[EXTERNAL] Please keep waterfront bicycle trail on west side of Alaskan Way
Douglas Ollerenshaw <d.ollerenshaw@gmail.com>
Mon 3/27/2023 5:43 PM
To: Commission-Public-Records <commission-public-records@portseattle.org>
WARNING: External email. Links or aachments may be unsafe.
Seattle Port Commission,
With great frustration, Ihave heard that there is a potential plan to force the upcoming waterfront
bicycle path to make two unnecessary crossings of Alaskan Way near the cruise terminal. I am
writingto express my strong objection to this plan. Please keep the path on the West side of Alaskan
Way for its duration.
As a West Seattle resident, I expect to use the new path frequently when it is complete to connect to
destinations in Interbay and Ballard.
Just like any transportation mode, efficiency and safety are important to users. Most cyclists are trying
to get to work or home to their families. Introducing two unnecessary crossings, when combined with
the inevitable signal time required to enable those crossings, will cost thousands of people to waste
unnecessary time. These crossings also introduce two more points where potential conflicts with
motor vehicles exist. I witness cars running red lights (often while trying to beat yellow lights) almost
daily. The consequences would be deadly for cyclists in this scenario.
Additionally, many (if not most) users will soon learn that the crossings are an unnecessary burden.
This will lead to people simply remaining on the west side of Alaskan Way to skip the crossings, riding
on the sidewalk instead, which will undoubtedly lead to more conflicts with pedestrians than if cyclists
were in a dedicated lane.
Above all, this plan shows extreme disrespect for cycling as a mode of transportation. If you are
serious about encouraging people to use bicycles to replace auto trips - as you should be - then you
should be doing everything possible to make those trips as efficient and pleasant as possible.
There are other solutions that can be found to avoid conflicts with cruise passengers during the short
windows where such conflicts are likely to be an issue at all. Some ideas:
1) Place handrails or other physical barriers on either side of the bike path in front of the cruise
terminal. This will keep passengers from crossing the bike path anywhere but at expected crossing
locations.
2) Raise or lower the cycle path so that it's at a slightly different grade than the surrounding sidewalk
to give a visual signal that pedestrians are crossing.
3) Use colored paint on the bike path.
4) Separate the bike path from the pedestrian area with landscaping in order to funnel pedestrians to
limited crossing areas.
5) Install warning lights for cyclists that flash during ship loading/unloading periods.
And if all of those fail, which seems unlikely, then limited time detours during ship loading/unloading
should be considered only as a last resort.