Ballard Bridge Sidewalk

[@PScottCummins]

Thanks for this powerful presentation. And thanks as well for so respectfully honoring the memory of a neighbor and all around great guy who is still very much missed here in Magnolia - necessary improvements to safety on the Ballard Bridge is an important way to honor the memory of Terry McMacken.

[@erins.2319]

Ms. Woods, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

[@merlinrainwater8665]

Haley, thank you for speaking up for people who need to use this bridge without a car. The sidewalks are terrible and you convincingly demonstrate how bad they are for a wide variety of users. It's a powerful statement to our City leaders.

[@jimstanton9671]

Great video and message.

[@rogelioportillo4755]

I have had my share of near accidents over the eight years that I have been riding my bicycle around and over that bridge. Having learned my lesson, I make it a point to avoid the Ballard Bridge as much as I can whenever I have guests riding their bicycles with me. Southbound, the bridge is a nightmare when trying to rejoin traffic: you couple the speed of drivers on the straightaway, contemplating the arch of someone about to possibly take a turn, and the general disregard for yielding. It had never occurred to me to try to do something about this chunk of sub-par city infrastructure: thanks, Haley for to trying to prompt a positive change.

[@AndySquirrel]

Thanks Haley, Great video! You did a perfect job illustrating why this piece of infrastructure needs to be upgraded for safe travel by all users as soon as possible. I had not even thought about the need to accommodate those in wheelchairs or pushing strollers. Can you imagine a modern electric wheelchair trying to use the bridge? I think the video does a fantastic job showing Seattlites that haven't yet tried to cross on foot or bike just how harrowing and difficult it can be for the rest of us that use it frequently. I hope Ed Murray, Seattle City Concil and SDOT see the video and take action and soon!

[@ViolinTreble]

Thank you for making this video! It killed my uncle. I miss you everyday uncle Terry. Fight to change the Ballard bridge!

[@hanz_zimmer]

Had to walk the bridge today for the first time. Pretty dismal experience. Thanks for making this!

[@DaigoroToyama]

Thanks for sharing this, Haley. I've heard horror stories about Ballard Bridge, but I've never gotten to experience the misery myself. This is truly horrible. I will write to Ed Murray to give the city my feedback.

[@Allegra1958]

Ludicrous abuse of people just trying to get around!

[@StarpathNav]

Excellent. Thanks for putting this together. I have encountered at least two of the hazards you describe and I have only crossed the bridge by bike a few times.

[@carlamcmacken]

Thank you Haley. I hope you can make a difference! Terry McMacken's mother.

[@MissHaleyWoods]

Carla, so sorry for your loss. I hope this can make a difference too in Terry's honor.

[@jasonmcmacken5823]

i like to thank you so much for making this video, my dad is terry mcmacken, you dont know how much i hate that bridge, and how badly i want it fixed, no one deserves to get hurt or die because there isnt a fence protecting anyone

[@heyheysashak]

This is a terrifying crossing. One of the main reasons we left Magnolia was because we spend time in Balllard, and the ride/walk back home was frightening. Seattle government needs to focus on making city streets (and bridges!) safer for people using all modes of transportation, not just for people in cars. Mayor Murray, Seattle city council, please address this before the next preventable tragedy occurs.

[@nixiekitten]

it has been pointed out to me that it would be useful to forward this video to local news channels.

[@chewyanddogs8384]

I remember having the Ballard Boys and Girls Club decided if us kids should cross the Ballard bridge of the locks to get to Magnolia. Must have been around 1993, we went over the bridge and I had nightmares about falling from the bridge ever since. Our Condo looked at the bridge too. We watched ambulance after ambulance help people in accidents. Totally scarred!

[@seonaidhdavenport374]

I crossed the Ballard Bridge with my kid on the back of my bike in a kid seat. ONCE. And I have been riding my bike to commute in Seattle for years. Before that, my husband and I were quite comfortable also riding bikes (with the kid in the bucket seat) in London too. It is completely horrifying, that bridge.

[@Timflan]

And don't EVEN get me started about riding across towing a child in a bike trailer!!

[@ElricWolfsbruder]

I lived at 15th and Dravus for several years, Using that bridge was always a nightmare. These days If I have to walk more than half a football field I am confined to a wheelchair. (Isn't being hit at red lights fun?) . I couldn't cross that bridge anymore even if I wanted to.

[@Bo_in_Seattle]

Incredibly accurate. Maybe the worst sidewalk in the city. Great video, very informative.

[@joelschwaber6091]

Wow, that's a great video!

[@mutepoetry]

Thank you for making this video! My husband has to bike commute downtown every day and I worry, I walk my dog and have only used the bridge twice because it seems so dangerous!

[@MarkFoltz]

Great video that accurately reflects poorly designed infrastructure that only works for cars. I've been urban cycling for 15+ years and I would only attempt it if absolutely necessary. Going to tweet the mayor and others now...

[@jasonstrong7066]

So... she's blaming her inability to ride in a straight line on a 'possible' passing truck? All I hear is a bunch of hipster/special snowflake waaaaahhhhh! Are there not walkways on both sides? Forcing peds/bikers to flow in the same direction with the traffic only would prevent most of the 'issues' raised. Or how about 'Don't live in Ballard'... or build your own/raise funds for the construction of a bike/pedestrian only toll bridge. The part about '_finally_ doing something for the cyclists' was comical considering how butchered the Seattle streets have become thanks to the bike lane initiative...

[@MarkFoltz]

Too bad Terry McMacken couldn't ride in a straight line either. I'm sure his family appreciates your thoughts on the subject.

[@jasonstrong7066]

'Fixing' every spot of accidental death isn't a realistic solution. Using his death furthers her spurious arguments instead of staying on point.

[@elig9401]

Jason Strong You have automatically disqualified yourself from this conversation. Have a great life, but please don't ever consider the traffic engineering discipline, anywhere near my city. Thank you.

[@jasonstrong7066]

Thank goodness that the arbiter of the internet has spoken! Was the election difficult? Feel free to enjoy your propaganda!

[@RandyKnightPE]

Fabulous video Haley.. In engineer speak, the bridge would be considered functionally deficient for pedestrians and cyclists.... and would score many competitive funding points for that fact... I glad you were not hurt...

[@Narabic]

Nice production to show the major troubles with this particular very important bridge.. I drive a car and I ride bicycles.. dangerous to do both... bike riders flipping off motorists left and right, it's sad to see what Seattle has become ! I was born in Seattle in 1962.... I am abandoning my home city, this place is unsustainable when it comes to mobility, and insanely so... I wish everyone luck in figuring all of this out ! Huge buildings going up and up, taxes and fees everywhere going up and up ! Enjoy the gouge on paying for your car tabs here in the next few months .... I dread to think what this area will be in even just one more year... Seattle may be a nice place to visit when you have the time, and I intend to come back on a regular basis during off peak hours... signing the papers to sell my Greenlake house tomorrow, moving far far from the city... fare thee well ! PS : I didn't know Terry McMacken too well, but I remember him as a neighbor on Queen Anne Hill back in the 70's. May he rest in peace !

[@123ecellini]

Thanks for making this video Haley. I spend many hours biking around Seattle and the Ballard bridge is just not considered as an option to me anymore. And I am a very experienced cyclist but 99% of the time I find another way around. Hopefully there will be progress soon.

[@anorthernlight]

You missed one -- bike with trailer. I tried it once, but had to use the roadway lane instead. While the sidewalk may be 39 inches, there are curb elements at the end (at least at the NW sidewalk end) that make it narrower still. Couldn't even get the trailer through.

[@MissHaleyWoods]

Yes we didn't include that, but definitely have also bike ON the grated bridge deck with cars because I had a trailor on my bike - TERRIBLE experience!!! Cars/trucks were so angry and definitely let me know they didn't like it any more than I did.

[@Timflan]

I did that ONCE as well.

[@MichaelHalcrow]

Haley Woods, the sharrows printed on the roadway make it abundantly clear that the city traffic engineers direct cyclists to command the right lane when crossing the bridge. If cyclists want to garner support from the cagers for improvements to the bridge, then perhaps the best thing to do is do precisely what the city traffic engineers instruct cyclists to do, every time they cross. Just make sure you're lit up like a Christmas tree, and remember to smile and wave!

[@zverina]

Bro is lucky he didn't get clocked by a mirror at 2:29. You always gotta watch out, especially when making a video. I bike commuted this bridge about 10 years ago. No fun. Glad to see this out there as proponent of necessary change. What's ironic is Seattle had excellent bicycle infrastructure 20 years before Ballard Bridge, but the tide had shifted by 1917 when it was built. Seems like best solution is to reduce roadway to three lanes, 2:1 reversing at rush hour as necessary. Reducing motor vehicle capacity has side benefit of reducing traffic. Counter-intuitive, but it is so.

[@docmalthus]

The only way I ever cross that bridge is in a Metro Bus! I hope this video will wake up Ed Murray, et al, to the very real dangers here.

[@PaulCanniff]

The video is good. I've ridden this route 4 times total and walked it a dozen or more. I take Fremont Bridge; I take the locks; I have even taken a bus (bike loaded on front) to avoid this bridge and its causeways. 1) Making sidewalks one-way would help, but not fix it. I'm not sure there is a legal precedent for making pedestrians and strollers go one-way. Especially given the distance from the closest legal safe crossing to the bridge, many people will be committed before they reach the causeway, and others won't want to bother with the hassle of crossing 15th twice. So even if ALL BIKES followed the rules, you'll still encounter people coming at you. 2) Overtaking is just as hard, with the bonus of coming from a blind spot. 3) As the video notes the southwest end of the bridge is awful. The sidewalk spits you out into a lane of cars, and right across a busy right turn. 4) The railings are old-school low. I drive more than I bike, a lot more. But I support safe biking corridors. This is the antithesis. It is a dangerous gantlet.

[@micmul1964]

I ride from West Seattle to Ballard for exercise and to visit my brother. I often detour through Fremont due to fear of crossing that bridge. When in a hurry to get home I have crossed it and each time I feel I have been lucky to get across and vow never to do it again. I think it should be one of the top cycle infra projects for the city. Making a commitment to non-vehicular commuting should not cost you your life. What do you say your Honor?

[@lynntalbot2310]

please people contact the seattle city council and NOT let another family lose a father do to not feeling it necessary to make safer for all.... as a teenager it always scared me to walk it let alone drive it i would many times just cross at the locks because if how scary it was.... R.I.P. Terry McMacken

[@seattledashcam4037]

We need more videos like this showcasing problems all over Seattle- other bridges and all the streets called out as being responsible for 90% of Seattle car crashes in the Vision Zero documents (www.seattle.gov/visionzero).

[@billyhill727]

I ride across this bridge when I am over in that area riding my bike or take the bike trail under it going to Interbay. I've never had a problem going across it. It must not be that bad because this video was posted 9 years ago and the bridge is still the same.

[@KyleOman]

Always thought those sidewalks were way too narrow. Unrelated, Haley, do you work at Peddler? You look super familiar!

[@MissHaleyWoods]

Hi Kyle, yes I co-own Peddler! Dave and Mike are the two guys in the video.

[@EvilWiffles]

Living on the edge. Woop.

[@gonxau]

The interactions were pretty funny, although slightly off from what I've seen. * The child one I could and have seen happening before. * The dog one is actually a lot more dangerous than what is depicted, because the dog will dive under the owner's legs to avoid the cars rather than into traffic, which could potentially make the owner fall either on to the barrier or into traffic. Alternatively, they press up against the far side wall, because they too are very scared of high speed traffic going past. * No cyclists I know will ride past each other there. Someone always stops because the alternative is too dangerous. I've seen Option A or B used. I personally end up leaning against the railing as far across as I can to give them enough space. Only once have I seen someone actually ride across the grating. * Cyclists overtaking pedestrians from behind is undoubtedly the worst of these common interactions. I've only encountered a pram once there; being mindful of sidewalk laws and right of way I ended up just walking behind them until we got to the mid-span because there was no safe way to pass and they felt terrible about it and apologized to me. There was also no safe way for the parents to walk next to each other. The Ballard Locks also requires that cyclists walk their bicycles through the locks, which increases the time for cyclists, decreases usability for everyone involved as the locks just barely fit the bicycles so they have to be completely clear for a cyclist to move across the gangway. Unfortunately there's no simple solution I'm familiar with for retrofitting to extend the walkway; the bridge will probably need to be torn down and rebuilt to resolve this.

[@logans6619]

Has the city of Seattle done anything about this yet?

[@demiangodon4882]

No, sadly nothing has been done

[@baronlocal8569]

2:05 sunt 2 trotuare , unul pe fiecare parte . Dece se inghesuie toti pe un singur trotuar ? Problema ar fi depasirea biciclistilor , sau tricicletelor , cvadricicletelor , seqwei ..

[@bjorncmadsen]

I understand this bridge's pedestrian path is narrow, I bicycle across this myself. What I don't understand is the argument for modifying the bridge for bicyclists. If you are frightened of bicycling across the Ballard bridge there are other options which include walking your bicycle across the Ballard bridge, bicycling across the Fremont bridge, and bicycling through the Ballard locks. These last two options are on a bicycle trail. So rather than change the Ballard bridge with a $20 million project, take the safe bicycle routes! I suppose we could add bicycle lanes to the Ballard bridge, but then why stop there? It's also dangerous to bicycle across the Aurora bridge! You see where I am going with this? There are safe bicycle paths for people in Ballard, and crossing the Ballard bridge on a bicycle isn't necessary.

[@Bo_in_Seattle]

I disagree with you. My example being the u district bridge. The argument that aurora bridge needs bicycle infrastructure is a little bit of a stretch. I also don't understand how crossing the ballard bridge by bicycle isn't necessary? Should convenient access around Seattle only be afforded to automobiles? I don't get the argument that human powered travel should have to reroute up to six miles to reach their home/job in Ballard.

[@bjorncmadsen]

Bo Ttorff I didn't say anybody should have to go out of their way. I recommend if somebody is scared of riding across the bridge that they dismount and walk their bicycle across, or go to a different bridge.

[@aidanbutler5940]

License bikes just like cars, and there will be money for improvements for cyclists. Also, put a bicycle toll on the bridge to pay for it.

[@thevikingwarrior11]

This has been a problem for the longest time now, and people have been ALWAYS expressing their disdain for the bridge. Ed Murray is probably not going to do anything about this because any bit of new bridge development would isolate Ballard and ruin the chickens Seattle's counting before they even hatch out of their eggs (metaphor or something right there). Point of the matter is... Ballard should ONLY be a automobile/bus/freight truck bridge. Seattle is working on many different solutions to the problem, building light rail is one of them, increasing the D-Line across the bridge is another. I think it's funny that all these people are thinking Seattle is getting an influx of money from all of these "Transplants" that move into the city. Their taxes are hardly being put to use, and the money that they spend never usually goes local. This whole argument is basically just like beating a dead horse in my humble opinion.

[@yackerrr]

#firstworldproblems

[@Timflan]

Quite accurate. In fact, crossing this bridge reminds me of my time living in "developing economies", where public transportation infrastructure was often similarly treacherous. In the first world, we expect better.

[@oreosaysb00]

Why not just bike in the traffic lane?

[@kerryroberts4540]

it was built in 1917 give it a rest