Cycle Track Plan Worries Business Owners In Ravenna
Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan includes a proposal for a bike lane on NE 65
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Street. The bike lane would be a cycle track, which is a protected lane for bikes. Usually such lanes take away some parking.
Lisa Falvey was out biking with her kids on Friday. She said she understands why people are worried about the cycle track, but also wants safer bike routes for her family. "There’s a lot of bike traffic on the road, so I think, in an ideal world, it would be great if it were safer for people on their bikes to ride,” Falvey said. “But I don’t know what kind of research the city has done regarding how it’s going to displace the existing car traffic, because that’s the concern of the neighborhood.”
That’s exactly what business owners Jay Schiering and David Katz are worried about.
“Here’s our bus, where’s he supposed to park?” Schiering asked.
“He will park in the middle of the street and unload people,” Katz chimed in.
“There’s my mailman, where’s he’s supposed to park?” Schiering asked again.
“He’s going to be on the side street, fighting with other people parking,” said Katz.
Schiering owns McCarthy and Schiering Wine Merchants, and Katz owns Ravenna Interiors. NE 65
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Street is pretty narrow in front of their businesses, and a cycle track would likely take away most of their parking. “If people look at the width of this road, they’ll realize what they’re proposing is not realistic for the health of the entire community,” Schiering said.
The city says they’re still considering feedback from residents and businesses to make a revision for the Bicycle Master Plan. They expect the revised plan to be ready by November. Then it would go to the Seattle City Council.
