March 11, 2009 10:38 AMYa missed a Who, Nick.
Bicyclist struck by vehicle in Wallingford neighborhood
Posted by Nick Provenza
A cyclist suffered serious head injuries after she was struck by a vehicle just before 10:30 a.m. in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood.
Police and medics are at the scene, near First Avenue Northeast and North 56th Street.
The cyclist, a woman in her 40s, suffered life-threatening injuries and is being transported to Harborview Medical Center, said Dana Vander Houwen of the Seattle Fire Department.
More to come.
Showing posts with label Drivers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drivers. Show all posts
March 11, 2009
Another car runs amok
Hey, a bicyclist has been hit by another one of those driverless cars. The Seattle Times story in full --
February 23, 2009
Mercer will still be One-Way, in a way
Gee, so Seattle is going to put $154 million on making Mercer Street two-way, with another $50 million coming from federal stimulus funds. Yes, we'll be paying contractors and putting people to work to take a couple minutes off the drive of people exiting I-5.
This strikes me as perpetuating the "one way" that urban development has followed for decades: the car culture.
I've been going around telling people that the point of the stimulus is to spend money to get it out into the economy. Well, why Mercer Street? Won't other non-defense spending also create work? How about these items that are supposed to be city priorities:
And how about this need that no one ever talks about: preparing the infrastructure that will support the 1.6 million additional residents expected to move to the Puget Sound region between now and 2040. Do you think the current wastewater treatment system can handle all the additional inputs? Wouldn't our power grid benefit from rooftop solar and wind farms?
The problem for Seattle is that the federal stimulus is only going to shovel-ready projects. That is, projects that were already in advanced planning and only lacked the funding to proceed.
Obviously, Seattle didn't plan.
This strikes me as perpetuating the "one way" that urban development has followed for decades: the car culture.
I've been going around telling people that the point of the stimulus is to spend money to get it out into the economy. Well, why Mercer Street? Won't other non-defense spending also create work? How about these items that are supposed to be city priorities:
- Pedestrian safety
- Housing and support services for the hardcore homeless
- School district funding
- Finish the sidewalk grid!
- Duwamish Superfund cleanup
- Fast, convenient and pervasive transit
And how about this need that no one ever talks about: preparing the infrastructure that will support the 1.6 million additional residents expected to move to the Puget Sound region between now and 2040. Do you think the current wastewater treatment system can handle all the additional inputs? Wouldn't our power grid benefit from rooftop solar and wind farms?
The problem for Seattle is that the federal stimulus is only going to shovel-ready projects. That is, projects that were already in advanced planning and only lacked the funding to proceed.
Obviously, Seattle didn't plan.
February 4, 2009
Another piece of great reporting
The Seattle Times reports on another one of those accidents where a cyclist collides with an -- apparently -- driverless vehicle:
Update, 2/5:
Here's the Street View of the scene, looking south. The Viking is on the left, the turn lane is just ahead. The arrows appear to be where the accident occurred -- pan right 2 clicks, and the telephone pole in the P-I photo is visible.
View Larger Map
Scenario 1. News stories are implying the van was making a legal turn at the intersection with 64th. But the only way the accident makes any sense at that location, and considering the victim, Kevin Black, was an experienced rider, is if he was in the southbound lane preparing to enter the turn lane, and the van driver passed Black and got there first. It's also possible she only thought she was past him, then turned before he did. Drivers think they can share the lane with me all the time.
By the way, for the P-I Soundoff trogs -- there is no law saying you MUST use a bike lane if one is there. There are in fact all sorts of reasons not to use it -- people often insist on loading cargo on the driver's side, someone could be in the middle of parking, a car could be parked in the bike lane. The bike lane is also where all the road debris winds up.
Scenario 2. But the most common reason not to be in the bike lane is if you have to swerve to avoid something -- such as a van that has pulled out in front of you. Interestingly, the accident site is precisely where a southbound vehicle would make a U-turn to get to The Viking (look at where the nose of the white van is in the 13th photo HERE). But that can't possibly be the case here, since U-turns are only allowed at intersections and streetends -- and drivers never EVER break the law, right trogs?
Bicyclist killed in Ballard crashWay to get all the 5 Ws, "Staff."
A 39-year-old cyclist was killed in a collision with a van this morning in Ballard.
By Seattle Times staff
A 39-year-old cyclist was killed in a collision with a van this morning in Ballard.
Medics were called to 24th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 65th Street just before 11 a.m. and performed CPR on the man, according to Dana Vander Houwen, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Fire Department.
The cyclist suffered life-threatening injuries and later died at Harborview Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson. Police did not immediately provide details of the collision.
Update, 2/5:
Here's the Street View of the scene, looking south. The Viking is on the left, the turn lane is just ahead. The arrows appear to be where the accident occurred -- pan right 2 clicks, and the telephone pole in the P-I photo is visible.
View Larger Map
Scenario 1. News stories are implying the van was making a legal turn at the intersection with 64th. But the only way the accident makes any sense at that location, and considering the victim, Kevin Black, was an experienced rider, is if he was in the southbound lane preparing to enter the turn lane, and the van driver passed Black and got there first. It's also possible she only thought she was past him, then turned before he did. Drivers think they can share the lane with me all the time.
By the way, for the P-I Soundoff trogs -- there is no law saying you MUST use a bike lane if one is there. There are in fact all sorts of reasons not to use it -- people often insist on loading cargo on the driver's side, someone could be in the middle of parking, a car could be parked in the bike lane. The bike lane is also where all the road debris winds up.
Scenario 2. But the most common reason not to be in the bike lane is if you have to swerve to avoid something -- such as a van that has pulled out in front of you. Interestingly, the accident site is precisely where a southbound vehicle would make a U-turn to get to The Viking (look at where the nose of the white van is in the 13th photo HERE). But that can't possibly be the case here, since U-turns are only allowed at intersections and streetends -- and drivers never EVER break the law, right trogs?
March 28, 2008
February 21, 2008
New Product Corner
So I'm riding home yesterday from Pioneer Square, northbound on the Myrtle Edwards/Interbay route. You know where you have to make that left turn at Dravus and Elliott Avenue to get onto the Ballard Bridge? Well I'm making this turn, in the left lane, when I glance about 18 inches to my left to discover two fatasses in a newish white Infiniti next to me. Clearly they had misunderstood the expression "share the road."
At that moment I wished that my keys weren't at the bottom of my pannier. Then I had an idea. Here's the concept -- what if I had a stack of thin key-shaped refrigerator magnets, bearing the slogan "YOU'VE BEEN KEYED," and the section in RCW46 about bicyclists having the same rights and duties as a motor vehicle driver.
Whenever I get cutoff or otherwise endangered, I'd throw a "YOU'VE BEEN KEYED" magnet on the offender's car.
Much more civil than screaming "Fucktard" at them -- and educational to boot!
At that moment I wished that my keys weren't at the bottom of my pannier. Then I had an idea. Here's the concept -- what if I had a stack of thin key-shaped refrigerator magnets, bearing the slogan "YOU'VE BEEN KEYED," and the section in RCW46 about bicyclists having the same rights and duties as a motor vehicle driver.
Whenever I get cutoff or otherwise endangered, I'd throw a "YOU'VE BEEN KEYED" magnet on the offender's car.
Much more civil than screaming "Fucktard" at them -- and educational to boot!
July 19, 2007
A chip off the old fiasco
The Seattle Department of Transportation's motto (when did they get that?) is "A vibrant Seattle through transportation excellence." NO, REALLY! I'M NOT MAKING THAT UP! Stop laughing, it's mean.
The latest bit of excellence recently took place in Carkeek, Broadview and Maple Leaf: street chip sealing, scheduled for the second week of July. Chip sealing is an innocuous-sounding process for extending the life of pavement; tar is sprayed on the existing asphalt, then rock chips are layered-on. It's like Oily Roca.
I know about this because Greenwood streets underwent Chip Seal Hell 5-6 years ago, turning neighborhoods into combat zones for months. Here's how SDOT is describing the process today:
OK, this is where I pull out the red card: in Greenwood we never saw any mechanical sweepers. For a couple of weeks we would occasionally see a pickup truck with guys with brooms who would sweep up some of the rock. But no one actually changed their driving habits, resulting in rock being dislodged on an ongoing basis, for about a year. Loose rock piled up, especially at intersections. We never saw the guys with brooms again.
Oh, and telling bicyclists and motorcyclists to use "caution" is a massive understatement. SDOT should really tell you "stay off the streets unless you want your tires and drive trains covered with sticky rocks" (and remember, in this part of Greenwood there are no sidewalks to ride on). And the aforementioned piles of loose rock continued to present hazards for at least two years. It was like my street was both paved and unpaved at the same time.
From their blythe description of it, it doesn't sound like SDOT learned anything from the Greenwood chip seal operation. If you live in Carkeek, Broadview or Maple Leaf, I'd like to hear from you how it's going on your streets.
The latest bit of excellence recently took place in Carkeek, Broadview and Maple Leaf: street chip sealing, scheduled for the second week of July. Chip sealing is an innocuous-sounding process for extending the life of pavement; tar is sprayed on the existing asphalt, then rock chips are layered-on. It's like Oily Roca.
I know about this because Greenwood streets underwent Chip Seal Hell 5-6 years ago, turning neighborhoods into combat zones for months. Here's how SDOT is describing the process today:
The maintenance work will involve the application of emulsified asphalt followed by rock chips on the surface of the street...
Within several days after the street is sealed, our mechanical sweepers will sweep the street to remove any excess rock.
...
DRIVE SLOWLY (no faster than 10 mph) on the new surface for several days. This will prevent loosening the aggregate in the newly resealed street.
Bicyclists and motorcyclists should use extra caution due to loose rock.
Source
OK, this is where I pull out the red card: in Greenwood we never saw any mechanical sweepers. For a couple of weeks we would occasionally see a pickup truck with guys with brooms who would sweep up some of the rock. But no one actually changed their driving habits, resulting in rock being dislodged on an ongoing basis, for about a year. Loose rock piled up, especially at intersections. We never saw the guys with brooms again.
Oh, and telling bicyclists and motorcyclists to use "caution" is a massive understatement. SDOT should really tell you "stay off the streets unless you want your tires and drive trains covered with sticky rocks" (and remember, in this part of Greenwood there are no sidewalks to ride on). And the aforementioned piles of loose rock continued to present hazards for at least two years. It was like my street was both paved and unpaved at the same time.
From their blythe description of it, it doesn't sound like SDOT learned anything from the Greenwood chip seal operation. If you live in Carkeek, Broadview or Maple Leaf, I'd like to hear from you how it's going on your streets.
July 12, 2007
Let's do it!
This guy took good notes on yesterday's Randi Rhodes Show:
Start dialing.
Feet v. Drivers
Today's Traffic Unsafety Award winner is the 30-something white guy in the silver Mercury SUV, who yesterday (July 11 at 4:40 pm) turned right onto Western Avenue from Madison Street and declined to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Georgia license #G13 0794, this middle finger is for you!
Would you like to see Harriet Miers, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove being led to jail by the Capitol Hill Police and the House’s Sargeant at Arms? Would Friday be good for you?
Two Words: INHERENT CONTEMPT
Inherent Contempt is a little used, little known tool that the House or Senate can use. It requries only a majority…which we should easily have in the House. Under the inherent contempt power, the individual is brought before the House or Senate by the Sergeant-at-Arms, tried at the bar of the body, and can be IMPRISONED... More
Start dialing.
Feet v. Drivers
Today's Traffic Unsafety Award winner is the 30-something white guy in the silver Mercury SUV, who yesterday (July 11 at 4:40 pm) turned right onto Western Avenue from Madison Street and declined to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Georgia license #G13 0794, this middle finger is for you!
June 27, 2007
I Saw What You Did
Here's how it is: I've decided if I see you endangering pedestrians or bicyclists in my town, I'm going to put it on the record. Here's our first offender:
NURSJEN -- helping to make the streets that much meaner. Proud of yourself?
Date: June 26, 2007 at 5:45 pm.
Location: N 71st & Greenwood Ave N.
Vehicle; driver: orange Volvo S60, WA license "NURSJEN", Barrier Motors license plate frame; blonde 30ish woman.
Violation: Two women with small children enter marked crosswalk, crossing west-to-east. As they near the center left-turn lane, northbound NURSJEN momentarily decelerates, then floors it. Smooth, throaty hum of Swedish engineering (Didya spring for the 300hp 2.5 liter?). Women shake their heads. The move saves NURSJEN no time, as she is soon caught in the usual peak-hour backup at 80th St.
NURSJEN -- helping to make the streets that much meaner. Proud of yourself?
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