After hit and run at 4th/Pine, safety advocates create a ‘human-protected’ bike lane – UPDATE: City installs permanent barrier

Interim SDOT Director Adiam Emery speaking with the TV crews.

UPDATE: More than a dozen people showed up to form a human-protected" bike lane on Pine Street at 4th Avenue to demonstrate the need to physical protection for the bike lane at the intersection. SDOT's Interim Director Adiam Emery and City Councilmember Dan Strauss attended as well to learn about the issues at the intersection and speak with the TV crews that showed up.

The action started as people, including Emery and Strauss, were leaving the nearby Cascade Bicycle Club Bike Everywhere Lunch. It was a busy morning for the city's bike advocates.

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has also created an online action alert people can use to show their support for safety improvements at this intersection.

UPDATE #2: SDOT crews were out installing barriers to protect the bike lane before 4 p.m., a remarkably quick response to a safe streets action. Rainwater, one of the action organizers, called me to make sure I saw the news. She was very happy to hear SDOT had responded so quickly.

SDOT traffic camera image, posted by Gabe Edwards on Bluesky.

Original story:

Someone created this makeshift bike lane protection late Tuesday or early Wednesday. SDOT removed it hours before a hit-and-run collision at the same location.

A week ago, bike advocacy hero Merlin Rainwater was in a scary collision with a bus at a pinch point where the protected bike lane on Pine Street swerves toward the general traffic lanes before 4th Avenue. Luckily, Rainwater was not injured, but the incident led her and other Central Seattle Greenways members to call for proper protection for the bike lane at that intersection.

Someone installed a guerrilla bike swerve" last night using some toilet plungers and a trash can, but SDOT removed it shortly afterward.

Then this morning (April 30), a person biking was struck and injured at the same location. The driver fled the scene, and the person was taken to the hospital.

In response, Central Seattle Greenways quickly organized an action to call attention to the safety problems at this location by forming a human-protected bike lane at 1 p.m.

I'll be there and will post updates, so stay tuned.

From Seattle Neighborhood Greenways:

WHAT:Safe streets advocates and concerned neighbors will form a human-protected bike lane at 4th & Pine to demand immediate safety improvements following multiple collisions, including two serious crashes in the past week.

WHEN:Wednesday, April 30 at 1:00 PM

WHERE:4th Ave & Pine St, behind the Westlake Park stage

WHY:Last fall, SDOT installed a new bike lane on Pine Street - but at 4th Ave, the lane abruptly swerves into vehicle traffic without clear markings or protection, creating a highly dangerous situation for people biking.

Despite repeated warnings from Central Seattle Greenways (CSG) and local advocates, no safety improvements have been made.

• Last week,a Seattle Neighborhood Greenways board member (Merlin) was struck by a King County Metro bus at this location.
• This morning,another person biking (Ben) was sent to the hospital after ahit-and-run crashcaptured on video by a bystander.

To draw attention to the dangerous design and demand action, volunteers will form ahuman-protected bike laneand share stories of recent injuries caused by this preventable hazard.

Earlier this week, anonymous individuals attempted to improve the street by painting lines and installing makeshift protection using toilet plungers. SDOT removed the improvements within hours but has not offered an alternative plan for safety.