Photograph from the Parks Division.
With out ready for SDOT to finish its “outer loop” bike connection round Inexperienced Lake, the Seattle Division of Parks and Recreation banned biking from the favored lakeside path.
“This long-term momentary use restriction, which restricts all bicycles and different wheeled makes use of from the Inexperienced Lake Park interior loop (strollers and mobility gadgets are allowed), is meant to create more room for path customers on this excessive use path,” wrote the Parks Division in a weblog submit asserting the change. However with out SDOT’s deliberate outer path, folks biking now haven’t any comfy possibility for touring alongside the west facet of the lake. No matter no matter “long-term momentary” means, indicators are actually in place with icons of bikes, curler skates and scooters crossed out in crimson. Folks can submit suggestions on the rule change to [email protected].
Information clipping from the April 30, 1983 Seattle Instances reveals that individuals have been speaking about crowding on the Inexperienced Lake Path for many years. Learn the complete article (Seattle Public Library card required).
There may be lots of historical past main up up to now. Folks have argued on and off about banning biking on the trail for many years. The Seattle P-I requested readers in 1979 (Seattle library card required) whether or not biking and curler skating must be banned from the trail. Nearly all of respondents stated no, however one reader stated, “Ban all people, I say. The general public has loved Inexperienced Lake lengthy sufficient. One would suppose the general public owned it.” In 1980, the Parks Division even surveyed customers about whether or not one thing must be performed about it. Folks on the time stated to go away it alone, in accordance a 1983 article within the Seattle Instances.
The Inexperienced Lake path was as soon as among the many hottest locations within the metropolis for folks on the lookout for a pleasant place to bike as a result of, identical to now, many individuals merely didn’t really feel comfy mixing with automobile visitors on metropolis streets. Numerous younger Seattleites realized to trip a motorbike on the trail. It’s an especially nice place, no less than whenever you don’t get caught in a giant summer time weekend crowd. Over the many years, there have been many efforts prior to now to ease congestion on the trail. The longest-lasting resolution was the one in place till very just lately: A divided path with foot visitors on one facet and “wheels” on the opposite. Whereas folks on foot had been allowed to go both path, wheels had been solely allowed counterclockwise. This by no means labored completely, however it was a compromise.
At this time, there are lots of locations to trip a motorbike in Seattle apart from this one path. There are even bike lanes on the road not removed from the trail for about two thirds of the lake. However there nonetheless is not any bike route on the western fringe of Inexperienced Lake, leaving the lakeside path as the one apparent and direct possibility for folks touring there.
Public opinion about banning bikes appears to have solely barely shifted since 1980. A latest SDOT survey (PDF) for the outer loop path mission requested respondents, “If the Metropolis accomplished a full outer loop in the correct of approach with a biking path all the best way across the lake, how glad would you be with a pedestrian solely coverage for the interior loop adjoining to the lake?” The responses had been roughly 60% in favor and 27% opposed with the remainder impartial. However the important thing phrase within the survey query is “if the Metropolis accomplished a full outer loop.” The town has not performed this but.
With the outer loop mission within the design course of and deliberate for development “as early as mid-2022,” why didn’t Parks simply wait till then? They’ve waited greater than 40 years already, why not wait one other six months? Parks even talked about the outer loop mission of their announcement, saying the rule change “is meant to create more room for path customers on this excessive use path and to offer extra time for the Seattle Division of Transportation (SDOT) to finish their design course of and coordinate the development timeline for creating an entire outer loop round Inexperienced Lake with protected entry for bikers and pedestrians.” How does banning bikes on the interior path give the outer path mission extra time? It does precisely the other.
This rule change places much more stress on SDOT to finish the outer loop on schedule. We want that path as quickly as potential, as a result of now there is no such thing as a authorized technique to bike alongside the west facet of the lake with out crossing a very quick and harmful stretch of Aurora.
A extra wise strategy by Parks would have been to attend till the outer path opened, then observe how utilization of the interior path adjustments. That is what occurred when the town first painted a motorbike lane on Inexperienced Lake Drive. Within the 1983, Fritz Hedges—an unimaginable title for a Parks Division planner—instructed the Instances that the then-recent portray of the bike lanes on the adjoining avenue had relieved lots of the stress on the lakeside path. Perhaps an entire outer loop will do the identical, and no rule change can be wanted.
Folks will nonetheless bike on the Inexperienced Lake path, and they’re going to actually hold curler skating (there aren’t lots of curler skating choices on this city). Perhaps they’re youngsters (who actually must be exempted from this rule), or perhaps they’re folks on the lookout for a pal’s picnic spot or perhaps they’re people who find themselves simply out for a trip who see a pleasant path removed from vehicles and resolve to trip on it. For a lot of the yr (and in the course of the evening), there’s loads of house for wheels to function safely. It’s a public park, and other people will go wherever appears good. Certain, this will result in moments of congestion, however is it inherently and fully a nasty factor?
Parks is unnecessarily introducing friction into an in any other case carefree public house. The Inexperienced Lake Path will all the time be crowded, simply because it has all the time been. Banning bikes is an excessive motion that goes towards how the trail has been used for generations. Even when Parks had been ready to implement the brand new rule, is policing folks’s model of recreation actually the place Seattle desires them to place their sources? I doubt it.
Folks share the trail subsequent to the previous signage explaining the principles. From Google Avenue View.
Should you’ve visited Inexperienced Lake Park just lately, you could have seen some new signage asserting “Pedestrian Use Solely – No Wheels” on the interior loop.
This long-term momentary use restriction, which restricts all bicycles and different wheeled makes use of from the Inexperienced Lake Park interior loop (strollers and mobility gadgets are allowed), is meant to create more room for path customers on this excessive use path and to offer extra time for the Seattle Division of Transportation (SDOT) to finish their design course of and coordinate the development timeline for creating an entire outer loop round Inexperienced Lake with protected entry for bikers and pedestrians. Extra details about the Inexperienced Lake Outer Loop mission is on the market right here.
As a part of its outreach on the outer loop mission, SDOT launched an internet survey to assemble neighborhood suggestions and to higher perceive neighborhood values, what’s working, and what might be completely different about getting round Inexperienced Lake. Their survey included a sequence of questions on the interior loop (see questions 10, 11, 12). A abstract of suggestions from 4,534 complete responses could be discovered right here.
The Board of Park Commissioners held a public listening to and vote on this long-term momentary use restriction on October 28, 2021. The Board will revisit this matter, hear an replace on SDOT’s work, and supply recommendation to the Superintendent about potential paths ahead at an upcoming public assembly this summer time, possible in June (see upcoming assembly agendas right here).
Wish to present suggestions?
Suggestions on this challenge is inspired! Neighborhood members can ship feedback concerning the interior loop to [email protected], attend the Board of Park Commissioners assembly on this matter this summer time, or attend any of our month-to-month Board conferences (even when Inexperienced Lake just isn’t on the agenda) to offer suggestions in the course of the Public Remark part.
Suggestions on SDOT’s outer loop mission could be directed to [email protected].
