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Patrick Lee

URDP 300
Alon Bassok
12 May 2014
Public Meeting
The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB) monthly meeting took place on May 7, 2014 at the
Seattle City Hall. The SBAB serves as the voice for bicyclists all over the city who advice city leaders and
planners on safety issues and ideas for future improvement of the citys bicycle infrastructure (cycle
tracks/greenways) For the May meeting, an estimated 30 people attended, including the boards eleven
elected representatives, SDOT speakers, and other attendees. The following is a brief summary of the
agenda for this particular meeting:
I. Public Forum
II. Seattle 2035 Update
III. SDOT update on Central Neighborhood Greenway: Phase I
IV. SDOT update on Mercer Corridor Project: West Phase
During the meeting, everyone who wanted to be heard had a chance to be heard. Those who were not
on the board had a chance to participate through the public forum and board members through asking
for clarification and giving feedback to SDOT on their projects during the presentations.
The presentation on the revised Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan was purely information,
informing the public on what changed and the proposed courses that the city should take to manage
growth over the next two decades that the City Council will adopt in June 2015.
The next portion of the meeting was the SDOT update on the Central Neighborhood Greenway
through the Central District running parallel to 22
nd
/23
rd
Avenue. Here, SDOT presented ideas to
improve safety along the greenway as well as asking for feedback for proposed changes to motorized
vehicle traffic at several intersections for the sake of pedestrian/bicyclist safety. One particular
intersection that caused debate was 25
th
Ave E and E Yesler St. The SBAB advised SDOT that crosswalks
were not enough to ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists and that other measures need to be
taken due to traffic conditions. Some ideas thrown onto the table included installing RFBs (Rapid
Flashing Beacons), reduction of the speed limit to those of a school zone, as well as limiting the ability to
make turns at that intersection. However SDOT contends, that unless the traffic volume warrants such
measures to be taken, such improvements are not possible due to the cost of purchasing and
maintaining safety equipment. Because of this debate, SDOT will further review and monitor traffic in
this intersection as well as the other intersections that were discussed to see if action needs to be taken.
The final portion of the meeting was the SDOT update on the Mercer Corridor Project which
includes widening streets and creating bicycle paths. During the presentation the SBAB complained
about the unsafe conditions for bicyclists due to inconsistent detouring as well as the construction
traffic. The SDOT apologized for the inconvenience and promised to improve safety and stated that the
messiest work has been completed in the area recently. Furthermore, SDOT will follow up with the
board concerning safety hazards brought up by the SBAB.
A common thread for all of these discussions between the city and SBAB is safety. Safety is
SBABs number one concern. Because of the safety issues the board has brought up, the city of Seattle
will investigate and work on improvements for bicyclists over the next several months providing updates
to board members and the public during the next meeting.

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