Airport Way Visioning Project

[industrialbiker]

The Airport Way Visioning Project is a community-based initiative that has been funded by a Small and Simple Grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Seattle cyclists are invited to participate in the first visioning workshop on Monday, July 23rd at 6:30pm in Georgetown. Anyone with an interest in Airport way is invited to attend and collaborate on the creation of a shared vision for Airport Way through Georgetown. All stakeholders - residents, businesses, land owners, bicyclists, bus riders, pedestrians, commuters, freight – will have a seat at the table.

More parking? More capacity? Pedestrian friendly? Bike lanes? More freight? Public Art? All ideas are welcome.

Airport Way Visioning Workshop
Monday, July 23rd, 6:30 pm
Georgetown Ballroom
5623 Airport Way S

[pmseattle]

The Airport Way Visioning Project is a community-based initiative that has been funded by a Small and Simple Grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Seattle cyclists are invited to participate in the first visioning workshop on Monday, July 23rd at 6:30pm in Georgetown. Anyone with an interest in Airport way is invited to attend and collaborate on the creation of a shared vision for Airport Way through Georgetown. All stakeholders - residents, businesses, land owners, bicyclists, bus riders, pedestrians, commuters, freight – will have a seat at the table.

More parking? More capacity? Pedestrian friendly? Bike lanes? More freight? Public Art? All ideas are welcome.

Airport Way Visioning Workshop
Monday, July 23rd, 6:30 pm
Georgetown Ballroom
5623 Airport Way S

Thanks for posting this, I'll check it out. It would be nice to have bike lanes from Georgetown to Boeing Access Road, fronting Boeing Field along Airport Way. There's plenty of room on both sides of the highway to build bike lanes, and it would be a nice route to get to south Seattle and King County. This has probably been discussed and rejected many times by the local government but there's no harm in bringing it up again.

[flameburns623]

I work as a contractor at a small but growing local rural airport. This airport hopes to become a commuter's alternative to the major airport in St. Louis, but 9/11 and the subsequent stall in air traffic have slowed progress on this dreams. Because this airport is in a heavily rural area, there really are no safe routes to travel to the airport--no bike paths, no roads with shoulders, many bridges with no shoulder at all, and all access roads are listed as 55 MPH+ roadways. Recreational bicyclists have been killed on roads in the area. (Oddly--there are a few bike trails several miles distant--but in my area, bike trails tend to be provided for sightseeing and not as practicable means of going to useful destinations. You can see beautiful scenery, observe wildlife, and even glimpse historic areas on bike paths, but you'll rarely be able to use them to go to work, to most schools, or to pick up a gallon of milk).

Moreover--I was told by the security department that anyone observed on a bicycle approaching the airport would trigger a security alert. Meaning that local police and sheriff's deputies, along with airport security and possibly even federal air marshals, would intercept the bicyclist immediately. As a private contractor, I would not want to draw such attention to myself, since it would probably make me immediately a persona non grata at this job assignment. A passenger creating such a fuss might well have their ticket revoked and find themselves put on a 'watch list'. Certainly they would experience a great deal of inconvenience before being allowed to complete their trip and catch their flight.

I suspect that the policy would change if someone less-vulnerable attempted to assert their legal rights to use a bike as a mode of transportation; however I also doubt anyone would want to try to bike to the airport at the present time anyhow. Not only is there no safe road access to the airport, but once the biker arrived at the airport, they would have no place to safely store their bike. Unless they planned to travel with the bike, there are neither bike racks nor suitable poles to secure the bike to, and certainly nothing covered to keep the bike out of the weather. As I say, this airport presently has other priorities if it is to become successful. But I was just wondering: do larger airports have similar issues? How does one communicate to the appropriate powers-that-be that building bike lanes or bike trails and establishing appropriate means for securing bikes on the property would be a constructive measure which might make the airport more attractive to some passengers and/or airlines?

[East Hill]

Moreover--I was told by the security department that anyone observed on a bicycle approaching the airport would trigger a security alert. Meaning that local police and sheriff's deputies, along with airport security and possibly even federal air marshals, would intercept the bicyclist immediately. As a private contractor, I would not want to draw such attention to myself, since it would probably make me immediately a persona non grata at this job assignment. A passenger creating such a fuss might well have their ticket revoked and find themselves put on a 'watch list'. Certainly they would experience a great deal of inconvenience before being allowed to complete their trip and catch their flight.


Interestingly, King County International Airport (aka 'Boeing Field') is right in between two major thoroughfares--in this case, Airport Way South, and East Marginal Way South. I doubt that any security department takes close notice of bicyclists on these roads. KCI is not exactly a passenger hub, but it does have freight traffic, and of course, Boeing has a gazillion jets parked on the ramp :) .

"Boeing Field serves small commercial passenger airlines, cargo carriers, private aircraft owners, helicopters, corporate jets, and military and other aircraft. The airport is also home to the Boeing Company’s 737 aircraft flight-test program, along with other Boeing operations. The Museum of Flight is located there, with its wide variety of aircraft and exhibits showcasing aviation history. KCIA is frequently host to celebrities and dignitaries—including the President of the United States—who prefer Boeing Field because of its proximity to downtown Seattle and other commercial areas."

[quote from KCI's website]

East Hill

[LCI_Brian]

Moreover--I was told by the security department that anyone observed on a bicycle approaching the airport would trigger a security alert. Meaning that local police and sheriff's deputies, along with airport security and possibly even federal air marshals, would intercept the bicyclist immediately. As a private contractor, I would not want to draw such attention to myself, since it would probably make me immediately a persona non grata at this job assignment. A passenger creating such a fuss might well have their ticket revoked and find themselves put on a 'watch list'. Certainly they would experience a great deal of inconvenience before being allowed to complete their trip and catch their flight.

Setting aside the issue of what is a "safe" road to the airport (that's being discussed in another thread), it's rather disconcerting to hear that it's "official" that they would stop someone approaching an airport just because they're on a bicycle. I'm sure a bicyclist approaching an airport before 9/11 would be considered weird, but now it appears they're a threat.

BTW, I'm a cyclist who will ride anywhere (except prohibited freeways) for transportation or recreation. But riding to/from an airport has not been on my list - not for any safety reasons, but for the logistical ones. When I was more into multi-day bicycle touring (culminating in my solo USA crossing in 2001), I knew of people (mostly pre-9/11) who would fly somewhere, assemble their bike upon landing, and start their tour from the airport. I always preferred to take a shuttle or transit to a hotel, have the hotel store my bike box, and start riding the next day after a good night's sleep.

The one time I would consider riding a bike to the airport would be if I worked there. As a contractor, I could understand your position and would probably do likewise. BTW, I assume you don't know of any bicycle commuters to the airport?

[flameburns623]

Setting aside the issue of what is a "safe" road to the airport (that's being discussed in another thread), it's rather disconcerting to hear that it's "official" that they would stop someone approaching an airport just because they're on a bicycle. I'm sure a bicyclist approaching an airport before 9/11 would be considered weird, but now it appears they're a threat.

I think this is an over-reaction on the part of the security staff. While it is conceivable that someone could carry out an act of terrorism on a bike, it doesn't seem the likeliest mode of delivery. Security people tend not to like changes in routine or eccentric behavior; biking in this particular area would raise eyebrows mainly because of the eccentricity factor. If the area were more like that mentioned by East Hill, with a lot of traffic of all kinds passing nearby, the matter would probably be a nonissue.

. . . The one time I would consider riding a bike to the airport would be if I worked there. As a contractor, I could understand your position and would probably do likewise. BTW, I assume you don't know of any bicycle commuters to the airport?

The short answer is, no: there are no bike commuters among the employees there yet. I don't think it's really due to hostility towards bikes.

[pmseattle]

Interestingly, King County International Airport (aka 'Boeing Field') is right in between two major thoroughfares--in this case, Airport Way South, and East Marginal Way South. I doubt that any security department takes close notice of bicyclists on these roads. KCI is not exactly a passenger hub, but it does have freight traffic, and of course, Boeing has a gazillion jets parked on the ramp :) .


East Hill

I know for a fact that nobody is bothered by bicyclists on these roads ( Airport and East Marginal ) since I have ridden both countless times. I also ride on the Boeing Field frontage road inside the airport boundary to avoid riding along Airport Way. In this case you pass right by the front of the security building, and the cops just give you a friendly wave as you go by.