Blogs Jan 19, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Bike Lanes Still Covered with Sand

Erica C. Barnett
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Comments

1
It seems like a great deal of this "clearing" is sweeping sand and gravel onto the sidewalks. Where does SDOT think that sand and gravel is going to go other than back onto the street?
on January 19, 2009 at 4:09 PM Report this
2
gee maybe that salt idea wasn't so bad.

how did the bikers stand on that issue?
on January 19, 2009 at 4:13 PM Report this
3
It's a problem for scooters and motorcycles too. I laid my scooter down last week going around a corner, due to all the crap still hanging around on the streets.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:15 PM Report this
4
scooters are...well....you know.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:24 PM Report this
5
About fifteen years ago the residue of sand caused my friends and I to skid into the wall on 405. It's going to a cyclist to die or sue before the city does anything.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:28 PM Report this
6
gee maybe that salt idea wasn't so bad.

how did the bikers stand on that issue?

Even when salt is used, it's mixed with sand.

And only the most foolhardy or desperate of cyclists rides when there's any slush/ice/snow on the road. The margin on error on two wheels is virtually nil. Snow plowing always pushes snow/ice/slush to the sides where , in Seattle, cars park and cyclists ride. In cities with regular snow plowing, people are required to move their cars for the plows. In Seattle, many people don't have an off-street parking option.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:32 PM Report this
7
I long ago got rid of my "thin, low traction tires" for exactly these reasons. You may also want to get some with kevlar belting to help with the flats. We have it easy here with the sand compared to other cities. What do you do about all the slippery, rotting leaves in road during the fall? Broken glass everywhere, and thorns on the BG? I'm sure everyone will be ok.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:33 PM Report this
8
Gee Erica, you were so sure the city was going to clean up all that sand, and scoffed at people who thought the sand sticking around for many weeks after the snow. I guess that makes you a "Stupid Fucking Credulous Hack", eh?
on January 19, 2009 at 4:39 PM Report this
9
Didn't Erica say all the drivers who wanted the roads to be salted so they could safely go to work were just whiners with no understanding of how snow clearing actually works? That they should get over it and stop treating a car as a fundamental human right?

Well, get over it, Erica. Stop treating bike lanes as a fundamental human right. You have no knowledge of how snow clearing actually works.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:47 PM Report this
10
@4: I get over 70 MPG on my scooter, so I'm not horribly concerned about what other people think about them.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:47 PM Report this
11
I like that Erica's "staff blog" listed to the right hasn't existed for months but apparently no one at Slog knows how to get rid of the dead link
on January 19, 2009 at 4:53 PM Report this
12
Dang, and here you would have thought that adding bicycles riding along at low speed the edge of the road, mixing with higher speed motor traffic, and with parked cars, would work perfectly. I mean, what could go wrong? And then pow! All of a sudden out of nowhere along comes this sand issue, screwing up what looked like a perfectly workable arrangement.

Hey. I wonder what percentage of the population rides their bike in January. I wonder how much clearing the sand will cost everyone who is not among that percentage.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:54 PM Report this
13
Are you sure some of the sand didn't wind up in your undergarments?
on January 19, 2009 at 4:59 PM Report this
14
Let me see if I get this straight: the bike riding eco-nuts demand no salt. So they get sand. Now they want no sand?

Personally, I look forward to seeing a few turned in road pizza.
on January 19, 2009 at 4:59 PM Report this
15
Even in places with excellent snow removal technique, like Cambridge/Boston/Somerville, the sand stays in the roads well into the summer rains.

I find you get over it more quickly if you don't bitch about it.

That said, fuck you, Ballard Man. Don't blame all the bikers for one's perennially under-reasoned laments.
on January 19, 2009 at 5:04 PM Report this
16
If its not one thing, its another. Some people have to bitch about everything...sheesh.
on January 19, 2009 at 5:08 PM Report this
17
Depressing. Can the Cascade Cycling Club organize work parties or something where we can get out there and sweep this crap up? Is that type of thing allowed in Seattle? Hell, I'd gladly pay monthly dues to the city if they put a network of trails together for commuting. Beats paying a gym membership.



on January 19, 2009 at 5:08 PM Report this
18
I'm buying a beach cruiser.
on January 19, 2009 at 5:13 PM Report this
19
Oh please, most cyclists ride on the sidewalk anyway.
on January 19, 2009 at 5:26 PM Report this
20
seattle bike guy has it right....it's a road after all. how many cars do you see on the road with "thin low traction tires"?
on January 19, 2009 at 5:48 PM Report this
21
I like 17's answer. I happen to know at least one member of the Cascade Bicycle Club, and knows he owns a truck.

So how about they drum up some volunteers to sweep out at least the high-traffic bike lanes?
on January 19, 2009 at 5:51 PM Report this
22
I've certainly noticed the sand, but I ride a mountain bike with semi-smooth tires so it isn't a big issue. I can certainly see how it would be safety hazard for others on road bikes...
on January 19, 2009 at 7:22 PM Report this
23
for some real fun, bike along the north end (either side) of the university bridge at night. the lights along that stretch have been out for over two months. the city knows about the outage and apparently doesn't care. lots of sand, etc. there.
on January 19, 2009 at 7:35 PM Report this
24
I agree with your sentiment that the city doesn't necessarily take bikes into account in their sand (or snow) removal plans, but complaining about having to navigate streets while riding with tread-less road tires is like me complaining about not being able to make it around in winter with my racing slicks on my car. Time to give up the hipster-cycle and ride something with tread in the winter.
on January 19, 2009 at 7:50 PM Report this
25

Sand Removal and Recycling Continues

Parella Lewis

January 13, 2009

Almost two weeks after snow and ice covered area roads city and state crews are still cleaning up sand from streets and sidewalks.

Rick sheridan works for the Seattle Department of Transportation and says the clean up effort should take about two weeks or so and is an aggressive one because,"at this point we've laid down about 12,000 tons across the city which is a significant amount. At any given storm season, we might apply about 1900 tons of sand."

Patrick Moylen is with WSDOT and says the state dumped about ten thousand cubic yards of sand on area highways and streets during this last winter storm. After the sand is picked up, it is recycled and some of it goes right back onto the roads. Moylen tells Q13 Fox news, "We use it on our roadsides to restore steeper slopes and it's good for grass and other types of trees. We'll fill in low spots that are a risk to motorists if they were to inadvertently drive off the road. So we're using it to improve the safety of the roadsides."

But the city of Seattle hopes to be done with its efforts by twenty-first of this month. Anyone wanting sand removed from their area can call 206.684.R-O-A-D.


I know it's easier to just bitch about everything, but really, Slog readers shouldn't have to do your job for you.
on January 19, 2009 at 8:34 PM Report this
26
Snow tires.
on January 19, 2009 at 10:04 PM Report this
27
@25 - Thanks!
on January 20, 2009 at 11:36 AM Report this
28
The city's statement is bullshit. The bike lanes on the University bridge were caked with sand long after the roads had been cleared. That's a major bike route and a major road and should have been cleared immediately. Even once it was cleared, the bike lanes on Eastlake that didn't abut parking weren't.
on January 20, 2009 at 11:52 AM Report this
29
Okay, so all the anti-bike drivers are saying that bikers should just get over the roads not being cleared (or safe) for us. Well, how much did you bitch when the snow wasn't cleared for you to get through? SAME THING.
on January 20, 2009 at 11:56 AM Report this
30
Cascade Cycle Club should be forwarding the complaints to the city. Putting the complaints on an in-house message board isn't involving city government or giving them information that may help move the to further action.
on January 20, 2009 at 12:20 PM Report this
31
@23

fuck yeah! why haven't they fixed those lights? i was starting to think it was some sort of art project, returning the city to a natural-light state or something. no real city would allow lights to be broken for months, right?

i especially love riding across the bridge to work at 5:15 AM, listening to the sand rush under my thin, low traction tires. wakes me up. i don't especially think it's a big deal.

if i complain about it, am i a whiny biker or a concerned commuter? just curious.

on January 20, 2009 at 2:01 PM Report this
32
I crashed on the sand/gravel on the U bridge 1/9 & broke a bunch of bones (pelvis, etc). It's a mess out there. On that bridge the bicycle lanes collect crud & the city hadn't cleaned them. Dexter, another major route, is also a mess. The mayor told me (1/15) they were working on cleaning up the lanes. It doesn't look like it was a priority.
on January 20, 2009 at 2:03 PM Report this
33
I just crashed my Honda Scooter last night on 15th and Aloha, where the entire street was covered in sand. I couldn't stop or navigate out of it. The result-- bruises, skinned legs, and a cracked engine. I had to walk my scooter home 20 blocks, with a limp--- and will probably have to get a new engine. Thanks City of Seattle for not caring about your two wheeled citizens.
on January 23, 2009 at 1:21 PM Report this

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