A group of residents came out to the Ballard District Meeting last night specifically to hear more information about the lane changes coming to 20th Avenue N.W.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is planning to add bicycle lanes to 20th Avenue NW between NW
Market St and NW 65th St to make "bicycling easier and safer in the Ballard Neighborhood."

To make way for these bike lanes on either side of the street, SDOT will be removing the center turn lane on that stretch of 20th Avenue NW.

Carol McMahan from SDOT said the project ranked high in the bike master plan priorities list as it will connect the Ballard Business District with residential areas. Re-striping is scheduled to start in July or August.

"We ask you to get the word out and forward concerns before construction this summer," she said.

According to SDOT data, this change will not affect traffic flow or inhibit access to residential side streets due to a low traffic volume on this particular stretch of road.

"These changes are happening to make 20th Ave NW a complete street so that it works better for all forms of transportation," according to SDOT.

McMahan said 20th Avenue provides a good alternative route to 24th Avenue NW, which has twice the traffic volume.

Not all residents were pleased with the bike lanes and expressed concerns about safety and left turns.
"We feel traffic volume is low enough with significant gaps to allow for left turns," McMahan said, adding that cars turning left will be delayed at most for 53 seconds.

Dan Chase, a Ballard resident who commuted to the University District by bike for years, agreed that 20th Avenue is the safest way to climb the hill on a bike but would prefer if SDOT left the road the way it is now.

"You're artifically constricting the road just like 24th," he said. "There's enough space for cars to get around the bike. It's working now so why change it?"

Chase also expressed the concern that car doors from parked cars are hazardous as they come into the bike lane.

"Bike lanes only make people feel save but they're hazardous," he said.

Chase said he would like to see the money for this project to be reallocated and invested in better road condition on roads such as Shilshole Avenue where rail road tracks below the Ballard Bridge cause dozens of bicycle accidents per year.

Ballard resident and traffic engineer, Andrew Natzel came to the meeting to support the project.

"I think more people are comfortable in a bike lane to on a shared lane," Natzel said.

"Biking in the street can be a frightening experience for anyone. This bike lane could encourage residents to leave their cars at home and bike to a movie or to go out to dinner."

McMahan said that while the scheduled bike lane will stop at NW Market, the Bike Master Plan calls for bike lanes further south in the future.

More information regarding this project can be found at www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprojects/20thNW.htm

Questions and concerns about these changes can be send to walkandbike@seattle.gov or by phone at 206-684-7583.