other major cities like Portland and New York have demonstrated that when drivers, bikers, and pedestrians are intentionally looking out for each other, slowing down a bit, and providing safe and separated sections of the street for all modes, safety improves  for EACH category – cars, pedestrians, and bikes alike.  New York City recently reported that 2009 was the safest year on record for pedestrian safety.

I would like to start by acknowledging we have lots of streets, and accepting that there is room for all of us somewhere on our city streets, whether we drive a car or truck, drive or ride a bus, walk, or bike. Not every street will be a Greenway, not every street will have a cycle track or buffered lane, but those designated streets and sections of streets will become safe connectors. 

The key to ending the bike versus car battle is to realize that at one time or another most of us do get out of our homes and offices and drive, walk, and ride a bus or bike. My goal is to end the war over asphalted real estate and promote the good thinking already started city-wide about how to share it wisely. 

Image by Holly Krejci

Rather than fanning the flames of bike riders v. drivers, I  suggest we make peace on wheels. Seattle is known for being green. That’s our way. More than any other city, we recycle; and many more of us will simply cycle when there’s safe and separate space for us.