King County In Motion Ravenna-Bryant, Ventoux Coffee, and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways invite you enjoy a guided bike ride along the Burke-Gilman Trail and learn more about connecting to the UW Link Station and Matthews Beach on Saturday morning. Using your neighborhood greenways and bike paths, guides will lead two fun, family-friendly bike rides around your neighborhood:

• a 6 mile roundtrip ride from Ventoux Coffee to the UW Light Rail Station.
• a 11 mile roundtrip ride from Ventoux Coffee to the UW Light Rail Station and then to Matthews Beach.

Based on your skill level, preference, and interest you can choose which ride is right for you!

Register here. Meet at Ventoux Coffee (3404 NE 55th Street) at 10 AM on Saturday, July 9. Be sure to bring plenty of water, a helmet, and appropriate clothing.

This event will be led by Carlos Salmeron, owner of Ventoux Coffee and an avid cyclist; Andres Salomon, a neighborhood advocate from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways; and Carson Hartmann of the Ravenna-Bryant In Motion team. There will be complimentary coffee, a raffle drawing for a $25 gift card to Ventoux Coffee, as well as plenty of information about Metro, In Motion, bicycling, and more!

Do you live or work in Ravenna-Bryant and not already an In Motion participant? Sign up here!

“The Seattle DOT signs saying “Stop for pedestrians” placed at random locations along NE 65th are confusing for car drivers (car drivers really shouldn’t stop for jay-walkers) and create a dangerous situation for pedestrians who think that cars will stop.”*

“Cars speeding at all hours of the day on 25th Ave NE between 65th and 55th. (especially during commute hours).”

“Narrow sidewalks close to traffic on 65th.”

“Cars consistently encroach upon crosswalk at NE 65th and 15th Ave NE.”

“Crossing NE 65th to get to Eckstein middle school is difficult and dangerous for children trying to get to school (and bus riders). Cars are going fast and don’t stop.”

“The slow change for pedestrian signals on NE 65th at Ravenna and 20th, the speed of traffic – cars don’t stop.”

“Walking across NE 65th is dangerous most of the time. Especially the intersections between 20th and 25th. Parked cars along 65th block views of drivers and peds and no one seems to remember that peds have right of way once they step into the street.”

These are just a few of the comments about NE 65th Street made by community members who recently took RBCA’s mobility assessment survey. Similar comments were made by Ravenna-Bryant and Roosevelt neighbors who marched on June 16 to raise awareness about the many motorists, bikers, and pedestrians who have been sent to the hospital after being involved in collisions on NE 65th Street. A Fix 65th coalition formed to further push for changes and is now circulating a petition asking SDOT to start the process soon.

The RBCA’s Mobility Assessment Task Force will wrap up assessment activities this summer and develop an action plan for addressing pedestrian, bike, and motor vehicle safety problems in our community, including NE 65th Street. Interested in being a part of the solution? Contact RBCA or attend the July 5 board meeting to learn more.

——-

*Seattle Pedestrian Law includes information about when motorists are required to stop for pedestrians.

You may have received a packet in the mail or visited the In Motion table at last night’s RBCA annual meeting. So, what is the campaign all about?

Metro Transit’s In Motion program is asking Ravenna-Bryant community members to pledge to drive less. By taking part in the program, residents can find more ways to give their car a break and explore healthier transportation options available in Ravenna-Bryant.

If you take the pledge by August 7, you can get an ORCA card good for two weeks of unlimited travel. After signing up, program participants will be entered in weekly drawings for gift cards to local businesses.

Ravenna-Bryant was chosen, along with Capitol Hill, for the In Motion program because of the recent opening of the Link light rail extension serving our neighborhoods. Since 2004, In Motion has provided 36 King County neighborhoods and communities with tools and information about how residents can explore healthier travel options.

Speeding cars and difficulties crossing arterial streets are common mobility complaints from Ravenna-Bryant community members no matter if they are walking, biking, or driving a motor vehicle, according to preliminary results from an RBCA survey.

Earlier this year, RBCA formed a Mobility Assessment Task Force to identify neighborhood mobility-related problems and develop an action plan for addressing them. The need to proactively address problems became evident when mobility-related problems consistently were brought up during community meetings related to land use, public safety, and most proposed changes in Ravenna-Bryant.

Among survey responses, the most common (52%) were about walking, 23% about driving, and 17% about biking. Crossing all arterial streets was the primary concern specifically because cars are often speeding and because cars are parked too close to corners making it difficult to see oncoming traffic. For pedestrians, cars often do not yield to them when they are crossing streets and crosswalk lights are slow to change at 20th Avenue NE and in front of Assumption-St. Bridget School.

Not surprisingly, problems related to NE 65th Street predominate survey results, no matter the mobility mode. Crossing NE 65th Street is particularly difficult when drivers use it as a four lane road. Pedestrians report getting stuck halfway across when cars in one direction stop and cars traveling in the other direction do not. The corner of NE 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE is identified as particularly dangerous for a variety of reasons. Considering the Roosevelt light rail station will open in 5 years just a few blocks from this intersection, safety problems are especially concerning.

Both drivers and bikers identify traffic congestion and speeding motor vehicle drivers as common concerns. While bikers identify a lack of bicycle safety infrastructure as a problem, drivers commonly identify backed up traffic behind left-turning cars and at traffic signals.

The Mobility Assessment Task Force will complete our work this summer. The next meeting will be held in June with the date yet to be determined. If you are interested in being a part of the task force or RBCA’s Transportation Committee, please contact us.

• Unsafe walking and biking all around University Village. Unsafe connection for bicyclists between neighborhood streets and Burke-Gilman Trail. Some areas don’t have sidewalks or sidewalks in poor condition.
• Unsafe pedestrian crossing at un-marked crosswalks along NE 55th, NE 65th, and NE 75th Streets.
• Unsafe pedestrian crossing at un-marked crosswalks along 25th Avenue NE.
• Unsafe pedestrian environments on some neighborhood streets because of speeding cars.
• Insufficient car parking on 35th Avenue NE on weekends. Few places for bikes to park.
• Motor vehicle traffic on NE 65th Street during rush hour.
• Cars backed up at major intersections with no left-turn traffic signals.
• Insufficient car parking around Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center when events in progress.
• Unsafe bicycle environment along NE 65th Street, especially at 15th Avenue NE.
• Unsafe bicycle environment along 35th Avenue NE.
• Cars park too close to crosswalks/corners making it difficult for pedestrians, bikers, and motor vehicle drivers to safely cross street, especially along 35th Avenue NE.
• No sidewalks along NE 85th Street.