Comments

1. Jake

   September 21, 2010

   I never heard why a 3-lane street is any worse for trucks than a 4-lane street. Anyone?

   1. VeloBusDriver

      September 21, 2010

      I drive for Metro and can tell you that the rechanneled streets that I’ve driven on, including Dexter and Nickerson, are *better* for us than the old configuration.

      Here’s more detail: Our coaches are 8.5′ wide which makes them a bit tricky to fit in Seattle’s many narrow lanes. Because of this, Metro encourages us to “split” the lanes in areas where the lane is narrow and it’s not safe having cars next to us. Two good examples: The right lane of the Aurora Ave Bridge, and the right lane northbound on highway 99 right before the Seneca Street offramp. This is especially true in turns since our rear wheels will tend to migrate into the next turn.

      You’ll have to look at each rechannelization in detail but in the case of Nickerson, the lanes were widened slightly to 10.5 feet. That makes it easier for us to stay within the lane, and thus, we are less likely to split the lanes. The center lane allows cars to get by when we are stopped to pick up passengers.

      I’ve never driven a big rig so they may have other issues in turns. However, the 8.5′ width is the same for them. Our buses are 60′ long while I believe a truck with a trailer can be 75′.

      1. eldan

         September 21, 2010

         Thank you for explaining about the lane-splitting – bus drivers do this a lot in front of where I live, and I had been under the impression that it was just sloppy driving. I’m a lot more comfortable knowing that they’re doing this deliberately.

2. Jake

   September 21, 2010

   This whole interview reminds me of Bill Clinton’s “ideology vs. philosophy” quote:
   “The problem with ideology is if you got an ideology, you already got your mind made up, you know all the answers, and that makes evidence irrelevant and argument a waste of time, so you tend to govern by assertion and attack. The problem with that is that discourages thinking and gives you bad results.”
   Every anti-rechannelization argument seems to fall in that category. The woman in this video has a basic belief that 3 lanes are worse than 4 when it comes to movement of large trucks. No amount of contrary evidence will convince her otherwise.

3. Steve A

   September 21, 2010

   Three lanes is fine if it is crystal clear to all that it’s OK to use that center lane to pass, but there are occasional timid motorists that gum the whole deal up. That is less likely with a four-lane configuration.

   THAT is an argument not usually made – the timid motorist that’s afraid to pass safely.

   1. Andreas

      September 22, 2010

      RCW 46.61.290 3(c) makes it crystal clear that it’s illegal to use the center turn lane to pass: “Upon a roadway where a center lane has been provided by distinctive pavement markings for the use of vehicles turning left from either direction, …. A vehicle shall not be driven in this center lane for the purpose of overtaking or passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction.”

4. Brad Hawkins

   September 21, 2010

   “That Woman” may be the best inadvertent bicycle advocate Seattle has. Her name is Suzie Burke, no relation to Thomas Burke after whom the Burke Gilman Trail is named. She owns most all of the new buildings and land in Fremont and I’m sure that it must stick in her craw that her neck of the woods is such a center for cycling. She’s so over the top in social/political situations that she alienates those who might otherwise be on her side.

   The part that I enjoyed most about this episode is that all the panelists face off against each other in public forums very often and the battle lines are set and inked in, so they were already weary of each other in their opening statements. The eye rolling, sighs, and other disparaging noises and comments coming from all were just fantastic! Well, the SDOT guy was the most polite, but he was the only one who isn’t an activist.

   I’ve noticed a real down tick since the summer in people in cars stopping for people trying to walk across the street. It’s getting very difficult to cross even in a zebra let alone an unmarked crosswalk and I wonder if the battle lines are being set among the general driving public. Are drivers showing less respect because they feel under threat in the lane diets? I’m sure that is too generous of me but it’s worth a theory.

   Change is hard. I went to the open house for Mercer West this evening and it was hard as a cyclist not feeling slightly under threat by the changes. The plan is for no new bicycle lanes, but an undetermined path for cyclists to come from Valley, follow Roy to Dexter, left, then right onto a hopefully large sidewalk that will serve as a cycle track for people to get to Mercer street and then right and left again to get onto Roy Street where the bike lanes will resume. Perhaps I feel like Suzie in that the change might be better for me than what I have right now, but the change feels like a loss, just like lane rechannelization. Hmmm

   Still, we can always blame Suzie for the fact that cyclists must climb Dexter rather than ride down the very flat Westlake to and from Downtown. She won that one years ago. She does win battles so even though she generally comes off as a buffoon, she does sometimes win.

   Keep up the good fight.

   1. Jake

      September 22, 2010

      Well, I guess I one-up her daily, because I always ride West Lake and exercise my right to the full right lane. It’s under-used anyway.