Slog
News & ArtsMonday, January 19, 2009
City Bike Lanes Still Covered with Sand
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 4:03 PM
December's snowstorm is becoming a distant memory, but the sand and gravel spread on city streets to help drivers navigate it—12,000 tons, at last count—is still a major hazard for Seattle bike commuters, who've discovered that the city's promise to clear the sand from city streets does not apply to many bike lanes. All around the city, bike lanes are covered with caked layers of sand and gravel—a hazardous surface for bikers, especially those on road bikes with thin, low-traction tires.
Rick Sheridan, spokesman for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), says the city is systematically clearing bike lanes "as we clear the travel lanes. ... Our instruction [to clearing crews] is to get as close to the curb as possible." However, he acknowledges that in places where a bike lane abuts a parking lane—the configuration for bike lanes in much of the city—SDOT isn't requiring crews to clear all the way to the curb (or putting up signs asking people to temporarily move their cars.) The result is that in many places, cleared streets abut gravel-covered bike lanes, forcing cyclists to either ride on a hazardous gravel surface or ride out in the lane of traffic.
While Sheridan says "I haven't heard of any large-scale issues" about gravel in bike lanes, David Hiller of the Cascade Bicycle Club says he's been inundated with complaints. A message board on Cascade's web site contains four pages of complaints about flats and dangerous riding conditions caused by rubbish and gravel left in bike lanes after the snow.
Hiller notes that in 2004, the city agreed to prioritize bike lanes on arterials when sweeping streets, on the grounds that "the people who are most at risk from debris in the right of way, in terms of crashes and injuries, are bicyclists," Hiller says. Given that SDOT does not appear to have followed through, Hiller says Cascade "will have to consider a more formal arrangement"—a "director's rule" from SDOT head Grace Crunican ordering SDOT workers to clear bike lanes when they clear the streets.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Well, get over it, Erica. Stop treating bike lanes as a fundamental human right. You have no knowledge of how snow clearing actually works.
10
@4: I get over 70 MPG on my scooter, so I'm not horribly concerned about what other people think about them.
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
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.
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.
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.
Personally, I look forward to seeing a few turned in road pizza.
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.
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.
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.
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"?
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?
So how about they drum up some volunteers to sweep out at least the high-traffic bike lanes?
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...
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.
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.
25
I know it's easier to just bitch about everything, but really, Slog readers shouldn't have to do your job for you.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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