Westlake Protected Bike Lane
Creating a safer, more predictable way to travel
The Westlake protected bike lane opened in fall 2016. It's a 1.2 mile stretch along Westlake Ave N within the public parking lot between the Fremont Bridge and South Lake Union.
Overview
PeopleForBikes named the Westlake protected bike lane the #1 new bike lane in the country for 2016. The reason? Connectivity. In their words, it’s “a world-class bikeway: the first flat, intuitive link joining downtown Seattle to the north side and a vast regional trail network.”
Many Seattleites agree. Bike ridership on Westlake doubled after the protected bike lane opened compared to the year before.
The new bike lane didn’t come easy. SDOT’s engineering and outreach teams worked hard to incorporate input from people who live and work in the area who rely on the limited public parking. Working with the community, we preserved 90% of the parking and organized the corridor so it’s more comfortable for everyone.
Check out more before and after photos.
Click here for the full outreach summary and documents.
WHO YIELDS ON PROTECTED BIKE LANES?
Walking? Please walk on the sidewalk unless you're crossing into the parking area. You are welcome to cross the protected bike lane at any point but please look for people biking as you cross.
Biking? Please ride on the protected bike lane rather than the parking area to reduce interactions with people driving. Yield to pedestrians at all crosswalks.
Driving? Please yield to people walking and biking at all driveways.
Project Funding
The Westlake Cycle Track project cost was approximately $6.1 million including planning, design, and construction. Funding is provided by a $1.7 million Puget Sound Regional Council grant, local funds, and bonds.
Parking Management
As part of the project, SDOT’s parking management team collected parking data and worked closely with community stakeholders to develop a parking management plan that best balances the needs of residents, businesses, customers, tourists, and moorage tenants.
Based on that plan, we implemented parking management changes in March 2015. Take a look at a mailer we sent to corridor residents with additional information.
Additionally, SDOT issued a decision regarding the boundary of Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) 25. All residences with Westlake Ave N addresses on the west side of Westlake Ave N that are north of Crockett St will remain in RPZ 25 and continue to be eligible for Zone 25 permits.
Check out the December 2016 parking report showing parking counts after the Westlake protected bike lane opened.
Contact Us
Email: walkandbike@seattle.gov
Call: 206-684-ROAD (7623)
Project Manager: CJ Holt
Community Outreach Lead: Sara Colling