The SDOT blog announced a new signal that will allow bicycle and pedestrian traffic to continue straight through the intersection while forcing car traffic to turn onto 105th. Currently, there are only stop signs, and bikers have to cross four lanes of traffic in order to continue on this interurban signed bike route:
The Seattle Department of Transportation will install a new traffic signal at the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and North 105th Street in August to serve the Interurban North signed bicycle route. Bicyclists and pedestrians on Fremont Avenue North will be allowed to continue straight through the intersection (when the light is green) but vehicles on Fremont Avenue North will be required to turn right or left onto 105th Street. The purpose of the restriction is to prevent excessive “cut through” traffic on Fremont Avenue North.
The Interurban North signed bicycle route connects downtown Seattle to Everett. Similar signalized crossings have already been installed on Fremont Avenue North at North 80th and North 85th streets.
Fremont is slowly turing into a bicycle boulevard in the mold of Portland. It would be nice to see the whole corridor get some bicycle boulevard treatments but of course that requires money.
Actually, this intersection isn’t part of the signed Interurban route, presumably because of the lack of light here: one or two blocks before 105th, the signed route zigs over to Dayton (which is signalized), crossed 105th, then zags back to Fremont after another block or two. AFAIK the change in signage was made pretty recently, and the 2010 bike map still shows the signed route going straight through 105th on Fremont. Hopefully SDOT will remember to revert the signage after they signalize Fremont.