Seattle bike deaths spur safety questions, highlight funding woes
Seattle P.I.
Published: Sep, 14 2011
A trio of Seattle bike deaths has spurred questions on bike safety in
a city known for its two-wheeling mayor, while highlighting a struggle
to fulfill an ambitious plan to make biking safer in Seattle.
The recent deaths have shaken many bicyclists.
"This summer has been a shocker for a lot of us," said John Mauro, a
director at the Cascade Bicycle Club. He said there's also been a high
number of bike fatalities statewide.
"But even one is too much."
Two of the victims died in collisions with cars. A third, Brian Fairbrother, died last week after falling near a poorly marked, city-designated bike path.
It was Fairbrother's death in particular that prompted many bicyclists to question the city on safety.
"All of these cyclist deaths and accidents are piling up and making
me feel like I'M stupid for wanting to get around Seattle on a bike... I
want to know where the city leadership is on this," a commenter wrote
on The SunBreak, the local online news magazine.
In a story headlined "Did a bike path just kill a Seattle cyclist?"
the SunBreak examined the Eastlake path where Fairbrother had fallen.
The path, part of a sloping sidewalk on Fairview Avenue East also used
by pedestrians, connects to a set of stairs. Bicyclists are supposed to
avoid them veering into a makeshift lane.
But no city sign directs bikers, or warns them of the stairs, which
are hidden from view from afar. Many bike commenters on The SunBreak's
story said that they, too, had had scrapes in the same area.
Bike plan 'not adequately funded'
"Unfortunately, there's a long list of well-known, significant safety
hazards, and the only thing preventing the city from fixing them is
money," said Tom Fucoloro, editor of the Seattle Bike Blog.
After the death of Fairbrother, a much-loved Capitol Hill barista,
became public, a citizen spray painted a bright-orange warning on the
path. The site is also now home to a pale, flower-adorned, ghost bike.
Fucoloro and other bike advocates point to a funding shortage for the city's Bicycle Master Plan,
a massive set of goals passed in 2007. The plan calls for $240 million
in investments for bike lanes, routes and other improvements, to
increase ridership and reduce crashes.
But Publicola reported last year that funding for the plan was projected to be $165 million short of the goal – a 70 percent shortfall.
"It is not adequately funded," said Mauro, of the Cascade Bicycle club.
Mayor Mike McGinn, known for his fondness of bikes and pedaling to events, was unavailable to return a call for comment Tuesday.
But Rick Sheridan, a spokesman for Seattle's Department of
Transportation, said the city has spent roughly $7 million a year to
make significant improvements, including new bike boxes and signals, 39
miles of bike lanes, 74 miles of shared-lane markings, and six miles of
multi-use trail segments.
"It is safe to ride a bicycle on city streets," Sheridan said. "You
need to ride defensively. You need to ensure you have appropriate
protective equipment. But our data shows Seattle streets are safe
for cycling."
While the number of collisions has risen every year, he said the
crash rate has fallen, due to more bicyclists on the roads. In 2009, the
most recent year of data, 382 bike crashes were reported. That included
four deaths. The city's one-day bike count that year tallied
2,600 bicyclists.
Making downtown safer
Sheridan said the city reviews all bike fatality sites for potential
improvements, and that the Eastlake stairs had not been the subject of
prior complaints or reported falls.
On Dexter Avenue North, where Michael Wang was killed by a hit-and-run driver in
July, the city was considering creating a two-foot buffer to bike
lanes. But that wasn't due to the death of Wang, an experienced bike
commuter and 44-year-old father of two.
It was because Dexter is the busiest bike corridor to downtown, Sheridan said.
But bicyclists said better paths and routes won't solve a major factor in collisions - the failure of someone failing to yield.
The third victim, Robert Towsend,
a 23-year-old sandwich deliverer for Jimmy Johm's, died Saturday in the
University District, after colliding with a car making a left turn.
Sheridan said the department had not yet received a police report.
"(The deaths) are perhaps a good reminder that everyone just needs to
slow down and be more cautious," said Seattle Bike Blog's Fucoloro.
Mike O'Brien, the city councilmember and a longtime bike commuter,
said the deaths had rattled him and that it was time for the city to
explore larger ideas. He pointed to Copenhagen, where bike commuters
ride in "cycle tracks," or areas separate from cars and walkers.
"Frankly, a biker like me is really not who I'm trying to cater to,"
he said. Rather, O'Brien wanted to make the city safer for casual,
newbie two-wheelers.
"I can pick my way through town," he said. "But downtown, where
everyone wants to go, is inaccessible to big chunks of people
uncomfortable with biking."
Published: Sep, 14 2011
A trio of Seattle bike deaths has spurred questions on bike safety in
a city known for its two-wheeling mayor, while highlighting a struggle
to fulfill an ambitious plan to make biking safer in Seattle.
The recent deaths have shaken many bicyclists.
"This summer has been a shocker for a lot of us," said John Mauro, a
director at the Cascade Bicycle Club. He said there's also been a high
number of bike fatalities statewide.
"But even one is too much."
Two of the victims died in collisions with cars. A third, Brian Fairbrother, died last week after falling near a poorly marked, city-designated bike path.
It was Fairbrother's death in particular that prompted many bicyclists to question the city on safety.
"All of these cyclist deaths and accidents are piling up and making
me feel like I'M stupid for wanting to get around Seattle on a bike... I
want to know where the city leadership is on this," a commenter wrote
on The SunBreak, the local online news magazine.
In a story headlined "Did a bike path just kill a Seattle cyclist?"
the SunBreak examined the Eastlake path where Fairbrother had fallen.
The path, part of a sloping sidewalk on Fairview Avenue East also used
by pedestrians, connects to a set of stairs. Bicyclists are supposed to
avoid them veering into a makeshift lane.
But no city sign directs bikers, or warns them of the stairs, which
are hidden from view from afar. Many bike commenters on The SunBreak's
story said that they, too, had had scrapes in the same area.
Bike plan 'not adequately funded'
"Unfortunately, there's a long list of well-known, significant safety
hazards, and the only thing preventing the city from fixing them is
money," said Tom Fucoloro, editor of the Seattle Bike Blog.
After the death of Fairbrother, a much-loved Capitol Hill barista,
became public, a citizen spray painted a bright-orange warning on the
path. The site is also now home to a pale, flower-adorned, ghost bike.
Fucoloro and other bike advocates point to a funding shortage for the city's Bicycle Master Plan,
a massive set of goals passed in 2007. The plan calls for $240 million
in investments for bike lanes, routes and other improvements, to
increase ridership and reduce crashes.
But Publicola reported last year that funding for the plan was projected to be $165 million short of the goal – a 70 percent shortfall.
"It is not adequately funded," said Mauro, of the Cascade Bicycle club.
Mayor Mike McGinn, known for his fondness of bikes and pedaling to events, was unavailable to return a call for comment Tuesday.
But Rick Sheridan, a spokesman for Seattle's Department of
Transportation, said the city has spent roughly $7 million a year to
make significant improvements, including new bike boxes and signals, 39
miles of bike lanes, 74 miles of shared-lane markings, and six miles of
multi-use trail segments.
"It is safe to ride a bicycle on city streets," Sheridan said. "You
need to ride defensively. You need to ensure you have appropriate
protective equipment. But our data shows Seattle streets are safe
for cycling."
While the number of collisions has risen every year, he said the
crash rate has fallen, due to more bicyclists on the roads. In 2009, the
most recent year of data, 382 bike crashes were reported. That included
four deaths. The city's one-day bike count that year tallied
2,600 bicyclists.
Making downtown safer
Sheridan said the city reviews all bike fatality sites for potential
improvements, and that the Eastlake stairs had not been the subject of
prior complaints or reported falls.
On Dexter Avenue North, where Michael Wang was killed by a hit-and-run driver in
July, the city was considering creating a two-foot buffer to bike
lanes. But that wasn't due to the death of Wang, an experienced bike
commuter and 44-year-old father of two.
It was because Dexter is the busiest bike corridor to downtown, Sheridan said.
But bicyclists said better paths and routes won't solve a major factor in collisions - the failure of someone failing to yield.
The third victim, Robert Towsend,
a 23-year-old sandwich deliverer for Jimmy Johm's, died Saturday in the
University District, after colliding with a car making a left turn.
Sheridan said the department had not yet received a police report.
"(The deaths) are perhaps a good reminder that everyone just needs to
slow down and be more cautious," said Seattle Bike Blog's Fucoloro.
Mike O'Brien, the city councilmember and a longtime bike commuter,
said the deaths had rattled him and that it was time for the city to
explore larger ideas. He pointed to Copenhagen, where bike commuters
ride in "cycle tracks," or areas separate from cars and walkers.
"Frankly, a biker like me is really not who I'm trying to cater to,"
he said. Rather, O'Brien wanted to make the city safer for casual,
newbie two-wheelers.
"I can pick my way through town," he said. "But downtown, where
everyone wants to go, is inaccessible to big chunks of people
uncomfortable with biking."