The Seattle Department of Transportation has made revisions to North 34th Street, west of Fremont Avenue North, to build a protected bike lane.
This week, September 6th – 9th, crews are scheduled to install white plastic posts intended to provide a visible barrier between the bicycle lane and vehicle traffic, in addition to the painted lines on the roadway.
According to Seattle Transportation Community Outreach Lead Rachel McCaffrey, this work will not require street closures but will close the dedicated bike lane to allow safe and efficient installation of the posts. Work is expected to be complete by Friday, September 9th.
On Tuesday, September 6th, Cycle Scouts may be in the area, during work hours of 7a – 4p, distributing treats to encourage good bike behavior, answering questions and celebrating the wrap up of the project.
The white posts will, hopefully, protect cyclists from vehicles – and drivers from accidentally entering the cycle lane, either those driving and parking in front of PCC Natural Market, or those parked on the southside of the street between Evanston Avenue & Phinney Ave N. Along all of N 34th, from Fremont Avenue to Phinney Avenue, vehicle driving traffic is now restricted to one-way, westbound. However, no bicycle riding is going to be allowed in the protected lane on Sundays, all year, from Evanston to Phinney Avenue, to respect pedestrians, vendors and shoppers at the Fremont Sunday Market.
These traffic revisions will be evaluated, by Seattle Transportation, 1-year after this installation is completed. The evaluation may include monitoring how many people comply with traffic laws, collecting more traffic counts, speed studies, collision analysis, or reviewing how parking is used.
The project website, for the North 34th Street Protected Bike Lane, has more information on these revisions. For immediate issues arising in this area, Transportation representatives have promised site visits, additional data analysis, and follow-thru for modifications. Contact McCaffrey at 206/615-0925 or rachel.mccaffrey@seattle.gov
Other neighbors have requested that any concerns or problems with this new arrangement on N 34th also be reported to the head of Seattle Transportation Scott Kubly (at 206/727-8727 and scott.kubly@seattle.gov,) the Office of the Mayor (at 206/684-4000,) and the Office of Economic Development (at 206/684-8090 and oed@seattle.gov,) along with Seattle City Council District #6 Representative Mike O’Brien (at 206/684-8800 and mike.obrien@seattle.gov).