After Brian Fairbrother’s bicycle crash on Fairview Ave N late last month, the city initially denied that they received complaints about the danger the staircase could pose to someone riding a bike. Now, the SunBreak reports that a 2008 email chain between a concerned citizen and the Parks Department and SDOT warned of the hazard in eerie detail:
As the Parks Department had put up a sign soliciting feedback, [Michael] Hoffman responded with an alarming prescience:
It was nice ride in general but there were a few places that were a bit confusing or even dangerous for an unfamiliar rider. I’m not sure if the loop is considered finished yet but I thought these comments might be helpful. […] There is a bit on the east side where the trail seems to go down a lot of steps and then back up. It is not apparent until you are near the steps that they are actually steps rather than a ramp. I think this is dangerous currently. I would strongly recommend some warning signs here. If cyclists are meant to instead travel on the nearby road against the traffic flow, the trail needs signage and road markings to indicate this.
So does this show that the city needs to be more responsive to citizen comments and hazard warnings? Maybe. The city told the SunBreak that this note was “one of many comments received during that process.” A quick look at BikeWise.org, a website that tracks citizen-reported hazards around the city, shows zero hazards reported at that spot
Yet, once it became clear where his crash occurred, many people (myself included) recognized the location and were familiar with the hazard posed by the stairs. Would the city have acted more quickly if more of us had been persistent about the need to fix the problem? Maybe.
For many types of hazards, the city is very responsive to citizen reports. Issues like potholes, some sidewalk issues and dangerous sewer grates are often fixed in a reasonable time period. Perhaps a more useful question for the rest of us at this moment is: What can we all do to help prevent something like this happening elsewhere?
Asherah posted the following sound advice at Seattle Bike Blog:
I read the comments on here a few days ago, and three separate people said they’d fallen at that same spot, and that it wasn’t well marked or that there used to be a sign there and then wasn’t. Then I read in the Times that the city had received no complaints about it…..No sense blaming or second-guessing now, but PLEASE bikers when you find a particularly unsafe, unmarked spot in a Seattle bike trail or lane, let the police and city know.
Here’s how you can report hazards (bookmark and/or add to your phone books):
- Report the incident to SDOT’s online Street Maintenance Request Form. Even if it doesn’t seem to fit with their options, just choose whatever fits best (SDOT, updating that form to allow for bike-related hazards would be awesome)
- Call SDOT at 206-684-ROAD
- Report the hazard at BikeWise.org. Not only will your hazard report be public, but the site attempts to forward your concerns to relevant departments in the city, county and state. Pretty cool!
- If you have a smart phone, download the slightly buggy but also pretty cool BikeWise app (search your app store for “bikewise”). The app lets you start a hazard report where you are, marking the location and type of hazard. It then emails you your started report so you can complete and submit it at the BikeWise website. Maybe it’s a little roundabout, but it’s still pretty cool.
Where are the persistent hazards you see on the Hill? I have one: There are bike-wheel-grabbing sewer grates on 16th Ave E near Denny.
Report your hazard to the city and note it in the comments below so the rest of us are aware. Telling city planners about dangers is part of the battle. But making community attention — and action — part of the solution may be, in the end, just as important. We’ll never get to 100% safety. But, yeah, we can do better.
I’ve never eaten pavement because of it but that weird groove running down the westbound lane of E John between 14th Ave and Broadway freaks me out and pushes bikers either into traffic or too close to parked cars to avoid.
Am I being paranoid or has anybody ever hit that thing and bit it?
Also, 12th at Madison’s screwy markings are confusing and don’t really make sense even with the bike box on Madison.
More sharrows would help keep everyone safer.
Yeah, I always have to keep my eye on that groove. There are similar grooves on Pine (WB between 12th and 11th) and on 15th NB before Aloha.
Other problems abound:
Potholes galore, especially on the residential streets.
The WB sharrows on Aloha have no business being there (far better to ride on the much-lighter-traveled Prospect or Mercer).
The downhill bike lane on Pine should be eliminated.
Add bike boxes on WB Pine at both 12th & Broadway, and EB Pike at Broadway.
That groove freaks my shit out too. Never eaten pavement…yet. My fear of being doored down that hill forces me to ride in traffic.
Also, the bike lane on Union that disappears after you cross Broadway and climb the hill then picks back up is a danger because you’re suddenly forced into traffic climbing the (short/steep) hill that then intersects with QFC/Bartell’s parking lot and then funky Harvard intersection.
Potholes are a big problem, as Josh King mentioned earlier.
That’s about the most naive thing I’ve read in a long time. We just need to invest in actual bike lanes. Whether we put them in place of parking on one side of the street on an arterial or widen a few streets, we need an actual lane. Even those aren’t great.
Instead of removing the downhill bike lane on Pine, I say make it wider (the uphill one is fine, since you’re going slow and don’t need as much room).
Agree on the disappearing Union bike lane on the short hill west of Broadway. Why would it disappear at the exact moment you need it most?
Sharrows are better than bike lanes on downhill stretches. The recent repaving of Pine between 14th and 15th is a good example of this – bike lane uphill, sharrows down.
When riding downhill, you can go at the speed of traffic, so better to take the lane than to deal with double-parkers, the door zone, crazy pedestrians and buses diving into the bike lane to make their stops. These obstacles are far less of an issue when crawling uphill.
Problem with “sharrows” is as a biker I knew what they meant because it was defined in a biking map I had. I decided to quiz friends (drivers and bicyclists alike) what the bike with the arrows sign on the street meant and not one person knew. In my opinion sharrows don’t really do anything.
All of Boylston. Also, Harvard behind SCCC is pothole hell.
When I’m heading home from work, I ride up Pine st. and usually end up waiting for the light at Broadway by Walgreens. When the light turns green, the cars and the bikes cross the street simultaneously, but on the east side of Broadway there is only room for one of us at a time. This usually means a mid-intersection merge, and I’ve had several close calls. Removing one of two parking spots at that corner on the SE side of the intersection would allow the Pine st bike lane to start at the corner, rather than mid block as it does now, and give cyclists a safe way out of the intersection and down Pine st. Anyone else had this problem?
I’ve nearly been hit here 3-5 times.
You end up looking over at the car and hoping they’ll see you and then slamming on your brakes if they don’t acknowledge you / try to race you across the intersection.
My commute takes me along 15th Ave E past Volunteer Park, then where it connects to Boston. Although it’s the most convenient route for me, I can’t help but think about how dangerous it is every time I ride it. The street is totally torn up and covered in potholes and there’s even a few spots where it’s covered in gravel. Combine that with some decent downhills, and it has me scared I’ll hit some part of bad street and eat it, big time.
Also, although not on the Hill, the SLUT tracks on Westlake make it terrifying. It’s super easy for a bike tire to get caught in the tracks and make the rider fall (ask me how I know), but there are very few warning signs up, and no consistent shoulder to ride on that allows you to stay on one side of the them.
Yes – I always try to take the lane when riding through that intersection rather than hugging the curb.
As a former bicycle commuter, I used to entertain the idea of commuting on my bike to Harborview from Green Lake. Having cared for more broken arms, legs, necks and spinal cord injuries this summer than I thought possible; and having known Brian prior to his accident, I think I will continue to DRIVE my car to work every day.
Although I am in favor of bikes I feel that the city is a very dangerous place for them to legally ride on the car streets. In San Diego I had to have a licence and a bell. In the 50’s there were few cars so there were few problems. Biks like the main streets because they are smooth. But they should be required to ride only on certain streets and walk on the side walk on all others. Currently they can cause an auto accident, run into a pedesteran on a side walk or get them selves killed. The special lanes are misleading to the bikes and a problem to the cars that pay for the roads.
If you are going to do biks in the city it must be done right with fees, insurance and limits on road and sidewalk use. Currently biks don’t have insurance so who is going to pay if I am hit by an bike when walking on the side walk?
Last week while driving I noticed that a sewer cover was flipped with the very dangerous underside up. This was in the middle of a bike path on a downhill stretch near the BG bypass. I called the city and it was fixed in an hour. Great job!! Working together so we can all use the streets for whatever mode of transport we like.
The biggest hazard on the hill is actually located on the 7th floor of the Seattle Municipal Bldg…and his name is McDumass…
ok im texting this while riding westbound on howe, on the sidewalk of course, just passed federal, approaching 10th, had to hit a stupid pedestrian to get her out of my way, asshole was walking on the sidewalk…ok like im crossing 10th now, heading down, and …..BWAAAAA THEREs A STAIRWAY HERE!!….CALL THE MAYOR!! THIS ISN’T FAIR!!
byron
Hi: It’s nice to be quoted and also to be considered sound advice. My friends will find that amusing. Rereading what I wrote, if I didn’t know me I’d think I believed the city-I do not; I believe they got at least one complaint about that spot. But it takes multiple complaints…I know this because I’ve asked the city multiple times to actually mark where the detour around Spokane St goes to rejoin the West Seattle bridge, and they’ve done nothing. I live in W Seattle and can’t find it with both hands stone cold sober from 4th Ave S. Just a sign saying where I can’t go. So I believe they got warnings, but we have to squawk louder. Asherah, editor, The Sound. PS If you’re the idiot who stole the sign which was on the bike path because you thought it would look good in your dorm room, be very ashamed.
I think sharrows are a waste of taxpayer money and do not increase bicycle safety. Their supposed purpose is to “inform” vehicle drivers that the road must be shared with cyclists. Well, duh! The vast majority of drivers know already to do this. There will always be a few drivers who resent sharing the road, but they will not be influenced by the sharrows.
However, dedicated bike lanes are very effective in increasing safety, and I fully support these.
It is ironic (and sad) that there have been some terrible cycling accidents at a time when the City has spent alot of money to improve safety. What are we doing wrong?
I know biking safety around cars is not the focus of this article, but so often, as a driver,I see near misses between cars & bicycles. Cars are big & shiny and often have lights! Bicycles are hard to see. Especially when darting in & out of traffic or swooshing through a side street intersection. Yesterday I saw a young fellow nearly get killed (no helmet, no anything) riding through a neighborhood & right though an intersection where two cars almost hit him. If riders are not going to obey traffic laws, at least wear big, bright lights on your helmets! Make yourselves visible.
The grooves suck. I am always worried I will be pushed in to them to avoid a hazard in the parking lane or get pushed into them by a car on the left.
Two things. One, cars do not “pay for” the roads. According to WSDOT’s website, less than 1/3 of their funding comes from state revenues or tolls, and of the state revenues themselves, only about 1/3 comes from fuel taxes or license fees. We ALL pay for the roads.
Second, not all cyclists have no insurance. I carry personal liability insurance, which would cover any unfortunate accident between me and a pedestrian. Not likely though, as I am careful, and I don’t cycle on the sidewalk, but rather on the street (even though you apparently paid for it).
Cars don’t pay for roads. Neither do gas taxes for city roads. The general fund pays for roads in the city so everyone pays for those regardless of whether you drive a car or not.
Two observations and a suggestion:
1. I see riders on 23rd Ave all the time, often with no flashing light in back, sometimes with no helmet. I’m pro bike but believe that there are some streets where riding puts both bicyclists and drivers in danger. The city should create “bike arterials” to help bicyclists move more safely across the city.
2. On many non-arterial streets at least half of the available space is taken up by parked cars. This valuable city land is being used by residents to park free of charge. Some of that city land should be cleared to make way for bike arterials on quiet neighborhood streets that roughly parallel major arterials.
Car owners will undoubtedly squeal like pigs if this happens, but the city should use its on-street property to enable drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists to safely co-exist.
I wish the city would charge for all on-street parking city-wide as this is a huge unrealized source of revenue. But one step at a time.
Great satire, Byron!
Those same dreaded concrete grooves are total hell on Jackson, particularly as you come up from Pioneer Square and are moving slow. Jackson’s potholes/gaps are complete hell.
I can’t believe how terrible Jackson street has been for years and years, but hopefully will get some improvements when the street car heads up it to Broadway.
And yep, I agree the markings at 12th and Madison are tough.
I hope that everyone who is complaining about potholes is reporting them on the city’s website at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/potholereport.htm. If you don’t report them, they can’t fix them.