More than a year after Terry McMacken was injured on the Ballard Bridge, it remains a dangerous stretch of commute for many cyclists.

Two weeks ago McMacken died from injuries sustained in July 2007 on the Ballard Bridge when the bicycle he was riding made contact with the concrete barrier separating cyclists and pedestrians from vehicles and threw him into traffic.

Sean Cryan has been riding his bike across the Ballard Bridge for eight years. He said the low concrete curb on the bridge is at a height that makes it easily hit by pedals and could be hazardous to riders.

There are also supports on the bridge that jut into the path every few feet that cyclists must avoid, he said.

David Hiller, advocacy director for the Cascade Bike Club, said the type of accident McMacken succumbed to is rare and the club could only find two in the past 20 years through their research. The more pressing dangers are the turn lanes at the entrances and exits to the bridge, he said.

Crossing the bridge was always the worst part of his commute, said Hiller, who crossed the bridge four times per week for a number of years.

He said an overwhelming number of injuries and accidents happen where cars are turning or where bikes have to cross or enter traffic.

One problem is re-entering traffic after crossing the bridge heading southbound on the west side, Hiller said. Cyclists there have to enter traffic that is already moving at full speed and cross a free right-turn lane for vehicles heading onto the Emerson Viaduct, which is difficult to do, he said.

Cryan said the odd benefit of pulling out into a full-speed traffic lane is that it forces cyclists to become more aware of what they are doing, which makes it a little safer.

Still, there is only one sign to remind vehicles that cyclists are going to be entering there and cars often block the vehicles behind them from seeing cyclists, he said.

Another dangerous area is heading northbound on the east side of the bridge, Cryan said. Cyclists are intended to use the bus lane and then merge into traffic, but vehicles are often only looking for buses and are shocked to see cyclists exit that lane, he said.

On the Ballard side of the bridge, Hiller said vehicles turning right off the Ballard Bridge onto Northwest Ballard Way near Mike's Chili Parlor are not always looking for cyclists who are continuing straight after exiting the bridge.

Cryan said the safety issues in these areas do not just affect cyclists, but pedestrians as well.

"I'd say it's actually worse for them at the bridge than it is for bicycles," he said.

Hiller said the Department of Transportation's strategy has been to deemphasize the bridge because they know it is ineffective for cyclists.

"It's dicey," he said. "One of the reasons we don't have more crashes is because of the small number of people who use it."

Cryan said he knows a lot of people who go out of their way to avoid the bridge during their commute because it does not feel safe to them.

Richard Sheridan, spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said the Ballard Bridge is and always has been relatively safe for cyclists, though the department is continually looking at ways to make it safer.

Hiller said it will be difficult to do much in the way of serious improvements for cyclists on the bridge in the current environment.

He would like to see wider entrances to the bridge for cyclists, green lanes to alert vehicles to the presence of cyclists, and more signage to get cyclists onto the bridge properly.

Hiller said the city's Bicycle Master plan includes building a separate bridge on the west side of the Ballard Bridge exclusively for the use of cyclists and pedestrians, but that is a long-term plan that would cost approximately $40 million.

"If that happens in the next 20 years, I would be shocked," he said.

Cryan said one of the options being looked at by the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, of which he is a member, is a structure that could be hung off the side of the Ballard Bridge and serve as a wider bike lane. There are some coordination issues to work out but the board has looked into it and it seems to be viable, would not exist on the movable portion of the bridge, and would be less expensive than a separate bridge for cyclists and pedestrians, he said.

Hiller said he is worried because the Trader Joe's and L.A. Fitness that are under construction on the north side of the Ballard Bridge will only increase bicycle traffic.

"If that bridge isn't brought up to some sort of standards, they are asking for trouble," he said.

"Hopefully, it won't take someone else dying or being injured to focus attention on the safety issues," Cryan said.

Michael Harthorne may be reached at 783.1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com