Day: September 16, 2011

Seattle's Street Safety Reckoning: The Seattle cycling community is reeling after a rash of recent deaths: Three cyclists have lost their lives on city roads since July. These tragic events have prompted some tough questioning of the city's commitment to protect its vulnerable road users. One case in particular stands out as potentially avoidable: the death of Brian Fairbrother, who lost his life after crashing down an unmarked staircase at the end of a city bike trail late last month. Tom Fucoloro at the Seattle Bike Blog responded, "At some point, sadness and mourning turns to anger. You might ask, 'Why was there no sign in place warning of a staircase at the end of this bike trail?'" A newer report by the same blog showed that the city had received a safety complaint about the staircase as early as 2008. For his part, Mayor Mike McGinn has called for a road safety summit and laid out plans to help make Seattle's roads safer for all users.

Featured Headline: Today is Park(ing) Day, which I once referred to as Christmas for Livable Streets advocates.  If you're unfamiliar with the event, basically a group of people set up a small park in a parking space, usually a metered space, to demonstrate how much public space we're willingly giving up for car parking.