Danil ACE

Didn't see this posted and search didn't turn anything up.

Found this while reading https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss , from which I found the link to https://thesunbreak.com/2011/09/08/di...attle-cyclist/ for the details.

Thoughts? Seems like there wasn't sufficient signage.

DropDeadFred

sad, Im thinking I would have just rode down the stairs...used to do it all the time on my mtb and bmx...

baj32161

Well absolutely stupid surely covers this.

DEK

Not enough signage? How about a completely moronic, ludicrous design? Who the hell builds a path that leads to stairs or into oncoming traffic? Whoever designed must deeply despise cyclists and wants them to die on this path.

RacerOne

My initial reaction was he needed to take personal responsibility.. then I saw the photo's. Dang, that is dangerous, I'm surprised more haven't been hurt or killed.

DropDeadFred

^^^agreed...think theres a law suit?

davehbuffalo

Holy cow! One more reason to stick to the road. I can't believe that.

thatguy512

Wow if someone could possibly design a path like this really makes me want to push to riding on the road instead of the sidewalk

ErichM

I honestly believe bike paths, MUPs, whatever, have more opportunity for injury than the road.

tadawdy

Before I got bolder on the road, I rode paths quite a bit. Coming across lesser hazards than this taught me to stick to something that ought to be predictable.

I'm quite familiar with paths leading directly into traffic. You can tell that, in many spots, they're just pedestrian paths that have been labeled as MUPs

dsprehe89

That is extremely sad, and a ridiculously stupid path. If I were on my MTB, I wouldn't even think twice about it, but on my SS I would probably think it was a set of stairs and ended up going into the oncoming traffic.

blacktopper

I fail to believe that there have not been other acidents, the pictures are crazy, by the time you saw the steps you would be OTB. Very sad, sounded like a great person too.

dsprehe89

Wow, I didn't notice the other pics when I made my first post, I can't believe there are stairs on a bike path.......

andrewluke

Found this out the hard way last Sunday.

Pain

I have ridden on that path around Lake Union, but never in that direction so I don't know if there is signage. That part of the path is actually a bridge over a waterway and to top it off they recently added an on street train/trolly in the mix too. Like lots of places around Seattle there is a lake on one side and a massive cliff on the other so it forces some strange road/path designs that you would not find in most places around the country. You definitely need to keep your brain engaged and not zone out on the bike paths around Seattle, and the whole way around Lake Union is especially dangerous.

redlude97

I actually live right by there and ride down fairview on a semi regular basis. To call this a "bike path" isn't really fair. It is a sidewalk that some people happen to ride their bikes on. Riding in the other direction(with traffic) those stairs aren't an issue. When I am traveling down the same road in that direction, I am on the complete other side of the road riding with traffic. It is sad to see that this occurred, but I don't think it was due to some negligent design

8Fishes

Ironically I do not think this is more of a cycling issue but an accessibility issue for the city. I can't believe they haven't gotten sued over this by a handicapped or wheel chair person over this yet. It is not too late, someone can bring a long a wheelchair person and 'try' to get his across the sidewalk with steps. On the plus side, the ramps really need some proper signage and paint on the floor to direct traffic INTO the roadway (bypass).

Look at the first diagram in the second link highlighting stuff. See off where it suggests people head into traffic. This is NOT heading into traffic, but a bypass that was created from the existing road for bicycles. There is a small concrete barrier lining this bypass runs all the way to the other side and on google maps, some women is using it.

Granted, if I didn't know the area, I wouldn't have taken the bypass thinking I would be rolling into traffic too, but I think that is the purpose of it. I also wouldn't be barreling down ways I've never been though before too. The other weekend I went down some 'steps' on my road bike, it wasn't a fun experience but at least I didn't fall over/get hurt. The steps were also spaced out too, thankfully. If they were regulation lengthed steps, I'd probably would have been screwed. I was also able to see it coming up, and I was able to slow down quite a bit, but not enough to stop before dropping down a few steps.

merlinextraligh

Several thoughts:

1) it's a horrible design. to the extent bike traffic is permitted on this path, they really need to put up signage, and paint on the path above the step marking the hazard.

2) it's a cautionary tale that MUP's are typically designed for low speed riding. No idea how fast the deceased was going, but at beach cruiser speed, you likely see the steps in time to react. 20mph+ on a road bike, maybe not.

3) a suit against the city would depend on Washington's approach to sovereign immunity (which I don't know without research)

4) prayers for the family of the deceased.

The path is cleary not accesable within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and if it was built, or altered after the ADA, it would be in violation.

But public entities are not required to retrofit existing facilities.

https://www.ada.gov/t2hlt95.htm

Seattle Forrest

The path doesn't go down the stairs, obviously. The road is built around Lake Union. There's a section where the rightmost lane of the road is blocked off, physically divided, and dedicated to cyclists. On the southern end, it joins the sidewalk. The sidewalk goes down a flight of stairs to the water level, while the road is 20 or 30 feet higher. Cyclists are supposed to take the road, unless they want to get off and walk their bike up and down the stairs.

I used to live in Eastlake and went by this point at least once a day, every day, for 2.5 years. I've never, ever, ever had a problem here. It's pretty obvious in real life.



When you're heading north (the photo faces north) you should be in the lane on the far side of the road. But if you've been riding on the sidewalk all this time, you should take the path labeled "against traffic" and take comfort in the divider that protects you from the cars.

Seattle Forrest

The stairs are on the pedestrian path.

chasm54

What is this doing in the road forum? A&S? General Cycling? Commuting? Definitely not road-specific.

Juan Foote

I think there is a certain amount of personal responsibility here. Any time you are riding on an unfamiliar path caution should be taken to insure that you know what lies ahead. I always take it slow on new pathways, roads, w/e the first time through with close attention paid to possible hazards in/on/near the roadway.
With that said, whoever designed this needs to be sued into non-existance. Very poorly thought out.

banerjek

While you can't see the stairs until really late in the game, it would still be pretty obvious if you're paying attention because you'd see a dramatic drop in the level of the path that couldn't possibly be a ramp and the hand rail also gives a visual indicator. Based on the condition of the path, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't going that fast and just zoned out.

As has already been mentioned, it appears to be a sidewalk that they just let bikes on, and designating it as a bike path strikes me as idiotic and dangerous. In recent years, I've noticed and increased number of bike paths that are designed in a dangerous way. For example, bike paths that run against traffic are common and my personal favorite is bike paths on both sides of a one way street.

Seattle Forrest

The walking trail is at water level, and goes by the dock in this photo. The street has white guard rails. You can't see the stairs in this photo, but, in real life, as you approach, you can see there's a precipitous drop coming up. The photo at least gives a sense of how big the elevation change is. They don't build ramps steep enough to do that.

If you don't mind portaging over the stairs, the dock is a decent enough place to launch a kayak.

redlude97

Why is that? This isn't even an issue if you are riding in the correct direction on the sidewalk. This bicyclist was riding against the flow of traffic on the wrong side of the street. There is a sidewalk on the other side. If you are going southbound(the other correct direction of travel) the stairs aren't even an issue, you come from the the street with the concrete barrier onto the sidewalk bypassing the stairs altogether. Not every sidewalk in the city can be "bike proofed". Had they been riding in the road like the majority of cyclists commuting on this road it wouldn't have even been an issue.