bikeseattle.org

Gene over at BikingBis has a great write up of the Seattle Likes Bikes protest ride regarding the new Seattle Streetcar which happened today.

Up to 100 An esimated 40 to 60 bicyclists showed up for the ride, with plenty of police on hand. The bicyclists say the city hasn’t done enough, in fact has done very little, to ensure that the tracks for the new South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) are safe for cyclists.

The tracks for the SLUT, which began operation earlier Wednesday, run along the curb lanes where bicyclists are supposed to ride under city regulation (as far right as possible). The gaps in the track catch bicycle tires, causing cyclists to fall to the ground or into traffic or parked cars.

Full post

Gene includes this in his post as well, but I think it’s important to get whatSeattle Likes Bikes is asking for out as much as possible.

What cyclists are asking for is minimal:

1. An alternative route to be added early in 2008. Bicycle lanes are planned for 9th Ave N, but the city wants to postpone adding them until late 2008 or early 2009 when construction on Paul Allen’s buildings in that area is complete.

2. Caution signs (like those in Portland) indicating that cyclists should exercise caution around the tracks and that motorists should give cyclists a few more feet of maneuvering room so they can avoid the tracks.

3. Where the tracks are in the right lane, sharrows should be installed in the left lane to remind cyclists and motorists of the safest place for cyclists to ride.

4. That Seattle Department of Transportation will consult with Portland Department of Transportation, learn from Portland’s experience, and adopt guidelines that consider cyclists when installing future sets of tracks in roadways.

5. For a feasibility study of rubber track filler that could be installed to compress under the trolley wheels while being rigid enough to prevent bicycle wheels from being trapped in the tracks.