Idea for streetcar collision avoidance

SUV, streetcar collide; no one hurt


A sport-utility vehicle ran a red light Wednesday morning and was hit by one of the new South Lake Union streetcars... The crash at Mercer Street and Terry Avenue North happened at 7:28 a.m., when the SUV was going east toward Interstate 5.
. . .
The SUV driver told police he was maneuvering around a large puddle in the left lane of Mercer, then couldn't stop in time for a red light... More

If we treat this the way the City treats traffic safety out in the residential neighborhoods, then the Mercer & Terry intersection should get a traffic circle!

It would probably only take a few months to re-do the tracks to curve around the traffic circle. Not much of an inconvenience, as that amounts to only a tiny percentage of the overall streetcar line -- the same way that tracks in the Westlake curb lanes aren't much of an inconvenience for bicycles, in the overall scheme of things. So win-win!

Business Time

Flight of the Conchords

"Extraordinary attempt by the Bush administration to kill off the fight against climate change"

Bush's negotiators attempting to derail next round of climate change action:

"If they get this text through, then it will give a free pass to any nation that wants to keep polluting."

The proposed US text uses phrases such as "as appropriate", "depending" and "may" in reference to emissions cuts, which would effectively make any agreement reached voluntary. Last night it was understood that the US move was being supported by Canada, but fiercely opposed by the EU and Britain.

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Bali talks launch new process: World looks beyond the lame duck

Skid - Crash - @#^$!

I haven't ridden down Westlake since the SLUT construction crossed Mercer Street. Today's Mike Lindblom piece in the Times is not an incentive for me to try it now:

Cyclists, skinny tires, streetcar rails -- not a good mix

New streetcar tracks on Seattle's Westlake Avenue have turned into a trap for bicyclists.

The tires on a standard road bike are narrower than the 1 ¾-inch groove that holds a streetcar wheel. If a bicycle veers into that gap, it can easily get stuck, pitching the rider onto the street.

Seattle bike activists plan a wheeled protest next Wednesday, when the South Lake Union streetcar begins service from Westlake Center to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Despite the goal of Mayor Greg Nickels to triple bicycle use, the new streetcar line includes long stretches of track in the curb lanes of Westlake Avenue, where bicyclists normally ride. Many riders have adapted by riding on sidewalks, to the left of the tracks — or in the left lane, which aggravates motorists.

"The streetcar isn't operating yet, and we're already seeing people crashing," said Seattle Likes Bikes member Michael Snyder, who said he has heard of eight or nine accidents.

. . .

Alan Durning, founder of Sightline Institute, an environmental think tank, calls the Westlake situation one example of "bicycle neglect" — the American tendency to treat bikes as recreational vehicles, not primary transportation. A street posing similar hazards to cars would never be designed, he said.

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Also in the news

Mayor Nickels want to give City employees "free bus passes." Very laudable. But free??? Someone's paying for it down the line, Greg-o.

SLUT is cruising South Lake Union...

... I have been informed. What a great acronym.

When the Waterfront trolley goes back into service, they'll probably rename it Waterfront-Harbor Operating Rail Express.

Today at my local Starbucks

Customer: I'm having a latte and a breakfast sandwich.
Cashier: What kind of sandwich was that?
Customer: Um- aren't they all the same price?
Cashier: We track them separately.
Customer: It's the pepper-bacon. You mean some manager might be saying 'Uh-oh, the pepper-bacon is trending down'?
Cashier: I'm totally not laughing at that.