Tag Archives: road diets

Infographic: Seattle’s low-cost safe streets projects work really well

A road diet, rechannelization, safe streets redesign, complete streets project or whatever you want to call it: It works. Troy Heerwagen has created an excellent interactive infographic over at his Walking in Seattle blog that shows how consistently effective Seattle’s … Continue reading

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An archaeological dig on NE 125th Street, one of the final battles in the War on Cars

The lucky among you do not remember the vicious fight over a 2011 road diet on NE 125th Street, which pitted neighbors against neighbors in a drawn-out and ugly battle over ten feet of road space in North Seattle. Prompted … Continue reading

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Mostly-finished Green Lake Way project reconnects neighbors with their parks

While we here at Seattle Bike Blog spend a lot of time urging the city to invest in protected bike lanes, it’s important to remember that simply redesigning a street using paint can completely revolutionize a street. The city’s in-process … Continue reading

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Times column: McGinn was right, road diets work. Now let’s fix Dexter

The Seattle Times’ Jonathan Martin said in a column today that the city’s low-budget street safety projects (AKA road diets) have worked really well. He suggests that the city should do more of them, including a project to address serious … Continue reading

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A closer look at the city’s plans for Green Lake Way

We wrote a couple weeks ago about plans to redesign Green Lake Way between 50th and the lake. Below are more details on the city’s plans, from an open house presentation. Beyond just the merits for this project, it also … Continue reading

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City plans to extend Stone Way bike lanes to Green Lake

At the urging of the Wallingford and Green Lake Community Councils, the city is planning road design changes on Green Lake Way N between N 50th Street and Green Lake. The safety-oriented plan would redesign the street to more closely … Continue reading

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Othello Street redesign underway: Gentrification or traffic justice?

Othello Street/Myrtle Place redesign work starts today. The project, funded by the Neighborhood Street Fund, will include biking/walking safety improvements from Beacon Ave to Seward Park Ave. The redesign is also expected to bring motor vehicle speeds down closer to … Continue reading

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Collisions drop 23 percent on redesigned Nickerson – UPDATED

Changes to Nickerson St in 2010 have resulted in a 23 percent drop in collisions, the city reported during a press conference today. Last year, Publicola reported that traffic volumes on Nickerson remained consistent, as the city had predicted. Average … Continue reading

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Walking in Seattle: These 28 Seattleites died walking on road diet candidate streets last decade

The road diet battles in Seattle have a tendency to get nasty, and they are far from over. Even though the Federal Highway Administration has officially (finally) named the road diet as a “proven safety countermeasure,” the projects can be … Continue reading

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Buffer space added to bike lanes on older section of Dexter

A few weeks ago, the city added a couple feet of buffer space to the bike lanes on Dexter between Mercer and Denny Way, just south of the recently-reconfigured section complete with bus islands and a road diet. The added … Continue reading

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SDOT compares road diets to Copernicus’ struggle for heliocentric acceptance

Road diets efficiently move people and goods while dramatically reducing collisions, particularly collisions that cause injuries. We know this. Study after study supports it from all corners of Seattle and from cities around the globe. Yet every time they are … Continue reading

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Using example of Wang’s death, Economist argues for protected bikeways

“Calmer traffic is just the beginning,” argues The Economist in a short article this week calling for protected bicycle facilities. To illustrate their point, they point to the death of Mike Wang, who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run … Continue reading

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Changes to NE 125th create a better neighborhood street for all

One more street in Seattle is safer thanks to the city’s complete streets remake of NE 125th Street in Lake City. What used to be a dangerous, four-lane highway-style road dividing the neighborhood has been redesigned to meet the needs … Continue reading

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Mayor McGinn gives go-ahead for NE 125th redesign

In a lengthy email summarizing the public comments he received and the reasoning behind his decision, Mayor Mike McGinn announced that he has accepted SDOT’s approval for a road diet on NE 125th St. The project, which we have written … Continue reading

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Publicola: Health Dept Director supports NE 125th changes

Publicola reports that David Fleming, the Seattle/King County health department director has sent a letter to the mayor in support of SDOT’s proposed road diet for NE 125th St: In a letter to the city council and Mayor Mike McGinn … Continue reading

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After delayed start, NE 125th redesign opposition gets going again

It has been a week since SDOT recommended changes to NE 125th, and there seemed to be little to no action from opponents. However, a smooth end to an unnecessarily rocky road project debate may not actually be in Mayor … Continue reading

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SDOT recommends NE 125th changes

Pending approval by Mayor McGinn, SDOT is moving forward with plans to redesign NE 125th St to include a center left turn lane, bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings. The proposed changes between Roosevelt and 28th Ave NE met with … Continue reading

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Greenwood Ave changes feel natural

Remember back when you could be riding your bike pleasantly along a relatively calm Greenwood Ave headed north, then you would reach 85th and the road would become a four-lane highway? The cars that were so recently calm would speed … Continue reading

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(VIDEO) When you design roads so people can go 80 …

… people will want to go 80. And if you force them to go 55, they will get angry: (The video is from 2007, but I thought it was really interesting. h/t VeloBusDriver)

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Othello St project, $725k to connect Seward, Link and Chief Sealth Trail

Following the city’s recent announcement of 11 new Neighborhood Street Fund projects, I will be taking a closer look at the ones that most affect cyclists. Most of the projects are focused on sidewalks and crossing improvements for pedestrians, but … Continue reading

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