On Wednesday, Aug. 29, the Mayor’s Office and Seattle Department of Transportation will launch their 2012 Road Safety Action Plan, which is the culmination of last year’s Road Safety Summit.
Pictured: Mayor McGinn meets with members of the community to discuss road safety in the city.
Following the deaths of multiple bicyclists in the summer of 2011 –Michael Wang, Robert Townsend and Brian Fairbrother –the Mayor’s Office stepped up and called for a Road Safety Summit. Three public forums were held in north, central, and south Seattle between October and December 2011, during which Seattle residents, local agencies, and community transportation leaders were asked to contribute ideas, speak honestly, and listen to each other about what we need from our fellow travelers to be safe on the road.
The summit centered around three basic questions:
- What do you think are the highest priority safety problems to solve on Seattle roads?
- What do you think are the most important things to do to make Seattle roads safer?
- We often talk about what government can do to promote safety. What are the ways that non-governmental groups and individuals can promote safety?
A Summit Workgroup of experts, roadway users, advocates, major employers and business and community leaders was formed to review the public comments, use their knowledge of road safety data and best practices, and consider available opportunities and resources to chart a path to action.
On Wednesday, SDOT and the Mayor’s Office will launch their road safety and outreach plan to the public with a Road Safety fair in downtown Seattle.
The Road Safety Action Plan lays out a long-term campaign of education, enforcement, evaluation and culture change to reach the city’s goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Seattle roads.
Taking place in the plaza between Whole Foods and 2201 Westlake Avenue, the event will feature an hour-long safety fair from noon till 1 p.m., followed by the launch of the Road Safety Action Plan between 1 and 2 p.m.
Cascade will be present at the fair to answer questions about bicycle safety.
Please visit http://www.seattle.gov/roadsafety/ for more information.
I have a lot of respect and appreciation for bicyclists and also for the Cascade Bicycle Club. So I write this from that place and hope that some will hear what I am trying to convey in sharing this story about unsafe and disrespectful bicyclists who ruin it for the rest of you/us.
I was on bicycle ride with my family (I have a partner and a 14 year old son who we are wanting to encourage to be more independent in riding his bicycle on the trails near our house off Judkins Park.) We were coming back over the I-90 lid. There were a number of bicyclists on the Mountain to Sound bicycle trail waiting at the light that helps they and pedestrians cross the busy 23rd Avenue. One bicyclist came fast from the east and was clearly not going to stop for the light. But an articulated Metro bus was rolling north on 23rd at that same moment and had to slam on the brakes and honk its horn to avoid this bicyclist. It was a close call. The man on the bicycle pulled back out of the street and stopped momentarily to let the bus roll by. Then before the light had turned he took off anyway across 23rd. My partner, son and I watched in astonishment at his arrogance and unsafe riding. I was mostly concerned about the message this sent to my son about bicyclists not having to obey the rules of the road. We had just talked about Mayor McGinn’s speech at Westlake last week where he talked about the importance of drivers and bicyclists and pedestrians all having to take care of and watch our for one another and to obey the “rules of the road.” As the bicyclist rode quickly by us, I yelled to him, “that sure was a screwed up move.” I admit, it wasn’t the kindest or most articulate I could have been; I wasn’t thinking very clearly. He turned around and yelled back at me “Are you a cop? Are you god? Then shut up.”
If this were an isolated incident, I probably would not take time out to write the story here, but it’s not. Almost every time I go out on a bicycle trail with my son there is a man (almost always a man) in spandex bike shorts who yells at us. At other times it is because they want to go fast and we are not riding “correctly”–meaning the way they want us to– on the bike trail. Once someone yelled at my much younger son at that time to “get off the trail if he couldn’t ride right.” (My son had been scared by the bicyclist who came quickly up behind him on his left and yelled “On your left” and my son, not understanding, swerved left thinking that was what what he should do. Admittedly, it was a bad choice, but yelling at him didn’t seem helpful or kind.) Each of these incidents has left a bad taste that causes us to be less than excited to get on our bikes.
I teach my students about the damage of stereotyping and so I am aware of the problem of characterizing bicyclists in spandex bike shorts in the way that I am here. But these experiences are troubling and it has not escaped me that it is the avid bicyclists who are dressed in this way and ride fast on the trails and on the roads that are the problem. It is not encouraging more people to ride bicycles and use bicycle trails when every time you go out, you get yelled at by one of these unsafe and mean riders. It is not helping relations between bicyclists and drivers when the former disregard the rules of the road so cavalierly and then yell at other bicyclists when called on it.
So, no I am not a cop and I am not god, but I do want to ask that bicyclists be more aware that when they ride with a cavalier attitude and disregard the rules of the road and disrespect those who are riding with them, they are doing a disservice to all bicyclists and making it harder for everyone.
I guess, in short I refuse to shut up. Thanks for hearing me.
Thank you for refusing to “shut up”.
And, PLEASE continue riding and setting a good example for your sons.
You have met several of the people that bring a bad name to “avid” cyclists. However, you also bring up a some things that as a fellow cyclist, you need to know to do your part to make this a safer happier sport.
1. riding on a trail is not “play time” for kids. They will get hurt or hurt someone else if you don’t teach them the rules. It is a road way for cyclists AND pedestrians, not a place to practice figure of eights. As parents, you should keep them in a line, like ducklings. Ok to go slow, but do it to the right.
2. “On your left” is not a phrase to be ignored. It usually means that you are in the way of a cyclist who is closing at a high rate of speed. Heed it or cause mayhem. Teach the little ones the same. Move to the right…..with haste.
3. Never walk/jog/cycle more than two abreast unless you are completely sure you are not obstructing others. Single file is best, double file ok in most situations, three or four abreast…… a no-no.
4. Most automobile drivers disobey the law, and get angry with cyclists who are “obeying” the law. I am passed on city streets by cars who have to break the speed limit to pass me.
Most cyclists prefer to ride on a street, just like a car, and they ride right when they are slower than traffic, and they ride fat in the middle when they are keeping up. Give them the same space you would a car. For some reason drivers feel they can tailgate a rider MUCH closer than they would ever tailgate a car. Completly boggles me.
Ride safe. Hope this clarifies some things, and I am sorry for wearing spandex
Bill,
Sorry, but i have to object to a couple of your statements.
“It is a road way for cyclists….”: nope, most are “multi-purpose trails” to be shared by all users which means that cycling speed needs to be adjusted to the level of congestion on the trail — the same as auto traffic is now required to do by the variable speed signs on many local freeways. i’ll ride 15+mph on more rural trails with only very infrequent non-cycling users; but i’ll ride 7-8mph on the BGT (and slow from that for children and dogs — neither behave like ducklings) on a sunny summer weekend day, especially in the north lake union-fremont area. Along the same line, i’m not going to pass 30mph non-hov traffic on the freeway at 60mph in the hov lane just because it is legal to do so.
“’On your left’”…’at a high rate of speed’: i’m not going to figure out the exact math, but my observation is that it is almost impossible to scream loud enough when closing at >12mph for the pedestrian to react to the warning. i ceased relying on my voice years ago and have bells on all of my bikes — the faster, the louder my ring/ding.