As part of the Bike Plan Implementation, new bike lanes have been created on 1st Ave NE from NE 185th to NE 195th.
NE 195th is the east-west bike trail which runs from Meridian Ave N to 5th Ave NE and transitions to the pedestrian bridge over I-5.
The bike lanes remove all the on-street parking in front of the Shoreline Conference Center and the Shoreline Pool. The off-street nose-in parking in front of the tennis courts and Shoreline Park remain.
The Shoreline Center is notifying customers about the parking revision but has not yet suggested alternative parking.
Event parking on 186th up to 193rd was tough when events were scheduled. Now with no parking, the cars will park within 5 feet of driveways and 10 feet of mailboxes. During the weekdays and Saturday, mail will not be delivered if they cannot access the boxes safely and my guess occupants of some homes will have some words for those who park to close to driveways. I am sure this was discussed and I missed it at community meetings. I am all for bicycle safety but this has now created another safety issue. 192nd resident.
ReplyDeleteI am all for bicycle safety, but residents of 186th to 193rd will absorb the overflow of cars from these events. I believe Shoreline does not allow parking within 5 feet of driveways and 10 feet of mailboxes. Those limits are routinely breached on most event days now. Mail does not get delivered if mail carrier cannot access boxes. People late for events at Shoreline Center or other events will park where they can and I see more safety issues being caused by these bike lanes. Did someone really count how many bikes travel down and up 1st on a regular basis? Could they not have used the "sharrows" all the way down 1st so parking is still available? The side streets will be a mess and I believe unsafer during major events. Again, not against bicycle safety, but I hope the City allows street parking during major events or my guess is neighbors may be calling non emergency police more frequently for possible parking infractions.
ReplyDeleteWho are the customers that Shoreline Center would notify? The many different schools who use it for sports? The community who goes there to see a play? A conference? The teachers workshop? The parents, friends and family who go there for a tennis, soccer, football or swim meet? Notifying the school or sponsor of the event will not mean the word gets out to attendees of these events. Please consider limited parking during major event days. The bicyclists will share the road, as they do now, with cars for a few hours. Post signs that say "Event Parking allowed on these. Days". Make the event holders work with Shoreline Center to see if there event qualifies to keep 1st open during events. If not big enough, no problem. Tell those that came to the Shoreline Arts Festival no parking on 1st. Imagine the overflow. Putting another maybe (guessing) 50 or more cars that parked on 1st from 185th to 193rd on to side streets is not practical. Share the Road.
ReplyDeleteNot only have we lost street parking but with this change, you have also increased the speed which cars are driving on 1st. I have noticed that more and more cars are driving at excessive speeds going both ways on 1st. That was evident after the first couple of days that the striping was done! They are driving like they are on I-5! If you happen to be crossing the street and one of these speeders come by, then look out! If you aren't walking fast enough to cross the street by the time they come up to you, they don't stop, they simply go around you!
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that was unaware of all the re-striping for bike lanes? Was there any outreach to residents? Diane, how come you didn't know? You seem to get the word out to us taxpayers even when the city doesn't!!
ReplyDeleteAs a frequent traveler on 5th, the first I knew was when the crew was out grinding and painting.
The City thinks that they sent me a notice of the public meeting. I have gone back through my published files and couldn't find that I published anything in advance. I've gone through one email box and found where the office of neighborhoods sent out information after the meeting and my reaction was that I hadn't heard about it. I did publish something about the post meeting information but apparently I didn't look at it any more carefully than anyone else or I would have given a heads-up. My apologies.
ReplyDeleteThere's about a hundred feet of a shallow concrete drain in the middle of the lane near the pool. When it rains this is going to create STANDING WATER in the middle of a frickin' bike lane. This is dangerous. Someone is going to spin out and crash and injure themselves or much worse and the city could get sued.
ReplyDeleteIs this part of the bandaide to make up for the ped-bridge not being replaced by Sound Transit, leaving an section of now obsolete trail on 195th? And now Sound Transit is cutting their budget in half for sidewalk improvements around the future station, because the city showed no backbone whatsoever.
When will the no parking signs be put in. I'm glad to see the parking go, so many were too close to the intersections making it impossible to exit from cross streets.
ReplyDeleteThis plan has created and even more dangerous situation for all the children and elderly who attend the soccer fields, pool, convention center, tennis courts. This plan forces all pedestrians to use non side-walked narrow streets to get to their destination with children, bags, activity supplies. No out reach was given.
ReplyDeleteCan we share 1st with bikes and cars just like 192nd and keep all the pedestrians 9young & old) safe?