Mercer Island hires new Traffic Engineer

The City of Mercer Island recently hired a new Transportation Engineer (Lia Klein) to address traffic issues on the island and assist with a number of upcoming bicycle and pedestrian projects. Lia is a civil engineer with a background in operations and safety analysis. An avid cyclist she is looking forward to her new commute over Lake Washington on the I-90 trail. Originally from Minneapolis, Lia is a travel enthusiast who loves to get inspiration for new ideas from other cities in the US and around the world. She can be contacted via email at lia.klein@mercerisland.gov.

Resource Links for Better, Safer Cycling

Several readers have sent in suggestions for resource pages useful for learning more about bicycling, tourism, safe behavior and riding skills.   We are pleased to share them.  Both lists are exhaustive and national in scope.

1.  The Breckenridge family on Mercer Island suggested this resource page with a wealth of links compiled by Murf Electric Bikes.

2.  The Eastern Oregon District BSAs suggested this resource page  assembled by a Chicago law firm.

Many thanks to our contributors!

8 Ways to Make Winter Cycling Safer

With fewer daylight hours and cloudier skies, using lights and wearing bright clothing makes for much safer cycling.  As someone who lives on the south end and drives East and West Mercer often, it is surprising how many cyclists wear dark clothing and have no lights, making them hard to see in the shadows and against dark winter backgrounds.   Same is true for walkers, especially those who do not walk on the shoulders.

This article provides some added suggestions for safer cycling in the dark.

Cyclists can treat stop signs as yield signs under new law

Bicyclists can treat a stop sign as a yield sign and roll through the intersection during light traffic, under a new Washington state law that takes effect October 1, 2020.  

Idaho, Delaware, Arkansas and Oregon previously legalized these rolling stops.

Washington Bikes considers it a safety improvement that can reduce crashes at a four-way stop or on a bike lane.

Lake Washington Boulevard Going Car-Free(ish)

Lake Washington Boulevard is going car-free(ish) again starting Friday and continuing until at least Labor Day.  The street is marked as closed to cars, though people can still drive on it if they are accessing a home (whether they live there, are visiting someone or are making a delivery or service call). While it’s not entirely closed to cars, but cars are very limited. People are allowed to walk in the street, which helps limit overcrowding on the skinny sidewalks and paths along the lake.

Reminder: Motorists must give bicycles 3 feet minimum while passing.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, Washington drivers must give cyclists and pedestrians three feet of space, or more, if passing them on the road.  Here’s what drivers need to know:

-If there are two or more lanes, drivers must move out of the right lane to pass a cyclist.

-If there is only one lane in each direction, drivers must slow down and give the cyclist at least three feet of space.

-If there is one lane in each direction, but not enough room to pass, the driver must move into oncoming traffic when safe to do so.

City's PROS Plan Deferred Due to Virus

Due to the  coronavirus pandemic the Mercer Island decided to postpone its park planning process (PROS) . Of particular interest to cyclists is how the $500,000 state grant to improve trail safety on the I-90 Trail through Aubrey Davis Park will be used.  This grant was sponsored by state senator and Mercer Island resident, Lisa Wellman, to fund improvements identified by the Aubrey Davis Park Master Plan. Its use is now under review by the Parks and Recreation Commission which will make recommendations to the City Council.  

While the PROS community survey is now closed, comments from cyclists are invited on Let's Talk Mercer Island.