bikeseattle.org

A Seattle PI reader asks about the safety of those heavy steel plates.

After a painful crash on a steel plate on Dexter Avenue near Mercer Street in Seattle, Sean Sheldrake worries about the safety of those heavy plates placed over holes dug in the pavement to allow underground work.

His Exhibit A is “the two-block-long ‘bicycle deathtrap’ of plates on Sixth Avenue downtown (near Westlake). These plates take up three lanes and two blocks, and are alternating with and without skid coating (as though skidding on a bicycle averages out over two or more plates, I guess).”

“On any given day, there is at least one plate in the middle of the bike lane or on the road on my commute route, which is all designated as a bike corridor,” he writes, but “in my years of bike commuting, only on extremely rare occasions have I observed utilization of basic safe engineering practices to help ensure the safety of bicycles and motorcycles.”

It also looks like the winter commting has started. As I look over my shoulder, it’s wet and dark outside (and it’s 7am). Probably time to think about getting all of the winter items out.

Be sure to be visible to traffic and take it easy if you have to. All of the nice wet tree leaf mush and gunk on the roads/trails can make for interesting friction-free surfaces.

update:
From Seattle DOT:
“When a steel plate is necessary to cover an excavation, each side ofthe plate shall have a minimum of 12 inches bearing on the sides of a cut, and shall be anchored by steel pins. Plates shall be bedded on MC250 mix and shimmed to prevent movement, and the bedding shall be tapered on all sides, to provide smooth transition for all users. Plates shall be textured to provide a non-skid surface in dry and wet conditions acceptable to the Engineer. All plates shall be highlighted with paint at the edges, and an advance warning sign shall be used, to identify the presence of the plate. Plates shall not be left on an undisturbed roadway.” (thanks Lee)