Seattle’s first ‘bicycle boulevard’ in Greenwood

September 15th, 2008 · 4 Comments

The city is experimenting with its first “bicycle boulevard” along Fremont Ave. At 80th and 85th streets, cars traveling in some directions will be required to turn while bicyclists can ride straight through. The idea is to give bicyclists a more convenient route than some of the more crowded streets. “We’re doing one bike boulevard, and as we get more comfortable with it and figure it out, you’re going to see more,” said SDOT’s Pete Lagerwey.

Tags: Uncategorized

4 responses so far ↓

1 John // Sep 15, 2008 at 5:53 pm

I know I’ve only lived in the Fremont N and N80th neighborhood for 3 months, but I don’t remember anyone in the city contacting me or my neighbors about this. Has this been going on for a while?
2 MichaelSnyder // Sep 15, 2008 at 10:41 pm

This has been in the city plans since the Bicycle Master Plan was passed in 2007.
See the map and route here:
http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/docs/bmp/FoldOutMap_Facilities_North_052907.pdf

I think they installed the traffic lights last fall or this spring. That is the only real difference, traveling north or south on Fremont Ave when you hit an arterial you need to turn. You can still drive on Fremont Ave and park on the street. There will be more bicycle traffic there than on other streets.

It should even increase your property values. Most property values increase when new bicycle facilities are added nearby.
3 Brian // Sep 16, 2008 at 8:09 pm

I have used this by bike a few times, eg to reach the Interurban Trail. For comparatively few $, I’d guess, it’s a nice improvement. The bike signage and routing at 80th and 85th are great conveniences that should help mesh the Trail into surface streets, encourage bike commuting, and optimize bike travel time…and not at the detriment of car traffic and neighbors.
4 Dave // Sep 17, 2008 at 10:30 am

Awesome. Bike-friendly neighborhoods benefit everybody, even the people who are not on bikes!