Updated: The Seattle Department of Transportation is preparing to make some changes to the bike lane along the south end of the Ballard Bridge.
The bike path currently curves along the exit at West Emerson but SDOT is proposing several options improve both bike access and truck turning movements. Michael Snyder emailed us, “Cyclists have long complained about how horrible the Ballard Bridge is to cross. This is SDOT’s attempt to make it easier to merge in and continue south on 15th.” Aaron also emailed us, “Personally, I’m a little concerned by this. Drivers for the most part are accustomed to being able to make that right hand turn onto Emerson without yielding to crossing pedestrians or cyclists.”
SDOT met with a 15 member committee consisting of freight, bicycle and pedestrian advocates, to develop this plan. Dawn Schellenberg with SDOT says that they’re looking for input. You can leave comments here until August 12 so the changes can be made by the beginning of September. (Copyright photo by Michael Snyder is republished with permission. More photos here.)