The US Department of Transportation is headed to Seattle to assess bike/walk “safety challenges” in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood, where major bike commute routes mix with freight traffic. Unfortunately, this mix sometimes ends in tragedy or injury.
The May 7 event will include a series of speakers, a review of routes, a chance to experience the neighborhood from different perspectives (by video or maybe freight truck ride alongs) and even a bike ride. The final result will be part of “a national analysis on truck conflict with non-motorized traffic.”
The assessment is part of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s Safer People, Safer Streets initiative. More details from USDOT:
You are cordially invited to join U.S. Department of Transportation and traffic safety partners in conducting a bicycle and pedestrian assessment in Seattle. USDOT field offices in Washington have developed a corridor-level assessment to promote better understanding of the safety challenges specific to large vehicle conflicts with nonmotorized travelers in the SODO neighborhood.
The assessment will examine safety conditions along a route in SODO for bicyclists, pedestrians, and large vehicle drivers. The goal of the assessment is to identify common safety issues and improvement recommendations for nonmotorized and motorized traffic in the corridor. A panel of transportation professionals will present and discuss safety issues along the route, followed by an opportunity for participants to perform an assessment and provide input on safety conditions.
More details:
Comments
4 responses to “USDOT will host SODO bike/walk/freight safety assessment”
How are people who commute to work through sodo expected to attend an event scheduled for the middle of a work day in the middle of the week? Or, is there a reason the majority of the population is being excluded?
I initially thought the same thing, but I think it’s important they perform their evaluation when traffic is at weekday levels. I hope they evaluate the bike routes in the morning as well when the trucks are linked up in the center turn lane on East Marginal Way.
There many people who commute to Federal Center South (located on E Marginal south of Spokane); mostly by car but there a fair number who bus and/or bike with a few walkers. A walking and bike tour will definitely be eye opening. East Marginal south of Spokane is a different issue than East Marginal north of Spokane.
[…] As we reported in May, people from USDOT, SDOT, King County Metro, freight companies and bicycle advocacy groups got together in SODO for a day of learning from each other and figuring out how large vehicles and people walking and biking can use the same streets more safely. […]