West Lake Sammamish Parkway

Act Now for Bicycle Lanes on the West Lake Sammamish Pkwy
Spring 2005

Background:

• The Parkway is a regional arterial road that carries more than 12,000 cars each day.
• The road hasn't been improved in 50 years and residents want it repaved.
• A 1996 study recommended the reconstruction include bike lanes and sidewalks. Some residents objected, derailing that proposal.
• Residents asked for another study in 2001. To date, more than $500,000 has been spent on studies.
• Bike lanes were the 1st choice of 65% of the participants after 4 recent workshops.

Act today for a safer Parkway.

Why Bike Lanes on the Parkway?

• It's listed as a bicycle route by Washington State and King County.
• It’s a major regional bike route, conveniently connecting the communities of Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland.
• At an Open House (June 2004) bike lanes got the highest number of votes against 4 other alternatives.
• In February, 2005, the Bellevue Bike/Pedestrian Citizens Advisory Committee rejected the City's plan and demanded safe bicycle facilities be part of any plan.
• The current configuration encourages northbound cyclists ride on the west-side of the Parkway - against traffic. Wrong way riding is the top cause of car-bicycle accidents.
• It's one of the top regional roads for bicycle accidents - and clearly needs safety improvements.

What's Wrong with Bellevue's Plan?

• Does NOT include BIKE LANES or separate faster cyclists from pedestrians and children.
• Includes a southbound shoulder that changes width 39 times with buffers that appear and disappear as often as every 100 feet.
• Mixes pedestrians and cyclists going north and south on eight-foot shoulders immediately adjacent to the southbound traffic lane along 44% of the Parkway – that’s 2.4 miles!
• Costs more than $20M, without solving the serious safety issues present today.
• The public supports bicycle lanes and safe roads for cycling. Why doesn't Bellevue?

Bellevue should follow Redmond's lead

• Cyclists got Redmond to add bike lanes to the Parkway.
• The result: a safer Parkway for everyone!

For more information. contact: David Hiller at david.hiller@cascadebicycleclub.org

Summer 2004

You may have already had the opportunity to enjoy Redmond's improvements to West Lake Sammamish Parkway. When the project is complete, people will be able to walk and bicycle in both directions on this scenic and convenient corridor.

Unfortunately, these facilities come to an abrupt end at the Bellevue/Redmond border. "When you get to the Bellevue end of West Lake Sammamish Parkway, you come to a road that resembles the trek to Bubba's Moonshine Shack rather than a beautiful lakeside boulevard," states Bellevue Ped Bike Advisory Board chair, Claire Petersky. "And if you're walking or bicycling, you'll find that using the eastside of the street is simply dangerous." Act Now!

In the current configuration, northbound bicycles are encouraged to travel against traffic in the shoulder on the west side, endangering themselves and others. The roadway, as it is, is unsafe for everyone.

After a failed first effort several years ago, the City of Bellevue is studying improvements for the roadway. It is only a study. If a consensus is reached and a plan of action can be recommended, then it might still be years before basic improvements to WLSP will be constructed. People who attended the April Workshop voted over-whelmingly for Option #4 - which has bike lanes on each side of the parkway and an 8 foot sidewalk on the west side.

However, none of these improvements will be made if a small but vocal group of lakeside homeowners has its way. Because they significantly outnumbered bicyclists and pedestrian at the last public meeting, the results from discussions were skewed AGAINST having a west side bike/ped lane.

"We all know that the neighbors who attend the meetings are not representative of the majority of the users of the parkway," Ms. Petersky said. "A small group of people think it's their private road - and they're hijacking this process."

For that reason, it is important that Cascade members and cyclists in general attend as many of these public meetings as possible. An array of design elements related to traffic concerns, pedestrian safety, and bicycle safety will be considered, along with potential design challenges such as drainage, driveway approaches, slopes, and develop alternatives.