nullagent<p>Ahh this old routine.</p><p>Haven't seen this smear campaign since the last time a young person took on a sitting Amazon Basics corporate ass Seattle mayor.</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Vote" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Vote</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/KatieWilson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>KatieWilson</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/PNW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PNW</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/ElectionDay2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ElectionDay2025</span></a></p>
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#bruceharrell
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Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/31/get-your-ballot-to-a-drop-box-how-to-print-a-replacement-ballot-or-register-in-person/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Get your ballot to a drop box + How to print a replacement ballot or register in-person</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/ballot-drop-boxes" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>See the <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/ballot-drop-boxes" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">interactive map via King County Elections</a>.<p>It may be too late to rely on the post office to mail your ballot ahead of the November 4 election, so anyone with a ballot still lying around should fill it out and get it to a ballot drop box (<a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/ballot-drop-boxes" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">King</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/viewer?mid=13M_ZTb_zVszBZRjsNm5UvOfhmBU&ll=47.17413419874129%2C-122.47633723144537&z=10" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pierce</a>, <a href="https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5726/Find-a-Ballot-Drop-Box" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Snohomish</a>) by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Also send this info to your friends and family who are less engaged than you are.</p><p>Any registered voter who has lost their ballot can complete and print a replacement ballot online (<a href="https://wa.omniballot.us/sites/53033/site/app/ob/vr/wa/vr" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">King</a>, <a href="https://voter.votewa.gov/portal2023/login.aspx" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pierce</a>, <a href="https://voter.votewa.gov/portal2023/login.aspx" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Snohomish</a>). You can also register and/or vote in-person now until the polls close by going to a voting center, though check the open hours before going (<a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/vote-centers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">King</a>, <a href="https://www.piercecountywa.gov/6548/Contact-Pierce-County-Elections" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pierce</a> has unlisted extended hours until 6 p.m. Monday and 8 p.m. Tuesday, <a href="https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5727/Find-an-Accessible-Voting-and-Same-Day-R" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Snohomish</a>). </p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">our endorsement of Katie Wilson for Seattle Mayor</a> as well <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a compilation of endorsements</a> around the region from Washington Bikes, Transportation for Washington, the Urbanist and the Transit Riders Union. If you’re having trouble deciding who to vote for, seeing where these four very different orgs landed can give you a good idea. One surprise to me, for example, was that all four orgs endorsed Claudia Balducci for King County Executive while only the Transit Riders Union dual endorsed Girmay Zahilay. That race may end up being the closest major race on the ballot, and many people (including yours truly) are having a hard time deciding because they’re both great. So if you care a lot about transportation policy, maybe these endorsement results are your tie-breaker. </p><p>This is a moment in Seattle history. We have not elected a mayor like Katie Wilson in modern memory. She is a genuine bike and bus riding grassroots community organizer and an effective coalition builder. Perhaps most remarkably, she is not overly egotistical, a problematic trait that nearly all successful politicians share. She doesn’t always make everything about Katie, she centers the work and the partners who make it happen. She is also not afraid to take a chance on a new idea (like ORCA Lift and the JumpStart tax and social housing), and she has a remarkable success rate gathering the community and stakeholder buy-in to make them happen. She is the kind of politician people say they want but rarely get a chance to elect. A mayor who leads from within rather than on high. Electing Katie Wilson could be a chance to redefine the path to power at City Hall, a once-in-a-generation kind of event. </p><p>Don’t sit this one out or rely on some promising polling to get Katie to the Mayor’s Office. A handful of ultrawealthy people and companies are spending huge amounts of money to attack her and shift the race back in Harrell’s favor. But we can defeat them with people power by <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/wilsonforseattle/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">volunteering for the Wilson campaign</a> to get out the vote (for example, you can <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/wilsonforseattle/event/862301/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">phonebank from your own home</a>). If nothing else, contact all your friends and family to urge them to vote and offer to answer their questions.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
nullagent<p>Wild Bruce Harrell is still a leading Seattle mayor candidate.</p><p>That man held a pregnant woman at gun point over a parking space and is still allowed in the democratic party.</p><p>Wild.</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/PNW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PNW</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a></p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/23/op-ed-wa-bikes-explains-why-they-endorsed-bruce-harrell/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Op-Ed: WA Bikes explains why they endorsed Bruce Harrell</strong></a></p><blockquote><p><strong>Editor’s Note</strong>: <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle Bike Blog has enthusiastically endorsed Katie Wilson</a> for Seattle Mayor, and we wrote in a recent roundup of advocacy organization endorsements that “<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">WA Bikes snubs several bike champions</a>.” In conversations with Washington Bikes Executive Director Lee Lambert, I offered space for an op-ed explaining their decision. WA Bikes is a nonpartisan organization that endorsed more than 70 candidates across the state this election cycle. It is distinct from its charitable sister organization the Cascade Bicycle Club and is funded largely by revenue from the annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.</p></blockquote><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_7105.jpeg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The WA Bikes PAC, funded entirely by Washington Bikes, <a href="https://web6.seattle.gov/ethics/elections/poplist.aspx?cid=1028&listtype=vendors" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sent this mailer to nearly 77,000 homes</a>.<p><strong>By <a href="https://wabikes.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Washington Bikes</a></strong></p><p></p> -- Advertisement -- <p><strong>Our Endorsement Process</strong></p><p>At Washington Bikes, our endorsement process is rooted in research and a focus on what matters most — delivering real, measurable improvements for biking, safety, and equity. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Seattle has seen historic investments in bike infrastructure, and much of that progress is thanks to the leadership of Mayor Bruce Harrell.</p><p>Over the last few days, we’ve received questions about our endorsement of Bruce Harrell for Mayor. Rather than simply responding directly back to the people who emailed us, we wanted to be more transparent and share the message with others who may be wondering.</p><p>We support candidates who not only articulate a strong vision but also follow through — securing funding, advancing projects, and creating lasting, tangible change. Our endorsement process includes early endorsements of champions, and considers positions on bike policy (which may be learned through our questionnaire or in-person interview or the candidate’s record on bike-related issues), their approachability and willingness to engage on bike safety, their viability, and their experience and years of leadership within the community.</p><p></p><p><strong>Our Endorsement: Why We Stand by Mayor Harrell</strong></p><p>Based on his results for people biking, Washington Bikes is proud to endorse Mayor Bruce Harrell for re-election. During his first term, Mayor Harrell didn’t simply talk about bike safety — his administration funded it, built it, and set Seattle up for even greater progress ahead.</p><p>Let’s be clear: we don’t agree on every decision. For example, Lake Washington Boulevard clearly needs to be safer for people walking, biking and rolling. But the massive progress and improvements towards a safe, connected Seattle bike network over the last four years are undeniable.</p><p>Let’s look at the receipts:</p><p></p><ul><li>Sent a $1.55 billion Seattle Transportation Levy to voters, which included over $130 million for protected bike lanes, and $160 million for Vision Zero — a funding source that targets projects that will make our streets safer, frequently for people biking and walking. This is also a Levy that is federal government proof — a major shift from the prior Levy — and ensures stability and progress even when federal funds fluctuate. </li><li>Approved the Seattle Transportation Plan (STP), which grew the number of miles in the planned bike network and set protected bike lanes as the default for new bike lanes. </li><li>Completed over 13 miles of NEW protected bike lanes across the city, including high impact projects with organized opposition to them, such as: the first protected bike lane to and through SODO, known as the Georgetown to Downtown Protected Bicycle Lane. Additionally, the Georgetown to South Park Protected Bicycle Lane, Alaskan Way West Side Protected Bicycle Lane, and East Marginal Way were built during his tenure. </li><li>Installed six miles of concrete barriers to add real physical protection to existing painted bike lanes, with a total of 30 percent of the existing bike network to be converted over the Levy’s span.</li><li>Advanced more safe bike routes to construction or design: Eastlake protected bike lanes as part of Rapid Ride J (3.7 miles), Renton Ave S (1.7 miles), Roosevelt/ Pinehurst Way NE (1.35 miles), S Henderson St. (0.87 miles) Beacon Ave Middle Segment (2.36 miles), Highland Park Way SW (0.59 miles), and 4th Ave Extension to Seattle Center (0.7 miles). </li><li>Staying the course on completing the Burke Gilman Missing Link along Shilshole Ave NW — the Mayor’s office has continued to appeal the lawsuits that stand in the way of completing the Missing Link on the most simple, safe and connected route.</li><li>Equity-driven Levy projects moving forward, like 14th & Director in South Park, 130th Avenue N, Aurora Avenue bike lanes, and Beacon Avenue South. </li></ul><p>These achievements are not small wins — they represent transformative progress in connectivity, safety, and accessibility, particularly for South Seattle communities that have long been underserved.</p><p>But an endorsement isn’t just backward looking. We view Harrell as well-positioned to implement the current transportation levy, which is the major funding source for new bike infrastructure and the key to completing Seattle’s bike network. After all, his staff crafted it, and he gave it his stamp of approval when he sent it to the city council.</p><p></p><p><strong>Vote Harrell for a Safer, More Connected Seattle</strong></p><p>Washington Bikes supports Mayor Bruce Harrell because he’s proven that leadership, collaboration, and accountability deliver results. From record-setting investments to long-awaited project completions, his administration has achieved incredible progress delivering safe, equitable bike networks across Seattle.</p><p>Vote Bruce Harrell for Mayor. Let’s keep Seattle moving forward — on two wheels.</p><p></p><p><strong>About Washington Bikes</strong></p><p>Washington Bikes is a statewide 501c4 organization committed to building a transportation system that works for everyone. We focus on long-term policies and investments that create safer streets and better access across Washington, including statewide wins such as the Safety Stop, the Vulnerable Road User/Safe Passing Law, and ensuring bicyclists have the same rights as cars on our roads.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Who transportation orgs are endorsing in the 2025 general election + WA Bikes snubs several bike champions?</strong></a></p><p></p><p>Skip ahead to the endorsements:</p> <ol><li><a class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/#state-legislature" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">State Legislature</a></li><li><a class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/#counties" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Counties</a></li><li><a class="" href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/17/who-transportation-orgs-are-endorsing-in-the-2025-general-election-wa-bikes-snubs-several-bike-champions/#cities" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cities</a></li></ol> <p>Ballots are hitting mailboxes across Washington State, and Seattle has the opportunity to elect a mayor who is a people-powered champion for biking, walking, transit and affordability in Katie Wilson. While incumbent mayor <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/news/2025/10/15/80284220/bruce-harrell-spoke-at-a-fundraiser-for-the-pac-supporting-him" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bruce Harrell is embroiled in a campaign finance scandal</a> over apparent collusion with his big money “independent” PAC that’s spending huge amounts on attack ads, Wilson’s campaign has volunteers knocking on doors all over Seattle. <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/wilsonforseattle/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Join the Wilson canvassing effort</a> to send a message to major funders (including <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wilsonforseattle.bsky.social/post/3m3fmzggltk2f" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">wealthy Republican funders</a>) that they cannot buy a Seattle mayor. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle Bike Blog has endorsed Wilson</a> and even <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/08/18/saturday-join-seattle-bike-blog-and-friends-for-a-bicycle-rally-on-car-free-lake-washington-blvd-to-support-katie-wilson-for-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">helped organize a bike rally</a> for her campaign. </p><p>Ballots are due back by 8 p.m. November 4. The deadline to <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">register</a> or <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote/change-my-address" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">update your registration</a> online is November 27. After that, you can still register and vote in-person at <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/vote-centers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a vote center</a> up to and including election day.</p><p>In all the years I’ve been doing these endorsement roundups, the transportation organizations have mostly aligned on candidate choices. But this year, that changed. Transportation 4 Washington and especially Washington Bikes have both taken turns toward centrist candidates in some key races even when there is an outspoken champion for biking and transit in the race. The biggest discrepancy is that both orgs endorsed Bruce Harrell for Seattle Mayor while the Urbanist, the Transit Riders Union and Seattle Bike Blog have all emphatically endorsed Katie Wilson. The WA Bikes PAC run by Washington Bikes even <a href="https://web6.seattle.gov/ethics/elections/poplist.aspx?cid=1028&listtype=vendors" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">spent more than $57,000</a> on mailers to Seattle voters touting their endorsed city candidates, including Harrell, as “<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/colindurant.bsky.social/post/3m3g2cu7rg22j" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">pro-bike champions</a>” who are “pro-bike” and “pro-safety.” <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/14/packer-city-staff-created-shovel-ready-design-for-lake-washington-blvd-safety-upgrades-before-mayor-harrell-cancelled-them/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Secretly killing shovel-ready safety upgrades on Lake Washington Boulevard</a> doesn’t seem very “pro-safety” to me. </p><p>It’s not just Seattle Mayor, though. Washington Bikes also endorsed Jon Pascal for Kirkland City Council over his enthusiastically bike-loving challenger Kurt Dresner. I mean, you can read their transportation promises for yourself. <a href="https://jonpascal.com/issues" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pascal</a> wants to “ease congestion” and “balance” sidewalk and bike lane improvements while “recognizing that vehicles remain an essential form of transportation.” Dresner talks about working for Kirkland’s “large nondriving population” (he’s clearly not only read <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/shop/when-driving-is-not-an-option-by-anna-letitia-zivarts-signed/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Anna Zivarts’ book</a>, he’s working her lessons into his platform!) and how “owning and operating a car today is incredibly expensive, and traffic crashes injure and kill millions each year.” He’s not some outside candidate, either. Kirkland’s Mayor Kelli Curtis and Kirkland City Councilmember Amy Falcone have <a href="https://kurtforkirkland.com/endorsements" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">endorsed Dresner</a>, as have State Senator Vendana Slatter and King County Councilmember (and WA Bikes-endorsed candidate for Executive) Claudia Balducci. (UPDATE 10/20: Transportation for Washington has also endorsed Dresner). I don’t understand how a bike org can snub a candidate who has put this much care into embracing the core mission of safe streets.</p><p>So we find ourselves in a situation where Seattle Bike Blog is telling you to vote against the candidate listed on the WA Bikes PAC mailer you received in your mailbox. It feels very odd. </p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-17-at-2.08.30-PM.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>An unhappy mailer recipient, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/colindurant.bsky.social/post/3m3g2cu7rg22j" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">via Bluesky</a>.<p>I have gathered endorsements from several organizations working for safer streets and better transit in our area: <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/16/2025-general-election-endorsements/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Urbanist (URB)</a>, <a href="https://www.t4wa.org/endorsements" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transportation for Washington (T4W)</a>, <a href="https://wabikes.org/index.php/advocacy/endorsements/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Washington Bikes (WAB)</a>, and the <a href="https://transitriders.org/2025-general-election-endorsements/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transit Riders Union (TRU)</a>. Once again, the Urbanist did an exceptional job of explaining the reasoning behind their choices, so if you want more details on a specific race I highly recommend reading their write-up.</p><p></p><p>Note that Cascade Bicycle Club (CSC), Seattle Neighborhood Greenways (SNG) and Transportation Choices Coalition are 501(c)(3) non-profits that can accept tax-deductible donations, and U.S. law allows them to endorse ballot measures but not political candidates or parties. Cascade and TCC’s respective sister organizations Washington Bikes and Transportation for Washington are separate 501(c)(4) non-profits that can endorse candidates. I only included “no endorsement” if an org specifically noted it, such as the Urbanist’s snub of Lynn Robinson in Bellevue. (UPDATE 10/20: T4W has updated their endorsements list to include Kurt Dresner in Kirkland and a dual endorsement of John Hines and Anders Ibsen for Tacoma Mayor).</p><p></p><p><strong>State Legislature</strong></p><p>Legislative District 5 State Senate</p><ul><li>Victoria Hunt — WB, URB</li></ul><p>Legislative District 26 State Senate</p><ul><li>Deb Krishnadasan — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Legislative District 33 State Representative Position 1</p><ul><li>Edwin Obras — URB</li></ul><p>Legislative District 34 State Senate</p><ul><li>Emily Alvarado — WB</li></ul><p>Legislative District 34 State Representative Position 1</p><ul><li>Brianna Thomas — T4W</li></ul><p>Legislative District 41 State Representative Position 1</p><ul><li>Janice Zahn — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Legislative District 48 State Senate</p><ul><li>Vandana Slatter — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Legislative District 48 State Representative Position 1</p><ul><li>Osman Salahuddin — WB, T4W</li></ul><p><strong>Counties</strong></p><p>King County Executive</p><ul><li>Claudia Balducci — WB, T4W, URB, TRU (dual)</li><li>Girmay Zahilay — TRU (dual)</li></ul><p>King County Council District 1</p><ul><li>Rod Dembowski — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>King County Council District 3</p><ul><li>Sarah Perry — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>King County Council District 5</p><ul><li>Peter Kwon — WB</li><li>No Endorsement — URB</li></ul><p>King County Council District 7</p><ul><li>Maya Vengadasalam — TRU</li></ul><p>King County Council District 9</p><ul><li>Jude Anthony — TRU</li></ul><p>Pierce County Council District 5</p><ul><li>Bryan Yambe — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Pierce County Charter Review Commission</p><ul><li>Devin Rydel Kelly — TRU</li></ul><p>Snohomish County Council District 5</p><ul><li>Sam Low — WB</li></ul><p>Whatcom County Council District 2</p><ul><li>Elizabeth Boyle — T4W</li></ul><p>Whatcom County Council District 3</p><ul><li>Jessica Rienstra — T4W</li></ul><p><strong>Cities</strong></p><p>Auburn Mayor</p><ul><li>Nancy Backus — T4W</li></ul><p>Bainbridge Island City Council District 7 North Ward</p><ul><li>Joe Deets — WB</li></ul><p>Bellevue City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Vishal Bhargava — WB, URB</li></ul><p>Bellevue City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Naren Briar — WB</li></ul><p>Bellevue City Council Position 4</p><ul><li>Pradnya Desh — WB</li></ul><p>Bellevue City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Claire Sumadiwirya — WB, URB</li></ul><p>Bellevue City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Lynne Robinson — WB, T4W</li><li>No Endorsement — URB</li></ul><p>Bellingham City Council At Large</p><ul><li>Jace Cotton — WB</li></ul><p>Bellingham City Council Ward 2</p><ul><li>Hollie Huthman — WB</li><li>Leah Wainman — T4W</li></ul><p>Bellingham City Council Ward 4</p><ul><li>Skip Williams — WB</li></ul><p>Bellingham City Council Ward 6</p><ul><li>Andrew Reding — WB, TRU</li></ul><p>Bothell City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Jenne Alderks — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Bothell City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Brittany Miles — T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Bothell Proposition 1</p><ul><li>YES — URB</li></ul><p>Bremerton Mayor</p><ul><li>Jeff Coughlin — WB</li><li>Greg Wheeler — T4W</li></ul><p>Bremerton City Council District 3</p><ul><li>Christy Cammarata — WB (dual)</li><li>Michael Simonds — WB (dual)</li></ul><p>Bremerton City Council District 7</p><ul><li>Matthew Baptiste-Cerra — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Burien City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Hugo Garcia — URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Burien City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Sam Méndez — T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Burien City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Sarah Moore — WB, T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Burien City Council Position 7</p><ul><li>Rocco DeVito — WB, T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Edmonds City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Chris Eck — WB</li></ul><p>Edmonds City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Alex Newman — WB</li></ul><p>Ellensburg City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Nancy Lillquist — T4W</li></ul><p>Ellensburg Proposition 1</p><ul><li>YES — TCC</li></ul><p>Everett Mayor</p><ul><li>Cassie Franklin — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Everett City Council District 1</p><ul><li>Sam Hem — T4W</li></ul><p>Everett City Council District 2</p><ul><li>Paula Rhyne — WB</li></ul><p>Federal Way City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Martin A. Moore — T4W</li></ul><p>Gig Harbor City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Patrick Ammann — WB</li></ul><p>Gig Harbor City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Emily Stone — WB</li></ul><p>Issaquah Mayor</p><ul><li>Lindsey Walsh — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Issaquah City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Kelly Jiang — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Issaquah City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Kevin Nichols — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Kenmore City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Tracy Banaszynski — WB</li></ul><p>Kenmore City Council Position 4</p><ul><li>Nigel Herbig — WB, T4W, TRU</li></ul><p>Kent City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Satwinder Kaur — WB</li></ul><p>Kent City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Andy Song — URB</li></ul><p>Kirkland City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Jay Arnold — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Kirkland City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Shilpa Prem — URB</li></ul><p>Kirkland City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Neal Black — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Kirkland City Council Position 7</p><ul><li>Kurt Dresner — URB, TRU, T4W</li><li>Jon Pascal — WB</li></ul><p>Lake Forest Park City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Josh Rosenau — WB, T4W, TRU</li></ul><p>Lakewood City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Ellen Talbo — WB</li></ul><p>Lynnwood City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Isabel Mata — WB</li></ul><p>Lynnwood City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Josh Binda — TRU</li></ul><p>Mount Vernon City Council Ward 2 Position 2</p><ul><li>Hannah Oliver — T4W</li></ul><p>Newcastle City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Paul Charbonneau — URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Olympia City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Robert Vanderpool — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Olympia City Council Position 7</p><ul><li>Paul Berendt — WB</li></ul><p>Port Townsend City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Dylan Quarles — WB</li></ul><p>Poulsbo Mayor</p><ul><li>Ed Stern — WB</li></ul><p>Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7</p><ul><li>John-Mark Mahnkey — T4W</li></ul><p>Pullman City Council Ward 3 Position 5</p><ul><li>Tawny Szumlas — T4W</li></ul><p>Redmond City Council Position 4</p><ul><li>Melissa Stuart — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Redmond City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Menka Soni — WB, T4W, URB</li></ul><p>Renton City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Mike Westgaard — URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Renton City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Carmen Rivera — WB, TRU</li><li>No Endorsement — URB</li></ul><p>Renton City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Paul Dutton — TRU</li></ul><p>Richland City Council Position 6</p><ul><li>Kurt H Maier — WB</li></ul><p>Sammamish City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Sid Gupta — WB</li></ul><p>Sammamish City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Lin Yang — WB, TRU</li></ul><p>Sammamish City Council Position 7</p><ul><li>Karen Howe — WB</li></ul><p>SeaTac City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Caitlin Konya — TRU</li></ul><p>SeaTac City Council Position 4</p><ul><li>Mohamed Egal — T4W, TRU</li></ul><p>Seattle Mayor</p><ul><li>Bruce Harrell — WB, T4W</li><li>Katie Wilson — URB, TRU, <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle Bike Blog</a></li></ul><p>Seattle City Attorney</p><ul><li>Erika Evans — URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Seattle City Council District 2</p><ul><li>Adonis Ducksworth — WB, T4W</li><li>Eddie Lin — URB</li></ul><p>Seattle City Council District 8</p><ul><li>Alexis Mercedes Rinck — WB, T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Seattle City Council District 9</p><ul><li>Dionne Foster — WB, T4W, URB, TRU</li></ul><p>Seattle Proposition 1</p><ul><li>YES — URB</li></ul><p>Seattle Proposition 2</p><ul><li>YES — URB</li></ul><p>Spokane City Council District 1, Position 2</p><ul><li>Sarah Dixit — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Spokane City Council District 2, Position 2</p><ul><li>Kate Telis — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Spokane City Council District 3, Position 2</p><ul><li>Zach Zappone — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Tacoma Mayor</p><ul><li>John Hines — WB, T4W (dual)</li><li>Anders Ibsen — URB, T4W (dual)</li></ul><p>Tacoma City Council District 2</p><ul><li>Sarah Rumbaugh — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Tacoma City Council District 4</p><ul><li>Silong Chhun — URB</li><li>Sandesh Sadalge — WB, T4W</li></ul><p>Tacoma City Council District 5</p><ul><li>Zev Rose Cook — URB</li></ul><p>Tacoma City Council District 6</p><ul><li>Latasha Palmer — URB</li></ul><p>Tukwila City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Verna Seal — URB</li></ul><p>Tukwila City Council Position 3</p><ul><li>Hannah Hedrick — TRU</li></ul><p>Tukwila City Council Position 5</p><ul><li>Kate Kruller — WB</li></ul><p>Vancouver City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Kim D. Harless — T4W</li></ul><p>Vancouver City Council Position 2</p><ul><li>Erik Paulsen — T4W</li></ul><p>Woodinville City Council Position 1</p><ul><li>Michelle Evans — WB</li></ul><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/14/packer-city-staff-created-shovel-ready-design-for-lake-washington-blvd-safety-upgrades-before-mayor-harrell-cancelled-them/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Packer: City staff created shovel-ready design for Lake Washington Blvd safety upgrades before Mayor Harrell cancelled them</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-42.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>A construction-ready engineering plot city staff created for a planned safety upgrade to the intersection of Lake Washington Boulevard and S Orcas Street. <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/07/lake-washington-boulevard-safety-upgrades-fully-designed-before-mayor-pulled-plug/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Published by the Urbanist</a>.<p>Staff at both Seattle Parks and SDOT worked together to fully design a series of planned street safety upgrades to Lake Washington Boulevard, including additional speed humps to slow speeding and a redesigned intersection at S Orcas Street. The existence of late-stage design documents and internal communications <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/07/lake-washington-boulevard-safety-upgrades-fully-designed-before-mayor-pulled-plug/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">uncovered by Ryan Packer at the Urbanist</a> demonstrate that the city was planning to go ahead with the previously announced safety upgrades to the street as recently as the spring before Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office told them to cancel them. </p><p>Final design documents represent a lot of work and public investment to create a plot ready to be handed off to a city work crew or contractor. Usually public debate happens during earlier phases of design, such as the concept images Seattle Bike Blog posted in <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a previous story</a>. The concept phase gives the public enough information to have an informed debate before investing a ton of time and money into the minute details needed to create a final construction plot. For a final design, staff must study the existing conditions to make exact measurements and check for any needed repairs to existing infrastructure like damaged pavement or curbs. They also need to determine the locations and access needs for any other utilities (the new design can’t obstruct a gas or sewer cover for example). They have to make sure water drainage will still function correctly and safely, and they have to analyze all the turning angles and line markings to ensure every detail meets the relevant engineering standards. It’s a huge amount of work, and something the city only does if they actually intend to build something because it would be a big waste of precious staff time and taxpayer money to go through all this work for nothing. A February Teams chat documented both that staff were intending to move forward with construction and that the mayor’s office stopped them:</p><blockquote><p>With the intersection changes fully designed, city staff asked superiors if the city move forward with issuing a work order for it in a late February Teams chat.</p><p>“Yes, that should work from an outreach standpoint. The only consideration is if the mayors office wants that pulled from the project, but we won’t know until march,” was the reply from Jordan Hoy, leading the Lake Washington Boulevard project for Seattle Parks. It was also Hoy who <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/01/08/lake-washington-boulevard-traffic-calming-fight/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">raised questions about a proposal</a> to remove an all-way stop near Mount Baker Beach from an earlier set of changes to the corridor, a move that also seemed to go against what the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) had determined was warranted at the intersection.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>When Mayor Harrell’s office cancelled the project over the summer, they tried to hide their decision by announcing a dramatically reduced project list without acknowledging that anything had been cut. Seattle Bike Blog and others had to use the Wayback Machine to find archives of older versions of the project webpage to <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">determine what the mayor’s office had removed</a>. The list included most of the safety upgrades, including the Orcas intersection. </p><p>Within a couple weeks of the reduced and changed work on the street, which included some new center line reflectors and new fog lines on the sides of the road, <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/08/22/man-struck-from-behind-while-biking-on-section-of-lake-washington-blvd-where-city-dropped-planned-safety-upgrades/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bradley Hawkins was struck from behind</a> and injured while biking home from a trip to the mountains. The person who hit him did not cross the newly-reflectorized center line or slow down, then fled the scene after the collision. He was struck so hard that multiple pieces of the damaged car were destroyed as well. He had some bad scrapes and back pain, but luckily his injuries were not more serious considering the speed of the impact. He was struck in an area what was scheduled to get speed humps before the mayor cancelled them. His injuries should be a wake-up call to city leaders that this work has real life consequences.</p><p>These documents, uncovered through a public information request because the city is still obscuring the truth around the handling of this project, further make the case that Bruce Harrell isn’t up for the job of mayor. The public bears the consequences of the mayor’s anti-safety decisions like these whether they are injured, killed or simply feel unsafe accessing our streets and parks. Now it is time for the mayor to bear the consequences of his decisions as the public heads to the ballot box. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vote for Katie Wilson</a>!</p><p>Ballots will be mailed tomorrow and are due back by 8 p.m. November 4. The deadline to <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">register</a> or <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote/change-my-address" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">update your registration</a> online is November 27. After that, you can still register and vote in-person at <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/return-my-ballot/vote-centers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a vote center</a> up to and including election day.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/10/02/under-mayor-harrells-leadership-bike-walk-and-bus-improvements-that-required-years-of-outreach-can-be-removed-without-any-notice/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Under Mayor Harrell’s leadership, bike, walk and bus improvements that required years of outreach can be removed without any notice – UPDATE: The bus lane is saved!</strong></a></p><p></p><p>When neighbors asked the city to make Lake Washington Boulevard safer for people walking and biking, the city kicked off a half-decade public outreach process that stalled out once Bruce Harrell became mayor before concluding with a lackluster plan to add some speed humps and a couple stop signs. Then without any outreach at all, Seattle Parks this summer <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">announced they were cancelling the rest</a> of the speed humps and stop signs after building just a handful of them.</p><p>But when a few business and property owners asked the city to allow cars to use the bus-only access point to westbound Union Street from Madison Street that was part of the extensive RapidRide G project, SDOT got to work making it happen without any public outreach at all. How will allowing car traffic affect crosswalk safety? How will the change impact safety for the eastbound bike lane? I cannot tell you because there is no project website, and SDOT has not yet responded to my requests for more details even though the project is already under construction. The only reason we even know this is happening is because <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nicksattele.bsky.social/post/3m26ealdxps25" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">someone from Central Seattle Greenways saw workers jackhammering away and asked them about it</a> (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/typewriteralley.bsky.social/post/3m23wpasmls2d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ryan Packer was also asking questions</a> even before work began).</p><blockquote><p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: SDOT released <a href="https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2025/10/02/capitol-hill-updates-to-support-route-2s-return-to-e-union-st/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a blog post</a> announcing they will go ahead with the elements to allow the Route 2 bus to use the lane, but will not open the street to car traffic. Good work everyone who helped sound the alarm! The bike lane changes are staying, including the diagonal crossing at 11th Avenue.</p></blockquote><p>When Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck heard about the surprise change, she went there herself and talked to the work crews to find out what’s happening. Then she posted a video saying that she “disagrees with SDOT’s decision” and her staff is working on what to do “before this Saturday” when crews are scheduled to conduct more work. </p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/councilmember-amr.bsky.social/post/3m263tlgg2c25" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/councilmember-amr.bsky.social/post/3m263tlgg2c25</a></p><p>The Transit Riders Union also has <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/letters/seattleunionstbuslane" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an online petition</a> going to “Save our Union St bus lane!” that has 2,145 signatures as of press time. CHS also reports that TRU is planning a protest rally at the site 8 a.m. Saturday morning. </p><p></p><p>There are multiple layers of insult at work here. There’s the fact that the city would choose to allow cars to drive in what is currently a car-free access point to the Pike/Pine business district. Worse, the city is doing it without any public outreach or even any prior notification. Even worse still, the city is demonstrating a gross double-standard in which community efforts to improve our streets for walking, biking or transit are forced to slog through an endless public process while a change that benefits car drivers at the direct expense of everyone else does not require any public notice at all. Worried about your kid getting killed while biking to the park? Organize a big public campaign, get your fix into the annual city budget, then engage with a public outreach consultant for one to five years and then maybe the city will fix the issue or at least do a little something that is better than nothing. Are you a property owner who wants to allow cars in the busway? Just fire off a few emails and it will happen with no process at all.</p><p>“Over the last few months, communications were restarted primarily at the request of Dunn & Hobbes, the owner of the Chophouse property, Hunters Capital, and Madrona Real Estate along with business representatives on 12th Avenue north of Madison Street,” an SDOT spokesperson <a href="https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2025/10/why-the-city-is-removing-this-capitol-hill-chunk-of-bike-and-bus-friendly-rapidride-g-street-changes/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">told Capitol Hill Seattle</a>. They went on to stress to CHS that the project is intended to help people driving into the heart of Capitol Hill from the Eastside and other wealthy Seattle neighborhoods. “While development in the area is meant to maximize the appeal of dense urban living, coming off the impacts of COVID and challenges of major street and sidewalk construction, representatives <strong>had specific concerns about customers who drive from the Eastside or neighborhoods like Madison Park and Madrona</strong> […] They are having a hard time getting to their destinations or are confused by the new traffic pattern.”</p><p>This is a pattern for the city under Mayor Harrell. When SDOT repaved Denny Way, there was hardly any discussion at all about adding desperately-needed bus lanes as part of the very high-budget project despite our city’s stated goals of prioritizing walking, biking and transit improvements when making transportation investments. The city was only <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/09/01/sdot-rules-out-key-denny-way-bus-lanes-dooming-route-8/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">forced to give their unconvincing reasons for excluding the bus lanes</a> after hundreds of people clowned on them by racing (and defeating) the 8 bus while playing leap frog and line dancing and performing other silly displays of bus inefficiency on the street. As Ryan Packer at the Urbanist put it, “<a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/01/whats-easier-than-adding-a-bus-lane-in-seattle-deleting-one/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">What’s easier than adding a bus lane in Seattle? Deleting one.</a>” This little bus lane on Union Street is itself worth fighting for, but it is also representative of a larger recurring problem with Mayor Harrell’s SDOT that has been getting much worse since the departure of former SDOT Director Greg Spotts. Harrell is demonstrating how he will handle transportation issues in his second term when he no longer needs to convince voters to pass a major transportation levy, which is <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">why Seattle Bike Blog has endorsed his opponent Katie Wilson</a>.</p><p>Allowing cars through here will have a direct negative impact on biking and walking because people will now have a whole new source of car traffic to cross that wasn’t there before. There will be new conflict points and new delays. From what I have been able to discern, no bike groups were consulted about the changes or how to handle the new crossing. People heading east on Union need to transition from a one-way bike lane on the south side of the street to a two-way bike lane on the north side of the street. Before workers destroyed it this week, that transition happened near the bus lane, so people biking east only have to cross a single bus-only lane to get from the one-way lane to the two-way lane:</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_4665.jpeg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The bike crossing on Union south of 12th Ave before crews jackhammered the concrete triangle away.<p>But by allowing oncoming car traffic, the city also feels the need to change the bike lane transition. It sounds like SDOT is rolling out their go-to solution that everyone hates: A diagonal bike lane crossing through the middle of an all-way stop intersection. I cannot confirm the details because SDOT has not published materials about them, but an SDOT spokesperson told CHS they would be “redirecting people biking eastbound to the north side of Union St sooner, to shift the crossing from midblock to the all-way stop controlled intersection at 11th Ave and Union St.” So I assume it will be the mirror version of the 9th and John intersection near Denny Park (<strong>UPDATE</strong>: Workers have repainted the bike crossing, confirming that it is such a diagonal crossing. <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mattbaume.bsky.social/post/3m2aiuzz4qc2k" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Thanks Matt Baume</a>!):</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_3509-flipped.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>9th and John before the green paint (I guess I don’t have a more recent photo). I flipped it horizontally to give an idea of what 11th and Union might look like facing west with a diagonal bike lane crossing. <strong>UPDATE</strong>: Here’s <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mattbaume.bsky.social/post/3m2aiuzz4qc2k" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a photo of the repainted bike lane by Matt Baume</a>. <p>Navigating an intersection like this is a dramatically worse biking experience than crossing a single bus-only lane. It is both less safe and less inviting to use. It’s not the worst possible bike crossing, but it has some significant issues. The problem with these diagonal crossings is that people biking have a very long crossing and must watch for threats in a 270-degree range the whole time because there are four different places where someone in a car could blow through the stop sign or proceed out of turn because they don’t understand that you are going to bike diagonally. Biking safely in a city requires riders to always be on the lookout for someone in a car who is not following the rules because you bear the consequences of their mistakes, and these diagonal crossings have so many possible conflict points riders have to watch for all at the same time. Would you feel comfortable letting an 8-year-old child navigate through this intersection on her own? Because that’s the all ages and abilities standard we are supposed to be trying to achieve, and it falls short here. </p><p>SDOT should cancel work on this project and restore the previous condition. Then if they want to put forward a proposal to reopen it to car traffic, they can make their case to the public about why we should invest public money to make it easier for more people to drive cars into the heart of the Pike/Pine business district and listen to people’s feedback. If they can’t make a good case, then they shouldn’t do it. Maybe realigning the bike lane is the best option for bus and street operations for reasons I can’t figure out on my own. That’s totally possible, but they haven’t given folks any chances to understand what is happening or why, so the public’s only real option is to demand that work stop. I’m not saying it needs endless outreach, but there should be some happy point between zero notice and a half decade of consultant-led meetings. And the same standard should apply to walk, bike and transit improvements as well. Propose a change, listen to feedback, make a decision.</p><p>I will update this post if I hear back from SDOT (I asked for project design drawings and whether they had conducted any outreach).</p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mattbaume.bsky.social/post/3m26egjfuss2r" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/mattbaume.bsky.social/post/3m26egjfuss2r</a></p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Solarbird :flag_cascadia:<p>"This is not the time for hope" is Harrell's "please clap." Just needs the publicity.</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/@MHowell/115305789210926277" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">kolektiva.social/@MHowell/1153</span><span class="invisible">05789210926277</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>seattle</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>politics</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/harrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>harrell</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/mayor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mayor</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/wilson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wilson</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/KatieWilson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>KatieWilson</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/cascadia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cascadia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/casPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>casPol</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.murkworks.net/tags/casPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>casPolitics</span></a></p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/09/11/mayor-harrells-growth-plan-for-seattle-is-inadequate-but-council-has-a-chance-to-make-it-better/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Mayor Harrell’s growth plan for Seattle is inadequate, but Council has a chance to make it better</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/land-use-map.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Mayor Bruce Harrell’s plan would add very little housing to the yellow areas and would orient most of the new growth along our busiest roadways like Aurora and MLK Jr Way. The City Council has an opportunity to fix it.<p>Seattle’s horrific housing crisis continues to destabilize individuals and families who struggle to keep up with rising costs of living. Many continue to get priced out of housing entirely, pushing them into a deadly life trying to survive on the streets. For a city as great as Seattle, failing to meet this challenge over the past two decades is our biggest shame.</p><p>Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">One Seattle Plan</a>, his update to the city’s comprehensive plan guiding growth and new housing, would continue our city’s insufficient effort to get housing prices and availability under control. It keeps the vast majority of our city off-limits to the types of dense housing common (and beloved) in parts of our city and in cities across the world, like small apartment buildings and “stacked flats.” It continues the city’s problematic strategy of locating the majority of new housing in giant and expensive apartment buildings along our busiest, loudest, most polluting and more dangerous roadways. The mayor’s plan even continues to prioritize housing cars over housing people by maintaining most parking requirements for new residential buildings, which force builders to either sacrifice precious lot space that could be used for more homes or build expensive underground garages that drive up unit prices. The plan effectively ignores that <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/09/10/balk-20-of-seattle-households-are-car-free-and-we-have-barely-added-cars-to-our-city-since-2017/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle’s car ownership rate has fallen</a> dramatically and consistently over the past decade since the previous comprehensive plan update.</p><p>The City Council will hold a public hearing tomorrow (September 12) starting at 9:30 a.m. for remote comments and 3 p.m. for in-person comments in Council Chambers at City Hall. You can also submit comments via email to council@seattle.gov. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways also has <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/letters/walkablecompplan" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an online petition</a> supporting amendments for “a more affordable, equitable, and walkable Seattle.”</p><p>The Council has the opportunity to make some significant corrections in the right direction, and they will consider <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Updated-Amendment-Package-for-Public-Hearing-Notice.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">110 amendments to the plan (PDF)</a>. They can, for example, add up to eight more neighborhood centers to the plan, which would increase the number of places where significant new housing could go (Amendment 34). They can also eliminate parking mandates citywide (Amendment 7) or at least near frequent transit (Amendment 86). They can allow stacked flats citywide (Amendment 89). They can legalize corner stores on all lots (Amendment 66). They can even encourage builders to protect mature trees by allowing them to build higher structures if they preserve a qualifying tree (Amendment 91). There are also a bunch of amendments to modify or expand the boundaries of various neighborhood centers, and <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/09/09/urbanists-push-to-amend-seattle-growth-plan-ahead-of-final-vote/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the Urbanist has a good rundown of those</a>. </p><p>The Urbanist also put together a cheat sheet for those who don’t have the time to read through hundreds of pages of documents packed with indecipherable zoning jargon:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>For those that just want to cut to the case, here is a cheat seat for amendments to support and to oppose:</p><p><strong>SUPPORT AMENDMENTS</strong></p><ul><li>RINCK – 1, 2, 7, 34, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 66, 69, 72, 76, 84, 95, 98</li><li>STRAUSS – 5, 6, 8, 25, 29, 30, 33, 42-C, 43, 46-A, 47, 48-C, 49-C, 64, 73, 92</li><li>SAKA – 11, 13, 23, 36, 77</li><li>HOLLINGSWORTH – 19, 68, 78, 79, 80, 107, 108, 109</li><li>NELSON – 52, 60, 63, 65, 74, 86, 89, 91</li><li>KETTLE – 50, 61, 70, 90, 94, 96</li><li>SOLOMON – 83</li></ul><p><strong>OPPOSE AMENDMENTS</strong></p><ul><li>SAKA – 35, 37,</li><li>HOLLINGSWORTH – 38</li><li>RIVERA – 39, 40, 41, 81 93, 102</li><li>KETTLE – 51, 97</li></ul></blockquote><p>It’s remarkable that Councilmember Maritza Rivera managed zero good amendments and six bad ones. Her District 4 includes the University District, one of the city’s densest and fastest-growing neighborhoods. To be on the wrong side of so many of these growth decisions is troubling. Our city, including people in her district, are in a housing crisis, and her only contributions to the conversation are to try reducing new housing boundaries in the wealthiest parts of her district and add even more regulatory red tape to new home construction. She does not propose a single measure that would improve housing affordability for any her constituents. What an absolute shame. </p><p>I encourage our City Councilmembers to vote yes on every measure that would allow for more housing and more affordability while voting no on all measures that would reduce neighborhood centers and add regulatory hurdles to building new homes. I love trees, too, but don’t fall for anti-housing advocacy disguised as supporting trees. We can encourage the protection of trees through incentives without effectively kneecapping the finances for new housing on lots across the city just because those lots have a tree. People are dying on our streets because we don’t have enough homes. Approach these votes with the seriousness necessary to make the right calls for our city’s future.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/08/22/man-struck-from-behind-while-biking-on-section-of-lake-washington-blvd-where-city-dropped-planned-safety-upgrades/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Man struck from behind while biking on section of Lake Washington Blvd where city dropped planned safety upgrades</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/514282858_10163713578784468_5411309474153162776_n.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Photo from Bradley Hawkins.<p>If you’ve ever seen someone biking around town pulling a bright yellow or magenta cello case in a bike trailer, you’ve seen Bradley Hawkins. Even without his cello, he’s a self-identified “die-hard bicycle dude” who has been biking pretty much everywhere for a long time. But all that could have easily come to an end last week when someone driving a Hyundai Elantra ran into him from behind while he was biking on Lake Washington Boulevard on a section of road where <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the city under Mayor Bruce Harrell’s leadership recently cut some planned speed humps</a> and intersection safety improvements. The person responsible never stopped, fleeing the scene and leaving behind a pile of broken car parts and a seriously injured Hawkins.</p><p>“I feel really lucky,” said a mobile but bandaged-up Hawkins when I spoke to him in his home a few days after the collision. Hawkins is a longtime reader and friend of the blog. His bike is damaged well beyond repair, but he somehow didn’t have any broken bones. He has pain between his shoulders and in his lower back, and he has scrapes and bruises all over, but it could have been a lot worse.</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/img_5901-750x563.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Photo from Hawkins. <p>“If I had had the cello behind, I bet I wouldn’t have gotten hit,” Hawkins joked (or maybe he was serious, he did bike his cello to Friday Harbor once). But he was on his way home from a long three-day tour of Oregon and Washington “to see as many volcanoes as I could.” He started in Breitenbush and rode to Mounts Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St. Helens and Rainier. On August 13, he woke up on St. Helens and rode to Rainier before heading back to Seattle.</p><p>“It was starting to get dark around Renton, so I decided to go up Lake Washington Boulevard because I figured it would be safer,” he said. His bike had a bright front and rear lights as well as large reflectors on the back of his panniers and helmet, so he was fully prepared for night biking. In Renton, he rode a bit with a bunch of teens on Lime bikes and was feeling good about the world. As he got further north on Lake Washington Boulevard, he noticed the new center lane reflectors and lane-edge fog lines that the city added, and he said he felt like people were driving faster than usual.</p><p>“I’ve ridden Lake Washington Boulevard at all hours, and at least ten times at night this year, and I get the sense the cars are going a lot faster now,” he said. He worried that the new fog lines look too much like bike lanes even though they are not wide enough to be real bike lanes, and the shoulder space varies in width along the road. “Every driver is going to think that bicyclists need to be in that spot,” he said of the fog lines. “That was worse than nothing, putting those lines in.”</p><p>As he approached the fishing pier south of Mount Baker Beach, “I noticed somebody was not moving over and going at a clip, and I got hit from behind,” he said. “I somehow ended up in the grass on the side of the road, got on my hands and knees, lifted my hand up, and a car stopped.” The first person to stop came to his aid, then someone with EMT experience showed up and got him to lie back down until Seattle Fire Department medics arrived. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center and spent about eight hours there. The driver never stopped to render aid and remains at large.</p><p>“All that I know about them is from the parts that they left,” said Hawkins. He has a rearview mirror, a fog light, and two pieces of the front fender for a 2011–2013 Hyundai Elantra. It’s possible there was additional damage like a cracked windshield or dented hood, but it happened so fast Hawkins isn’t sure. Given the number of car pieces left behind, it was clearly a high-speed impact. Seattle Police arrived and started an investigation, but Hawkins hadn’t heard any updates on the case as of our interview. </p><p>As his ride-tracking app notes, it was an abrupt end to what had been his longest recorded ride:</p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/hawkins-ride-screenshot.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Not the best way to earn a PR. Screenshot from Hawkins.<p>A Seattle Parks project map from 2024 shows that the city had planned multiple speed humps on the segment of road where Hawkins was struck, including two within a few hundred feet of the location where the collision occurred. A series of speed humps had been installed in the southern segment of the project as a first phase of work, and rest were scheduled for installation this summer before <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the department suddenly backtracked in July</a> and cancelled nearly all the remaining safety upgrades. When crews went to work in late July, they painted new wide stripes on the side of the street (that are <strong>not</strong> bike lanes) and added some reflectors to the dashed yellow center line. Neither the lane reflectors nor wider fog lines had been mentioned in public outreach materials before July. One of the new wide fog lines is visible in Hawkins’ bike wreckage photo from the scene.</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/LWBProjectSnapshotAugust2024.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The green boxes note approximate locations for the planned speed cushions, which the city cut from the plan despite years of public outreach strongly in favor of improving safety on the street.<p>Hawkins said the new center lane reflectors make the road feel more like a freeway, and perhaps they also make it so his lights and reflectors didn’t stand out as much. While we can’t know for sure whether speed humps would have prevented this collision, they do slow vehicle speeds, and speed is a top factor in both the likelihood of a collision and the severity of a collision. Unfortunately, the only person who knows what role the street changes (or lackthereof) played in the collision fled the scene and is still at large, so we cannot ask them (or get them to pay for Hawkins’ health care and bike replacement). Hit and run is a shameful crime.</p><p>It’s also shameful for the city, and in this case Mayor Harrell especially, to choose to remove safety from city park and street investments. Hawkins is far from the first person to be injured in a collision in this area, as Seattle Parks’ own study from 2024 clearly documented:</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/collision-heatmap-hawkins.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Map from <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LWBDesignConcepts.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a spring 2024 traffic study by Seattle Parks (PDF)</a>. I marked the approximate collision location.<p>We don’t need to see anymore to call it: The Settle Parks 2024-25 Lake Washington Boulevard Renovations project has failed. The next mayor should commit to a complete redo under SDOT’s Vision Zero program, our city’s staff of professional street safety experts. The Board of Park Commissioners may also want to look into how the Parks Department blew this project so badly. Cancelling most the publicly-announced project elements and secretly replacing them with never-discussed and much less effective ones just weeks before construction is not good governance and points to some serious issues within the department (in <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">my original story from July</a> I had to use the Wayback Machine to figure out what had been cut because this information was not disclosed in the department’s communications). Seattle expects and deserves better from its Parks Department. </p><p>What happened to Bradley Hawkins is yet another reminder of what is at stake when we are planning and investing in street safety projects. We are talking about people’s lives. It’s not hyperbole, and it’s not “cars versus bikes” or any of the other garbage that too often weighs down these debates. Seattle Parks and Mayor Harrell made a huge mistake, safe streets advocates made it clear that it was a mistake, and then this happens to a guy who was just biking home to the Central District after a lovely vacation. Southeast Seattle deserves safe streets, and Lake Washington Boulevard should be an oasis where everyone can enjoy the lakeside without being put at risk of a serious traffic injury or worse.</p><p>In a complete coincidence, Seattle Bike Blog and friends are <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/08/18/saturday-join-seattle-bike-blog-and-friends-for-a-bicycle-rally-on-car-free-lake-washington-blvd-to-support-katie-wilson-for-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">hosting a family-friendly bicycle rally for Katie Wilson tomorrow</a> (August 23) on Lake Washington Boulevard. Meet at 11 a.m. near 43rd Ave S. This event was planned before Hawkins was injured, but his story will certainly add fuel to the community push for safety on this street and mayor who will take this work seriously. </p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/08/18/saturday-join-seattle-bike-blog-and-friends-for-a-bicycle-rally-on-car-free-lake-washington-blvd-to-support-katie-wilson-for-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Saturday: Join Seattle Bike Blog and friends for a bicycle rally on car-free Lake Washington Blvd to support Katie Wilson for mayor</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/istockphoto-1417893886-1024x1024_20250814002922800972.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><p>Winning over 50% of the vote in an eight-person primary and beating incumbent Bruce Harrell by nearly 10 percentage points, Katie Wilson is the clear front-runner to win the vote for Seattle mayor in November. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seattle Bike Blog endorsed Wilson</a> in July, but even I did not heed my own advice from April when I wrote, “<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/04/23/dont-underestimate-katie-wilson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Don’t underestimate Katie Wilson</a>.” Going into the primary, I thought she had a good chance to be essentially tied with Harrell, and I would have considered that a good outcome since she has less name recognition and the general election usually has a larger and younger turnout than the primary. I was camping in Colorado on election night, and I was able to get just enough internet access to see the results. My spouse Kelli and I yelped and cheered and broke into dance when we saw she was winning. </p><p>It is very rare that we get a chance to elect a genuine grassroots community-builder like Katie Wilson to a lofty office like Seattle mayor, and we cannot take anything for granted. You better believe that there are monied interests in this town who wrote her off before the primary and are currently deciding how to respond. We cannot make the mistake of letting up until the November ballots are in. We need to build a wide base of community support that no well-funded smear campaign can topple.</p><p>So in a first for Seattle Bike Blog, we and a group of safe streets supporters including Braeden Van Deynze, Jason Rock, Dalan Angelo and more are hosting a bicycle rally to support Katie Wilson’s run for mayor. <strong>Join us on a car-free Lake Washington Boulevard Saturday! </strong>We will host a bike-decorating station starting at 11 a.m. near 43rd Ave S so you can deck out your bike in some hot campaign-supporting livery followed by a slow, family-friendly two-mile group ride to Seward Park at 11:45. Afterwards, form a small crew to canvass along the route, talking to folks about why you support Katie Wilson for mayor and helping them donate or otherwise get connected with the campaign. If you’ve never participated in a campaign canvassing event before, this could be a great entry point. We’re hoping for a day of smiling, cheering, biking and walking.</p><p>You can <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/wilsonforseattle/event/828463/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">register in advance online</a> (this site also includes other campaign workshops and events you can join), though anyone who shows up will be welcome to join. Details from the event listing:</p><blockquote><p>Meet other neighbors and families excited about Katie Wilson’s campaign for mayor during Bicycle Weekend!</p><p>No bike? No problem! All are welcome!</p><p>When & Where:</p><p>August 23, 2025</p><p>11:00a Decoration Station and Orientation – 43rd Ave S and Lake Washington Blvd S</p><p>11:45a Bike Parade – Departure towards Seward Park</p><p>12:30p Canvassing Breakouts – From Seward Park</p><p>Activities</p><p>Bike Decorating, Sign Making, and Orientation Station! We will provide snacks, beverages, shade, plus materials for decorating your bike, making cool signs, and canvassing later in the afternoon! No bike? No problem! Make a cool sign and get campaign materials for canvassing here.</p><p>Bike Parade! We will ride at a family-friendly no drop pace along the southern two-miles of Lake Washington Blvd S, car-free for Bicycle Weekends.</p><p>Canvassing! We will pair up with new friends and station ourselves along Lake Washington Blvd S to share our enthusiasm about Katie’s campaign with our neighbors.</p><p>What to Bring:</p><ul><li>Sunscreen</li><li>Your bike, or not! Walkers and rollers welcome!</li><li>Your family and neighbors</li><li>A positive attitude and enthusiasm for Katie Wilson for Mayor!</li></ul></blockquote><p><strong>Why is Seattle Bike Blog doing this?</strong></p><p>This is a pivotal moment in Seattle history. Wilson is creating a new path to power in our city, and that doesn’t happen very often. Seattle used to have long mayoral dynasties, but we’ve been stuck since Ed Murray on vaguely centrist, corporate-backed mayors who have been disconnected from the people. Seattle voters keep electing them and then hating how disconnected they are. We are a city in search of another way, and I believe Katie Wilson is it. As we wrote in April, “The previous two more lefty challengers for mayor got creamed with Cary Moon losing to Jenny Durkan 43-56 (a gap of 27,191 votes) in 2017 and Lorena González losing to Bruce Harrell 41-59 (a gap of 46,162 votes) in 2021. There’s no well-worn political lane Wilson can take to win, but it would be a mistake to underestimate her.” In <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/results/2025/august-primary-election" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the lower-turnout primary</a>, Wilson is leading Harrell 51-41 (a gap of 18,500 votes) as of the nearly-complete August 15 count, the most recent as of press time. </p><p>We do not know how the primary results will translate to the general election because we do not have a good comparison race to use a predictor. In 2021, González and Harrell were essentially tied in the low 30s after a wide-open primary, but then Harrell surged to win nearly 59% of the general election vote. Did Wilson just do a great job of getting her supporters to turn out in the primary? Or does that primary result show her actual level of support among the electorate? We don’t honestly know yet, which is why we gotta make sure we keep spreading the word to win more voters and get her across the line in November. </p><p>So that’s why Seattle Bike Blog is helping to host a political campaign event for the first time ever. If there were ever a time to go all-in on a mayoral candidate, it’s now. I also encourage Washington Bikes and Transportation for Washington to join us and endorse Katie Wilson so we are all in this new people-powered movement for the future of our city together. </p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/28/no-those-arent-bike-lanes-on-lake-washington-blvd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>No, those aren’t bike lanes on Lake Washington Blvd</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/bafkreiayjadodcvd2b67gb7a4ontwsag6aut5olog6zhouwvmnhlrrbz7i.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Photo from <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/bvd100.bsky.social/post/3luy6ehxgf226" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Braeden Van Deynze via Bluesky</a>.<p>People traveling on Lake Washington Boulevard may notice new white lines near the sides of the road and think that the city finally painted bike lanes on the historic park boulevard. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. </p><p>The new lines, called “fog lines,” are intended to narrow the visual width of the two lanes on the street, which along with other traffic calming elements like speed humps, stop signs and improved crosswalks, should help slow car traffic. The problem is that the Mayor Bruce Harrell has cancelled those other planned traffic calming elements, and without them these fog lines are pitifully inadequate at best and possibly confusing at worst. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">It really is the least the city could do</a>.</p><p>Everyone reading this post knows that these are not bike lanes, but what about all the people who don’t read Seattle Bike Blog? It makes sense that the city would paint bike lanes here since it is such a heavily-biked street and has been its entire existence, and these sure look a lot like bike lanes. It’s not a stretch for someone biking to think they need to ride inside the new “lane” or for someone driving to think that people biking in front of them should be riding there. It’s only a matter of time before a road rager yells at someone to “Get in the bike lane!” if it hasn’t happened already. </p><p>However, there is not enough space on Lake Washington Boulevard for safe bike lanes and two general traffic lanes. If there were, the city would have painted them a long time ago. Worse, the edge of the road is of inconsistent condition, and about half the space beyond the line is a gutter with a seam between it and the road surface that people biking should avoid. It is dangerous for people biking to squeeze all the way to the edge of the road because there is not enough room for someone in a car or truck to pass safely within the same lane, and people hugging the side of the road can easily end up without any wiggle room to avoid road debris, cracks, blackberry vines or a close pass. </p><p>The new lines change nothing about how people should bike on Lake Washington Boulevard. The safest option in lieu of proper bicycle infrastructure is still to practice “vehicular cycling” best practices. Always give yourself buffer space on both sides so you have room to deal with the unexpected. You have a right to “take the lane” like any other vehicle when there is not enough space for someone to safely pass you within that lane. Ride within the lane far enough from the road edge to avoid debris and other issues while constantly checking behind you to make sure people driving are being patient and waiting for a safe opportunity to move into the adjacent lane to pass as the law requires them to do (some of them will instead choose to risk a head-on collision rather than be patient, and you’ll have to be prepared to avoid them when they cut back toward you at the last second). </p><p>Of course, this is all stressful, and it doesn’t work well for anybody. Especially as a parent who is teaching their 7-year-old how to get around on bike, it feels absurd to try to explain to her how she should navigate streets like these on her little green bike with a giraffe bell. This is why Seattle Bike Blog and so many others have been advocating hard for a permanent and protected space for biking and walking on Lake Washington Boulevard. </p><p>In a way, maybe it will turn out to be a good thing that <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mayor Harrell cancelled the speed humps</a> on Lake Washington Boulevard, because it provides an opportunity for a reset on the whole issue of how to actually make this park boulevard safer for everyone. The speed humps were already an inadequate response. The city’s standards for a neighborhood greenway as outlined in the 2024 Seattle Transportation Plan clearly state that such a treatment (a shared street with low speeds and speed humps) is only appropriate if vehicle speeds are lower than 20 mph and traffic volumes are 1,000 vehicles per day or below. <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LWBDesignConcepts.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A traffic study (PDF)</a> found that the 85th percentile speed on Lake Washington Boulevard is 35 mph, and the road carried upwards of 3,200 vehicles per day in 2023 (a figure that is likely higher now as traffic patterns return to to pre-pandemic levels when the street carried 8,400 vehicles per day in places).</p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/bikeway-guidance.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>From the 2024 Seattle Transportation Plan’s <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bicycle1.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bicycle section (PDF)</a>.<p>The plan also clearly states that for streets with more than 6,000 vehicles per day, a protected bike lane or separated path are the only all-ages-and-abilities options. You don’t need to ask the authors of the transportation plan about it, though, because regular people seems to understand this as well. Of the 3,048 people who responded to a city survey about what to do with Lake Washington Boulevard back in 2022, <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/12/05/alert-it-is-once-again-time-to-voice-overwhelming-support-for-a-safer-lake-washington-blvd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">76% of them supported adding dedicated space for biking</a>, significantly higher than the 55% that supported adding speed humps. </p><p>There is an easy and low-cost way to provide permanent and protected biking space on the street while still maintaining car access: Put a barrier of some kind down the middle of the street, then use half the street as a biking and walking path and the other half for one-way general traffic. Every parking lot and driveway will still be accessible by car, and the south end would finally have a spectacular biking and walking route to rival the northend’s Burke-Gilman Trail. The only trade-off is that some people will have to drive a few extra blocks to get where they are going. Oh, and that one person the city clocked going 74 mph won’t be able to do that anymore. </p><p>Lake Washington Boulevard has always been a park, and has never been an arterial roadway. Redesigning it to protect park users and enhance this very special lakeside public space will preserve the street’s intended purpose. </p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/17/endorsement-katie-wilson-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Endorsement: Katie Wilson for Seattle Mayor</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wilsonforseattle.bsky.social/post/3ltnkiuxba22d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>Katie Wilson not only attended the Race the L8 event to advocate for bus route improvements, she rode the 8 to get there. Bruce Harrell did not attend. From <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wilsonforseattle.bsky.social/post/3ltnkiuxba22d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Katie Wilson for Seattle via Bluesky</a>.<p>Katie Wilson is a bus-riding mama who gets shit done. She seeks out and fosters genuine community relationships, works with folks to identify problems within city government that are holding people back, and then she creates unstoppable public momentum to get solutions passed into law. I have watched her do it over and over for the 15 years I have been writing Seattle Bike Blog. Often, people don’t even know that some of these hugely successful initiatives were due in large part to her organizing because she has rarely been the face of those efforts. Instead, she has been out there gluing together the coalition that gets the wins. Wilson’s fearless and collaborative leadership philosophy is in sharp contrast to both the vile narcissism we see every day on the national news and the Nerf dart resistance to it from many Democratic Party leaders.</p><p>I remember very clearly when the ORCA Lift program began because I was an early user. Making rent every month as an independent journalist was so tight that I would avoid taking transit to save on fares. But ORCA Lift made each ride a flat $1.50, giving me and thousands of others peace of mind to use our public transit system as needed. Katie Wilson was on the committee at King County that pushed for the creation of that low-income transit fares program. She was also a key player years later in the creation of Seattle’s free youth transit program, which was so successful that legislators ended up adopting a similar program for kids across the whole state.</p><p>Renters today must be given advance notice of rent increases, and shady money grabs like high move-in fees and predatory late fees have been restricted thanks in large part to her organizing. She also worked on successful minimum wage increases throughout King County. Again, these are policies that have made many people’s lives significantly better in our ever-more-expensive corner of the world.</p><p>Perhaps her biggest lift, however, was helping to lead the creation of the JumpStart payroll expense tax in Seattle, which not only provides a reliable revenue source for affordable housing but also saved Seattle’s ass when other important revenue streams dried up during the early years of the COVID pandemic. Had JumpStart not been in place, the city would have been forced to slash services, defer important maintenance, fire workers, and who knows what else. Our city is in a materially stronger position today because of Katie’s work. </p><p>During all this time, Bruce Harrell has been … there. No other person in elected Seattle office has had more opportunities to solve our city’s problems than Bruce Harrell. He was on the City Council from 2008 through 2019 and has been mayor since 2022. Yet Katie Wilson, who has never held public office, has more significant and impressive wins to her name than Bruce Harrell. </p><p>“Seattle launched Vision Zero in 2015 with the goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030,” the Wilson campaign wrote in <a href="https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/transportation" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the transportation policy page of her campaign website</a>. “But in the last 10 years, eight of which Bruce Harrell served in city leadership, more than 1,850 people have been seriously injured and 253 people have been killed in vehicle collisions. We need city leadership that will prioritize keeping our kids, elders and neighbors safe on our streets.”</p><p>It is true that safe streets and bicycling did surprisingly well during the first three years of the Harrell administration, especially compared to our previous do-nothing mayor Jenny Durkan. Harrell is a much more effective politician and executive than Durkan was, and safe streets folks and Harrell both shared a very important interest in passing the 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy. Advocates were able to get pretty good (though still scaled back) increases to bike network and walking safety funds into the measure, and Harrell was able to then rely on the powerful support from safe streets advocates to help ensure passage of a levy that was a must-pass for his mayoral legacy. </p><p>Shortly after passage, however, Greg Spotts left as SDOT Director, and the city’s accelerated delivery of safe streets projects has clearly slowed down. We must take Harrell’s latest <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">middle finger to street safety on Lake Washington Boulevard</a>—cancelling nearly all the traffic calming elements in the already-watered-down compromise plan for the street—as a warning of what’s to come in a second Harrell term. My worry is that Harrell no longer needs safe streets folks now that the levy vote is over. Folks have been organizing for a safer Lake Washington Boulevard for half a decade, and they found themselves in a situation this year where they had no leverage over the mayor, and so they lost. The city will not take further action to reduce injuries and deaths on this southend park boulevard. Seattle has the funding in place to make big strides toward Vision Zero and a fully-connected bike network over the next four years, but we’ll need a mayor who is a champion of these efforts. Harrell has never been such a champion.</p><p>Both Washington Bikes (sister org to Cascade Bicycle Club) and Transportation for Washington (sister org to Transportation Choices Coalition) endorsed Bruce Harrell early in this race. These endorsements both reek of cynicism. Harrell crushed Lorena González 59-41 in the 2021 general election, so perhaps they felt his win this year was inevitable and want to be on his good side. Or perhaps they made some kind of deal I am not privy to. I don’t know. <a href="https://wabikes.org/index.php/2025/04/22/wa-bikes-endorses-balducci-for-king-county-executive-and-harrell-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Washington Bikes wrote in April</a>, “Washington Bikes endorses Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell for re-election due to his support for record investments in Seattle’s bike network.” OK, but what about the next four years? Wouldn’t it be better to have a true bike safety champion in office?</p><p>The mood among the electorate in 2025 is dramatically different than in 2021. With fascism on the march nationally and rights and democratic foundations quickly eroding, people are looking for a local leader who they know will fight for them. When facing cuts to vital social safety nets and attacks on fundamental rights, staying the course isn’t enough. People are looking for a leader who is willing to counteract those cuts to protect the people even if the necessary actions make some wealthy people and businesses upset. Perhaps the most clear-cut illustration of this happened in February when Seattle voters backed the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/01/24/endorsement-vote-yes-on-prop-1a-to-fund-social-housing-in-seattle/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wilson-led social housing initiative 1A</a> over the the watered-down Harrell-led version by a resounding 63-37 margin. Wilson is capturing something special within the Seattle electorate, and I believe she can keep building excitement all the way to a win in November.</p><p>Katie Wilson co-founded the Transit Riders Union and has a long history of biking around town for transportation. She has high-level policy chops for a wide range of issues facing Seattle residents as well as a personal awareness of the challenges facing bicycling and transit-riding Seattleites. I can personally vouch for her character and say that’s she’s the real deal. She cares deeply about our city and is a true believer that we can create a safer and more affordable Seattle for everyone.</p><p>Vote for Katie Wilson.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/07/10/following-5-years-of-process-and-some-scary-collisions-mayor-harrell-removes-safety-improvements-from-already-watered-down-lake-washington-blvd-project/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Following 5 years of process and some scary collisions, Mayor Harrell removes safety improvements from already-watered-down Lake Washington Blvd project</strong></a></p><p></p><p>Great news for people who like to speed on Lake Washington Boulevard! Seattle Parks will not be installing more speed humps or stop signs, so you’re free to continue scaring the crap out of anyone biking along or walking across our city’s most beautiful park boulevard. Not even <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/06/27/neighbors-plan-a-people-protected-bicycle-weekend-following-hit-and-run-on-a-minor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">recent news of a person striking a teen</a> on the street and then fleeing the scene will change city leaders’ determination to protect the park boulevard from new traffic safety improvements.</p><p>In Bruce Harrell’s Seattle, wealthy people with expensive homes along Lake Washington Boulevard get veto power over the public’s interest. Whether it’s <a href="https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2024/07/the-stranger-text-messages-reveal-mayor-worked-with-wealthy-neighbor-in-fight-over-nude-beach-at-denny-blaine-park/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a mall owner trying to shut down a long-standing nude beach</a>, people <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/04/26/parks-announces-scaled-back-schedule-for-2023-bicycle-weekends-on-lake-washington-blvd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">pushing back against the 57-year-old tradition of Bicycle Sundays/Weekends</a>, or anti-safety advocates fighting against speed humps and stop signs, it’s clear to those advocating through the public and open process that there is a separate and more influential channel to the Mayor’s Office that is only available to certain people.</p><p>In a vaguely-worded and suspiciously misleading email, Seattle Parks announced through omission that they are further scaling back the already delayed and dramatically-watered-down safety improvements planned for Lake Washington Boulevard. The Parks email update does not mention that any elements were cut, and they even announced it with an ! as though they were sharing exciting news (“More Improvements Coming to Lake Washington Boulevard!”). Because they did not acknowledge the cuts, they also did not provide any reasoning for them. I had to use the Wayback Machine to find <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250528183313/https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/lake-washington-boulevard-renovations" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an archived version of the original list</a> of improvements to find that Parks has cut the majority of traffic calming and safety improvements from the plan, including 12 speed cushions (watered-down speed humps) and a significant redesign of the S Orcas Street intersection. Here’s a comparison:</p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/lk-wa-blvd-before-after.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The before list is from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250528183313/https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/lake-washington-boulevard-renovations" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a Wayback Machine snapshot of the project website May 28</a>. The After is <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/lake-washington-boulevard-renovations" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the list as of press time</a>.<p>What makes all this even more insulting is that <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/09/06/seattle-needs-a-permanently-safe-space-for-biking-and-walking-on-lake-washington-blvd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">even the original project list was dramatically watered down</a> compared to overwhelmingly popular ideas that advocates for safe streets and safe park access were initially seeking. This project is the result of half a decade of advocacy work and a tortured, unfair public process. 3,048 people responded to a city survey in 2022 about the project, and 2,319 of them (76%) said they supported “dedicated space along the boulevard to separate people driving and people that ride bikes.” Despite this overwhelming level of support, the city convened a task force with half of members in support of safety improvements and half opposed. After months of meetings, the task force predictably deadlocked on whether to support creating dedicated biking space. Instead, the only things the group agreed on were smaller less effective and less controversial changes like some speed humps, stop signs and crosswalks. So despite overwhelming public support, opponents succeeded in watering down the project.</p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/orcas-concept.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>The city’s <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/orcas-concept.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2024 design concept (PDF)</a> for Orcas Street that was removed from the project list. I guess we don’t need to make these crosswalks safer and reduce turning and merging conflicts despite a history of collisions here that are guaranteed to keep happening if the city takes no action to change it.<a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/collision-heatmap-orcas.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><p>It would be bad enough if it ended there, but now Seattle Parks is walking back even these watered down improvements, removing nearly all the elements intended to calm traffic, prevent speeding and improve the dangerous Orcas street crossing. This comes after <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/12/05/alert-it-is-once-again-time-to-voice-overwhelming-support-for-a-safer-lake-washington-blvd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a public meeting in December</a> when the public once again voiced overwhelming support for improving safety on Lake Washington Blvd. The meeting appeared to be a trial balloon to see if the public would handle watering down the plan even more, and the people once again clearly said, “No.” Now once again, the city is ignoring the people who participated in the public process and are cutting safety improvements out of the project seemingly at the behest of people who have a more powerful line to the Mayor’s Office than those who respond to public surveys and show up to public meetings. </p><p><a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/01/08/lake-washington-boulevard-traffic-calming-fight/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ryan Packer at the Urbanist</a> acquired some internal emails back in January in that show at least one staffer was seemingly baffled by some of the safety plan reversals at that time, which were to replace some stop signs with more speed cushions:</p><blockquote><p>“Since this meeting, we have received direction from SDOT to remove the all-way stop and replace with additional speed cushions and signage,” Seattle Parks’ Jordan Hoy, the planner in charge of the Lake Washington Boulevard improvements, wrote in an email to a colleague in late July. “I am still trying to understand this decision, as it is not consistent with community feedback or recommendations based on SDOT traffic engineering expertise. An all-way stop warrant data analysis was conducted and determined that this intersection would be a good candidate for this treatment.”</p></blockquote><p>Now even those speed cushions are being removed from the plan, a continuous watering down process that has left very few traffic safety elements in the workplan.</p><p>For well more than a decade, safe streets advocates and the city’s volunteer bicycle and pedestrian advisory boards have been consistent in their message to the city: We need to create safe routes in Southeast Seattle, especially Rainier Valley. The city had historically under-invested in Rainier Valley’s streets, and the result is that people who live there are injured and killed in traffic collisions at a disproportionate rate. Rainier Valley residents have far worse access to safe and direct bicycle routes and are the only large swath of the city that remains disconnected from the downtown bicycle network. It is shameful and unacceptable to have a project with funding and years of study behind it and then choose to maintain the inequitable and harmful status quo. </p><p>Community group Rainier Valley Greenways has <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-a-safer-lake-washington-blvd-3/?link_id=1&can_id=32df0f21f62be7ce5a08b5c93e6fc258&source=email-act-now-where-are-the-speed-humps-promised-for-lake-wa-blvd&email_referrer=&email_subject=act-now-where-are-the-speed-humps-promised-for-lake-wa-blvd&&" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an action alert</a> you can use to contact the mayor and Parks leaders and tell them you support making Lake Washington Blvd. safer. As of press time they were nearing 1,000 letters sent. </p><p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LWBDesignConcepts.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A traffic study (PDF)</a> shows that the average driver on Lake Washington Blvd is going 10 mph over the speed limit, though they measured speeds as high as 73 mph, 48 mph above the 25 mph limit. The street only carries about 3,200 vehicles per day, which is very low compared to actual traffic-heavy parallel streets like 44,000 on MLK and 26,000 on Rainier Ave S. Lake Washington Blvd. is not classified as a major arterial. It is and always has been a park, not a highway. The voters of Seattle specifically passed a ballot measure in the early 1900s to fund this street as a park, which is why these decisions are now going through the Parks Department instead of SDOT.</p><p>There are only three continuous and relatively flat streets that run north and south: MLK Jr. Way S, Rainier Ave S and Lake Washington Blvd S. A safe biking space on Lake Washington Blvd. is the only option for creating a route in Rainier Valley that is comparable to the Burke-Gilman Trail in north Seattle. Perhaps I need to remind Mayor Harrell that despite strong public support for the Burke-Gilman Trail concept in the early 1970s, some people advocated against that trail, too.</p><p>Bruce Harrell was on the City Council from 2008 to 2020, and he represented Lake Washington Blvd’s District 2 for four of those years. He has now in his fourth year as mayor. In all that time, the major streets in Rainier Valley have been allowed to persist as some of the most dangerous in the city. Biking access has remained disconnected. Now when he had an opportunity to actually improve this beautiful gem of a boulevard and create a space in Rainier Valley to rival the Burke-Gilman Trail as an iconic public amenity, he has specifically chosen not to do it. He turned what could have been a slam dunk into a huge political liability just a month before the primary election.</p><p>The text of the Parks email (note the complete lack of recognition that anything has been removed):</p><blockquote><p>We’re excited to share an update on the Lake Washington Boulevard Renovations Project! Seattle Parks and Recreation, in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the community, is moving forward with Phase 2 of the project. Phase 2 construction is set to begin in mid–July/early August 2025 and continue through fall 2025.</p><p>These improvements will build upon the work completed <a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.seattle.gov%2Fparks%2Fabout-us%2Fprojects%2Flake-washington-boulevard-renovations%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01000197f0eb258f-fb86f537-ace0-4625-93bf-140a45548658-000000/khZfYcnLuOd4VzZetRDNsUqRrRu0nnn_NjBr1-mEJLM=413" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">during Phase 1</a>, further enhancing safety and access along the corridor. </p><p><strong>What’s Coming in Phase 2:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Pathway Repairs (Mount Baker Beach to Genesee Park)</strong><br>Asphalt pavement repairs will address tripping hazards caused by tree roots, improving safety and comfort for walkers, runners, and cyclists.</li><li><strong>New Benches near the Lake Washington Fishing Pier</strong><br> Additional seating will fill a critical “bench gap” along the north mile of the corridor, offering much-needed rest spots.</li><li><strong>New Walkway Connection at 43rd Avenue</strong><br>A new pedestrian connection to South Genesee Street will link directly to the marked crossing installed during Phase One.</li><li><strong>New Walkway Connection from South Adams Street</strong><br>A new accessible path will connect the South Adams Street intersection to the existing Lake Washington Boulevard pathway, improving access to the waterfront.</li><li><strong>Curb Extensions at the 51st Ave South Intersection</strong><br>Paint and post curb extensions will visually narrow the intersection to encourage slower vehicle turning speeds, improve sightlines, and reduce crossing distance.</li><li><strong>New Marked Crossing at South Dawson Street</strong><br> A newly painted crossing will help alert drivers to pedestrian activity at this southern segment of the corridor.</li></ul><p>These upgrades reflect community feedback and priorities shared throughout the past year. You can read more in the .<em> (sic)</em></p><p>A third phase of improvements is planned for summer 2026. SDOT is currently monitoring traffic volume and speed data at locations studied as part of the Rainier Ave S Vision Zero and Lake Washington Blvd Keep Moving Street Data Analysis. Data will be considered before phase 3 improvements begin. </p><p>In winter, the project team provided a Phase One project update at the Mount Baker Rowing & Sailing Center. You can review the materials here: <a href="https://seattle.gov/documents/Departments/ParksAndRecreation/Projects/Lakewashingtonblvd/LWBPhase1Update_Q&A.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Phase 1 Update and Questions & Answers Document</a>.</p><p>If you have any questions, please contact us at <strong><u>PKS_LakeWABlvd@seattle.gov</u></strong>.</p><p>Thank you for your continued interest and involvement!</p></blockquote><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/06/11/how-candidates-for-seattle-mayor-said-they-would-achieve-vision-zero-by-2030/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>How candidates for Seattle Mayor said they would achieve Vision Zero by 2030</strong></a></p><p></p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-2.05.01 PM.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a>7 for 7. Screenshot from the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/06/05/watch-seattle-mayor-and-council-candidates-debate-housing-and-transportation-issues/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">forum livestream</a> by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.<p>This is the final post covering candidate responses to biking and safe streets questions during a recent forum hosted by a large group of transportation and urbanism organizations. We previously covered the race for <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/06/06/seattles-2025-district-2-council-candidates-on-biking-and-safe-streets/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">City Council District 2</a> and the races for the <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/06/10/candidates-for-seattles-2025-citywide-council-positions-8-and-9-outline-their-transportation-priorities/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">citywide City Council Positions 8 and 9</a>.</p><p>None of the candidates for Seattle Mayor said they use a bike as their primary mode of transportation. That means no candidates for the three council seats or mayor are primarily bike riders, which is kind of a bummer. However, every candidate signaled during the lightning round that they “support building more protected bike lanes to complete a safe bike network.” That means every candidate for mayor and city council that attended this forum answered YES to this question.</p><p>Unlike the forum for the citywide council seats, the mayoral forum included several juicy questions relevant to biking and safe streets. As with our previous coverage, we’re leaving the interesting questions about housing and transit for other outlets to cover. Find the candidates’ responses below, which I have lightly edited for clarity. Also, I wanted to give everyone who worked on this event a shout out. It has provided a wealth of insight into these races.</p><p>Of the eight candidates who will be on Seattle’s August 5 primary ballot (<a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">register to vote</a> or <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote/change-my-address" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">update your registration address</a> online), Ry Armstrong, Clinton Bliss, Bruce Harrell, Joe Mallahan, Joe Molloy, Isaiah Willoughby and Katie Wilson attended the forum. Only Thaddeus Whelan did not attend. A handful of other candidates have withdrawn. Bliss is the only candidate who is not using Seattle’s democracy voucher program, and Harrell is the only candidate with an independent expenditure spending money on his behalf, <a href="https://web6.seattle.gov/ethics/elections/campaigns.aspx?cycle=2025&type=home&IDNum=0&leftmenu=collapsed" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission</a> (info as of press time). </p><p></p><p><strong>What are your top transportation priorities?</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/P3PU3Lqgd3E?si=RcfU5HCyyoSnKU7x&t=7542" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Video starts at 2:05:40</a>.</p><p>Ry Armstrong: “First, anyone too hot in here? Everyone doing okay? Drinking water. [Moderator starts singing Nelly] That’s right, Crystal. I think my top transportation priorities for this election are going to be focusing really on buses. In my experience, I think the experience of a ghost bus or waiting to get somewhere where you need to get there is super frustrating, and then you end up having to pay $7 for a Lime or god forbid $40 for an Uber to get to where you need to go to live your life. I think we want to build that trust in community that buses will show up on time, be safe, and get you where you need to be. And that means investing in that bus infrastructure and that technology. So for me, buses are rad, and I want to invest in them. I think that would be a top choice. Also looking at ST2 and ST3 delays that is going to, I think, critically harm our city, and so we want to make sure that we are on Sound Transit to make sure that that’s moving forward as much as possible or finding the progressive revenue to fill in when federal funding eventually gets pulled for those projects if that does happen.”</p><p>Clinton Bliss: “Yes. I think transportation needs to be done in concert with all of our other infrastructure. I think as we grow, we need to think about this all together. Sorry, am I talking close enough? [Moderator: You’re great.] Okay. All right. If I had my way, I think I would put all traffic underground [Bliss laughs], but I would like to start with our main city corridors and really put traffic underground, I think, and make the city streets so that they are open to foot traffic, pedestrians. And then regarding mass transit I feel like that needs to be discussed and look at the cost but I wonder about overhead for that part.”</p><p>Bruce Harrell: “You know I want to first of all thank everyone for being here, for participating in democracy. I think the first thing on transportation we have to just sort of put it in the context of the lens, and the lens I like for it is safety. All the projects have to be safe. The second part of that will be reliability. So if you look at bridge maintenance for example in the levy how much money we put in there, over $34 million per year for bridge maintenance. We have to have a reliable system. Thirdly, connectivity. So when we talk about protected bike lanes, we talk about sidewalks and we put $200 million in there for sidewalks. Everything has to work together. So the lens by which we will approach our transportation needs will be safety, reliability, and connectivity. And we did a pretty stellar job of putting that together. And I have many transportation advocates that have supported us doing this work and helping build that levy, and I want to thank you.” </p><p>Joe Mallahan: “Forgive me, I’d just like to say, En primer lugar, decir agrades. Agrade ser a El Centro permetir este evento. Roberto Maestas, Bob Santos, Larry Gossett, Bernie Whitebear, los tieron un ejemplo a todos de como lugar la justicia sucial mediante la acción colectiva. [Editor’s note: I transcribed this section spoken en Español as closely as I could according to what he said, but my Spanish is not great so mistakes could be mine. He thanked El Centro for hosting, then thanked those who have fought for a just society with collective action. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/P3PU3Lqgd3E?si=ii_GbLUmiHqCSHjY&t=7736" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Watch the video to hear for yourself</a>.] So, thank you to El Centro. I think my two biggest issues are are safety and when I talk about safety I’m primarily talking about bus safety that people aren’t hesitating to ride the bus system because they feel unsafe. And the second thing is facilitating and incentivizing investment in housing in transit centers. So, to me, those are my two biggest issues. [Mallahan’s phone rings]. Sorry about that.”</p><p>Joe Molloy: “Thank you for the intro music, Joe. And thank you for hosting this. Thank you to everybody for being here. It’s a privilege to get to talk on this stage about these sorts of things. Both of the main issues tonight, housing and transportation, to me are issues that need to be framed through a generational lens, right? Even though we have short-term problems and needs, we still need to be looking at our solutions through 50 and 100 year timelines, right? Because if we’re not creating our solutions for our long-term goals, which for transportation, for housing, these are things that everybody in here probably will not see the full development of, but that’s where we need to be framing. So of course safety, reliability and connectivity are important things. Of course they are. We made regressive steps through COVID. We had free transit here. We need to get back to that. It’s 8% of the bus revenue comes, from King County Metro’s numbers, they say 8%.” </p><p>Isaiah Willoughby: “Hello my name is Isaiah Willoughby. Thank you for everybody being here and thank you to all the mayor candidates. And I’m from District 2. I grew up here. I’m from Zion Preparatory Elementary. When the question is, Do we own parcels here? My mom has three houses here. So I don’t own it but my mom owns it. Her name is Willoughby. I’m from Franklin. So we live here. My vision for transportation is my vision for Seattle is where every [microphone problem]. Hello. [Appears to read notes from phone.] My vision is where every resident whether they walk, roll, bike, ride transit or drive can move safely, affordably and reliably. That means expanding our bus, rapid transit and light rail networks, improving ADA accessibility, and making sidewalks and bike lanes continuous and safe across all neighborhoods. We must prioritize infrastructure in South Seattle and underserved areas that have been historically neglected. Transportation justice is climate justice, racial justice, and economic justice all at once.”</p><p>Katie Wilson: “Hi everyone, Katie Wilson here. Great to be here. I feel like this is an audience that can handle a little wonkiness, so I’m going to say, ‘Mode shift.’ And basically that means that as our region keeps growing, we keep adding people to our city, we cannot keep adding cars. We need to make it efficient, reliable and safe for people to travel by other modes, by transit, by walking, by biking, by rolling. And so under this rubric, that’s a lot of things. That means improving our public transit system. That means making it more competitive with driving. And frankly, it also means having the data. We actually don’t have, at least not published on the city website, any mode shift data since 2019. So we don’t know how we’re doing. Although I think given the way that vehicle miles traveled and other metrics have been going in the last few years, we’re probably not making progress.”</p><p></p><p><strong>How will Seattle Achieve Vision Zero, which is the goal to have zero people killed or seriously injures in crashes on Seattle streets by 2030?</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/P3PU3Lqgd3E?si=uQomw26xpJE-IyrV&t=8387" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Video starts at 2:19:47</a>.</p><p>Harrell: “So if you look at the framework by which we built the levy out when I talked about safety, you will see a lot of training dollars in there. So the first thing we have to look at is making sure everyone knows the rules of road and be very consistent there. We also have to build hard structure. If you look at the light rail for example, if you look at my executive order where I looked at some of the stations and looked at the safety issues that we have to do, we put in about $9 million in transit safety as an example. So, we put hard money in for safety infrastructure on transit and around our light rail stations. The third piece of this is simply going to be we have to enforce the laws. Now, we train before we enforce, but there are people out there that are still speeding. Now, I’ve been elected for 16 years. I’ve had some tough conversations when we were talking about protecting bike lanes. We were proud that we didn’t have a bike death last year because some of the hard work of the advocates in this room. So, I only have a one minute, so I’ll just end there.”</p><p>Mallahan: “I think we we should invest more in automated traffic control. We shouldn’t have police officers spending time enforcing speed limits, but we don’t have effective speed limits and speed limit mechanisms in the city of Seattle. So, let’s invest in technology and create a system where if you’re speeding, you’re going to get a citation, and it’s as simple as that. On another note, we don’t have enough police officers, and we have a dysfunctional and demoralized police force who aren’t delivering what we want them to deliver. And so my commitment is to be an activist mayor in terms of managing our relationship with the police and creating a community connection to the police. I commit to do 50 ride-alongs with police to reintegrate them with the community and to establish community policing.”</p><p>Molloy: “I mean Katie already said it a little bit, and Katie’s going to be the expert on transportation stuff in this room as she should be. It’s multimodal, right? If 2030 is the goal to have zero deaths then how do we reduce the number of cars on the road? That’s going to have the most one-to-one reduction in deaths. How do we protect multimodal through protected bike lanes, we need spots for these little scooters and things to go, too. They block disability access and people in wheelchairs all across the city. And then, this is another one that I don’t know if everybody wants to hear, we need to get people inside. The more people we have living on the streets, the more pedestrian deaths we have on the streets, and the more danger it presents to the people living in tents on the streets that somebody has a bad day and ends a life. So, we need to get people inside as well.”</p><p>Willoughby: [Again appears to be reading from notes on his phone, which I don’t think others have been doing.] “So what I would do is I would redesign dangerous streets. I would prioritize street redesigns that slow cars, protect pedestrians and cyclists, replace five lane arterials like Rainer Ave, Aurora, with safer human-centered designs, protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, narrower car lanes, and raised crosswalks. Implement road diets, reduced lanes, and high crash corridors. I will lower speed limits and enforce them intelligently. Enforce a 20 mph citywide speed limit on residential urban streets. Deploy automated speed cameras with equity guidelines more places, especially near schools, parks, and transit corridors and use camera fines to fund pedestrian safety improvements in underserved neighborhoods.”</p><p>Wilson: “A good point, Joe, about homelessness, I think. We are not nearly on track to meet our Vision Zero goal of zero traffic fatalities or injuries by 2030. And how we get there, there’s a lot of different parts to this, but the big thing is safe transportation infrastructure. That means building out our Bicycle Master Plan so that we have a connected network of protected bike lanes. And that means building sidewalks. And that means traffic calming measures. This is personal for me. Before, I answered that my primary form of transportation is transit, but before I had my child, I was a bicyclist. I biked everywhere and I still walk everywhere. And so, close calls all the time. We have Rainier, MLK, 4th Ave South, Lake City Way, Aurora. These are our five most dangerous corridors in the city. They’ve been our most dangerous corridors for a long time. So there’s no excuse for not making safety fixes ASAP.”</p><p>Armstrong: “I think Vision Zero is such a beautiful utopian future that is possible, and I want to see that for our city. I think the number one issue I see around Vision Zero is going to be South Seattle light rail. It is so dangerous that it is at street level. We either need to make it lower or higher to separate that plane of mobility. And then finally I think transit is a public safety issue. I walk on 14th Avenue on Capitol Hill, and it’s like pitch black suburbia, and I’m like, Why are there not street lights in one of the richest cities in the history of humanity? So, I think if we invest in that sort of safety infrastructure and prioritize pedestrians and people who roll. I didn’t own a car until last year because I had to for my job. Otherwise, I would love to just get around this city using the beautiful infrastructure we have as long as it’s reliable and safe and it can get me where I need to go.”</p><p>Bliss: “I think transportation and safety overall we need to focus on separating pedestrian, bicycle and vehicles and mass transit. All of those do not go well together. We need to have in general rights of way that are separate. This is why I think it would be wise in Aurora or Rainier Avenue. Put that 20 feet under at the level of parking garages. Make that a big green space, and have large buildings surrounding that. I think that would make a big difference in making our city safer and more livable.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Pike Place in front of the market recently closed to general traffic. Do you support making this pilot permanent? What other streets would you prioritize for reducing or eliminating vehicle traffic to make places for people to gather?</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/P3PU3Lqgd3E?si=wSS3kJrY31_4d-z7&t=8806" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Video starts at 2:26:46</a>.</p><p>Mallahan: “Well, first off, I think the Pike Place experiment is a great one. It’s a huge pedestrian flow. What we’ve accomplished with the overpass down to the waterfront and the new waterfront is really transformational for Seattle. And so, I can credit the mayor a little bit for that, and I can credit me. And the reason is, when I ran against Mike McGinn, I was pro tunnel. And the reason I was pro tunnel is we need to connect the community to the saltwater and the environment that is the Salish Sea. And we’ve accomplished that to a large degree now. In terms of other places, there’s high streets all over the city. I don’t I don’t have a particular perspective on that, but it’s certainly a reasonable goal to find avenues or adjacencies to high streets to make pedestrians only. It creates great community. It’s creates great commerce. I’m all for that.”</p><p>Molloy: “Yeah, so this is a good question. I absolutely support that, like shutting down Pike. I was a gig driver, a delivery driver for about two and a half years, struggling to find other work. And when I was doing that, I was supportive of making Pike Market inaccessible to cars. It’s dangerous. So Ballard Avenue comes to mind. The section in Capitol Hill where they do the farmers market—is that John or Olive right there?—is another. Yeah, another great one. But really with this in mind, this is an issue to plug in this community specifically. We have networks of people who are spending 30, 40, 50 hours driving around our city. Getting feedback from our app workers, from our drivers, about what sort of roads are truly inaccessible, what needs improvement. [microphone dies] Creating a pathway for that kind of connection so that we can know who’s affected most by our roads and what we should keep open.”</p><p>Willoughby: [Reading from phone] “Hello, my name is Isaiah Willoughby. So I would expand car free zones permanently pedestrianize Pike Place, Post Alley, parts of Capitol Hill or the Waterfront. Create new car-free corridors in dense neighborhoods like U District, Rainier Beach, or Chinatown. I would open streets on weekends, closing key streets to cars for walking, biking, art, and small business activities. I would make Stay Healthy Streets permanent. I would formalize and expand Seattle’s Stay Healthy Streets program. I would turn low traffic neighborhood streets into greenways with landscaping, art, play zones, slow traffic limits.”</p><p>Wilson: “On Pike Place, absolutely. And instead of crediting the mayor or Joe Mallahan, I’m going to credit all the advocates who spent years and years and years fighting for that. I think that every neighborhood should have a car-free area. Now, I understand that it’s a sensitive issue and, you know, often businesses are afraid of what’s going to happen to their customer base. So, we need to do it sensitively. I think piloting it is a good way to do it. Definitely what Joe mentioned here, Barbara Bailey Way, I think the portion of Denny Ave on Capitol Hill is ripe for that. Superblock on Capitol Hill in the Pike-Pine area, the Ave in the U District. We can do more on Lake Washington Boulevard, I think. And around the city, let’s do this. I mean, there’s cities around the world which have done this, and it just is such a huge boon to people’s quality of life.”</p><p>Armstrong: “Thank you, Katie. Yes, superblock. It’s like you’re my neighbor or something up on Capitol Hill. I think the superblock’s a great idea. Those stop signs on Pike when you’re going there, especially late at night when nightlife is active, is not a safe place to be for a car coming through with a bunch of pedestrians. It’s a recipe for disaster. Further I think Pike Place should be permanently locked off from cars unless maybe early morning deliveries, but world-class cities can figure this out, and they do that, and I think we could do that in Pike Place, especially if we can connect the streetcar along First Avenue or the waterfront so that people can get easier access to that space. Finally, I think even more importantly, we do not know what the future will hold for this country and our region. And so protecting with bollards such an important place where so many pedestrians are. I want to be proactive in making sure that we are safeguarding the heart of our city which is for me Pike Place Market and the gayborhood, which we love.”</p><p>Bliss: “So, I think the current process of blocking off streets is just going to make more traffic somewhere else. And I think we need to think systemically about this. Again, I would vote for bike lanes. I would recommend those go through predominantly single family areas where there’s less traffic and close those streets to just residential use. And then as before, I would recommend that on our very busy streets, we put the cars down under where we can have more capacity and make it so the pedestrian flow can be safe up above.”</p><p>Harrell: “So, I never worry about who gets the damn credit on anything. So, forget that stuff, number one. But I will ask the question, How come no other mayor did it? Let me just ask you the question. I was very fortunate to travel with Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, to a G7 conference to talk about us being one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the nation. And you hear me talk about it, if you look at what we put in the levy. When you look at the sidewalks, for example, we will do 250 blocks within the first four years, 350 new blocks of sidewalk. We put in for Vision Zero double the amount of the prior levy. We were very aggressive. When you look at what we’re trying to do at Westlake at the Overlook Walk, we look at what we’re doing with our Safe Routes to Schools for our kids. So under my administration, with your help, we are going to be one one of the most walkable cities with a walkable score to be the envy of other cities in this country. And that’s why we made the shift from Pike Place just to sort of show what can be done when we think smartly.”</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
nullagent<p>Update - The council member, Cathy Moore, who proposed kneecapping our ethics code suddenly withdrew the bill earlier this week.</p><p>Avoid a likely raucous showdown in city hall next week.</p><p>It seems that the optics of deleting the conflict of interest parts of the ethics code is pretty unpopular.</p><p>So unpopular Bruce Harrell even threatened to veto it. It's likely Cathy Moore believed she couldn't get a veto proof majority so gave up.</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/CathyMoore" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CathyMoore</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/EthicsCode" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EthicsCode</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Ethics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Ethics</span></a></p>
nullagent<p>It's a never ending gaslight fest.</p><p>The fash say that because their event closed early its a sign of religious persecution at the hands of Mayor Harrell.</p><p>Bruce on the other hand bulldozed a protest garden (<a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BLMG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BLMG</span></a>) precisely to enable events. The largest of which has been the fascist MaydayUSA tour (now planning an encoure).</p><p>Bruce asked them to wrap up a smidgen early and now both wants to claim that as a victory.</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a></p>
nullagent<p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/CallToAction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CallToAction</span></a> Mayor Bruce Harrell wants to raise your taxes to put cops back in Seattle schools.</p><p>There is a public meeting tonight, 5pm City Hall.</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Schools" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Schools</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/cops" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cops</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/acab" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>acab</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/ChiefBarnes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChiefBarnes</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/education" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>education</span></a></p>
Tom Fucoloro<p><a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/04/23/dont-underestimate-katie-wilson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Don’t underestimate Katie Wilson</strong></a></p><p></p>Katie Wilson, from <a href="https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">her campaign website</a>.<p>Katie Wilson is running for Seattle mayor. She is almost certain to raise less campaign money than incumbent Bruce Harrell, who is hoping to be the first Seattle mayor to win a second term since Greg Nickels won reelection 20 years ago. The previous two more lefty challengers for mayor got creamed with Cary Moon losing to Jenny Durkan 43-56 (a gap of 27,191 votes) in 2017 and Lorena González losing to Bruce Harrell 41-59 (a gap of 46,162 votes) in 2021. There’s no well-worn political lane Wilson can take to win, but it would be a mistake to underestimate her.</p><p>It’s only April, but at least some of the transportation power brokers in town seem ready to call the race over a half year before election night. Both <a href="https://www.t4wa.org/news/ldduroli95luquw44e1v17rpugbgfo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transportation for Washington</a> (the politically-active sister organization to Transportation Choices Coalition) and <a href="https://wabikes.org/index.php/2025/04/22/wa-bikes-endorses-balducci-for-king-county-executive-and-harrell-for-seattle-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Washington Bikes</a> (the politically active sister org to Cascade Bicycle Club) endorsed Bruce Harrell this week. They both cited the genuinely exciting passage of the Seattle Transportation Levy last November. Washington Bikes also cited the many bike projects that have been completed or are in construction.</p><p>But Mayor Harrell has also shown a willingness to subvert community efforts to make safety improvements, such as <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/06/13/seattle-mayors-reduced-bicycle-weekends-schedule/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">his resistance to expanding Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washington Boulevard</a>. A lot of the major bike network improvements the city will need to build over the next five years will be difficult and may rile up opposition. While Harrell has been good on bicycle safety work so far, he has never claimed to be a champion on the issue (in fact, he <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2021/10/15/endorsement-gonzalez-for-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">suggested the opposite</a> during a TV debate against González, whom Seattle Bike Blog endorsed). SDOT does not have a permanent Director, so 2025 is a big test for how Mayor Harrell will handle bicycle safety now that the need to pass a politically-important levy is behind us. I would want to see Seattle continue the accelerated pace of bike project delivery we saw under now-departed Director Greg Spotts before endorsing the incumbent mayor. </p><p>One huge make-or-break test will be early project development for a remake of the north section of Rainier Avenue between S Jackson Street and MLK Jr. Way S. The RapidRide R Bicycle Facility Alternatives Analysis “start planning” section of <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2025/02/03/sdot-releases-first-annual-spending-plan-for-the-keep-seattle-moving-levy/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">SDOT’s 2025 workplan</a>. Improving safety for people walking and biking along and across this stretch of Rainier Ave should be priority number one for our city. It is horribly dangerous for all road users and the single biggest barrier to bicycle access in Rainier Valley, but the solutions will not be easy. We will need strong and clear political leadership from step one because half measures will not get us to the Rainier Ave remake the people of our city need.</p><p>Wilson’s campaign website has yet to roll out her transportation policies, so we can’t say yet how she plans to differentiate herself from Harrell for folks who care about improving conditions for people biking, walking and taking transit. However, transportation should be one of her strengths since she co-founded the Transit Riders Union. She has also been an organizer for many big wins in the Seattle area such as the JumpStart payroll expense tax that has saved the Seattle budget in recent years. She had a hand in designing the ORCA Lift low-income fate program, which is great, and helped lead minumum wage campaigns throughout King County. Based on my interactions with her, she is an impressive and hard-working organizer who doesn’t shy away from a campaign just because it hasn’t been done before or looks too difficult. </p><p></p><p>Now as a mayoral candidate, her challenge is to translate her issue-based campaign skills into a general-purpose political campaign. Cary Moon’s doomed run in 2017 is perhaps the best guide for what will not work. Moon also had some successful and popular organizing wins under her belt before running. Moon was also great on public policy details, having <a href="https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2017/10/20/endorsement-cary-moon-for-mayor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">all the right stances</a> and a better grasp of city issues than her opponent. But Moon failed to build a genuine and wide-ranging grassroots movement around her campaign, and that’s the only way to win an election against a competent opponent who is better-funded and higher-profile. </p><p>This is not 2009, when Mike McGinn won a race for mayor that few would have predicted in April of that year. The big difference is that the incumbent Nickels placed third in the primary, something that seems highly unlikely in 2025 barring some major unexpected developments (<a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/woman-pregnant-bruce-harrell-seattle-mayor-iowa" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">recent revelations about a 1996 incident</a> in which he reportedly pulled a gun on a pregnant woman over a parking spot dispute have not yet stopped Harrell’s flow of endorsements). Joe Mallahan, McGinn’s better-funded opponent in 2009, was not a familiar name and was not a quality candidate. Wilson will likely need to do even more than McGinn. </p><p>Perhaps a closer example would be in 2013 when Kshama Sawant defeated longtime incumbent Richard Conlin (who was, fun fact, a founder of Bike Works) in a citywide City Council race. On the same ballot that Ed Murray defeated McGinn 52-47 (8,449 votes), Sawant defeated Conlin 51-49 (3,151 votes). Interestingly, fewer people voted for Sawant than voted for McGinn, but way fewer people voted for Conlin than voted for Murray. Sawant was riding a strong wave from the Occupy Seattle movement, and for a lot of people being part of her campaign was about being part of something bigger. I’m not saying Wilson should become a part of Socialist Alternative (and she definitely shouldn’t speak at Jill Stein rallies), but that 2013 campaign reached into the city’s milieu beyond just socialists and activists. The Kshama campaign also attacked Conlin relentlessly, which felt very different from Seattle’s usual more polite political tone but perhaps also explains why Conlin got so many fewer votes than Murray. It also helped that Conlin underestimated her.</p><p></p><p>#SEAbikes #Seattle</p>
nullagent<p>This legislation SOAP/SODA zones, put forth by Cathy Moore (an ex-Native reservation Court judge) was strongly opposed.</p><p>None the less the city council rammed this legislature through.</p><p>And Mayor Bruce Harrell, whose up for re-election, happily signed off on this cop city bullshit.</p><p>They crushed public comment with massive police presences and violent arrests, with several public commentators still facing charges!</p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/@nullagent/113114774540875148" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">partyon.xyz/@nullagent/1131147</span><span class="invisible">74540875148</span></a></p><p><a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/Seattle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Seattle</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/CathyMoore" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CathyMoore</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/BruceHarrell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BruceHarrell</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/CopCity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CopCity</span></a> <a href="https://partyon.xyz/tags/RobKettle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RobKettle</span></a></p>
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