Cars in downtown

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by Seattle4321

What is up with seattle trying to make it impossible to park in seattle? Maybe some people don't want to ride the bus for a hour to get downtown. Or maybe I don't want to bike up and down all the hills in downtown or live close enough to ride my bike there. Or maybe some people like the comfort of their car vs the bus. And the bike lanes who uses those? a select few will use the bike lanes was it worth it I think not.

I don't get it- I see parking garages all over Seattle. How is it "impossible" to park?

Are you really asking "why isn't there free street parking everywhere"? I guess that would be nice, but it's an unrealistic expectation.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by strad

According to the latest US census, 4.1% of Seattlites regularly commute to work by bicycle and nearly 10% walk. In fact, in the US only Portland has a larger percentage of commuters who get to work by bicycle. The number of bicycle commuters in Seattle has nearly doubled in the past decade too.

OK then 96% for fun and 4% for commuting. And these are people who live very close to their workplace. Very few people would ride a bicycle to work in cold or rain (and hills). Painting bike lanes is not a solution for commuting problems.

[SitoUK]

Well you need bike infrastructure such as the occasional bike line to promote cycling in urban areas and as a driver of a car you should be happy about every cyclist you see on the road. It usually means one less car on the road and in a parking spot.

[Botev1912]

these bike lanes are such a joke compared to the ones in Amsterdam or Munich.

[JBVirtuoso]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

these bike lanes are such a joke compared to the ones in Amsterdam or Munich.

Yes, but we have to start somewhere. Places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen had almost no bike lanes 40 years ago, but they've been slowly building them out over the last few decades. Now both cities have very high rates of cycling (something like 30% of all trips in each are via bicycle), and people of all ages cycle around the city. It's very different from the US cycling culture that's associated with daredevil young men. No one in those places would claim that bicycles are just for fun - it's a form of transportation that's popular with all segments of the population.

We're slowly moving toward that model in the US, but there are a number of hurdles. The biggest is political, as many people (such as the OP) see no need for bike lanes and don't want their tax dollars dedicated to the purpose. The others are mostly cultural adjustments - people need to feel safe while cycling, and need to trust that law enforcement will go to bat for them in the case of an accident. Neither of those is the case now.

One proxy for this is helmet use. In Seattle, we actually have a law that all cyclists of all ages must wear helmets, and the fine is roughly equal to a speeding ticket. Portland has no such law, but helmet use is still the norm there. In New York, maybe half of people cycling wear helmets. Unlike on the west coast, New York has a more casual cycling culture that's more focused on transportation than recreation. In Copenhagen, maybe 10% of people wear helmets. Since they're traveling in their own dedicated lanes at very slow speeds (usually about the pace of joggers), there's just no need.

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by Seattle4321

What is up with seattle trying to make it impossible to park in seattle? Maybe some people don't want to ride the bus for a hour to get downtown. Or maybe I don't want to bike up and down all the hills in downtown or live close enough to ride my bike there. Or maybe some people like the comfort of their car vs the bus. And the bike lanes who uses those? a select few will use the bike lanes was it worth it I think not.

Seattle doesn't care what you want, they want you out of your car and walking or on a bike. The mayor says their isn't a war on cars but actions speak louder than words.

Is Seattle waging a war on cars?

A lot of the traffic congestion, something like a quarter of all traffic congestion in the city is people cruising for parking, looking for parking," said Scott Kubly, director of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

According to data provided to KING 5 by the Seattle Department of Transportation, paid curbside parking shrunk by 1,380 spaces over the past four years. That includes 275 spots in the commercial core -- a 20 percent drop.

They're actively making things worse for the VAST majority of people who drive. 4% of Seattlites may ride a bike but they're far from the only people commuting into Seattle every day.

[JonasW]

I live DT. There's plenty of parking both street and lots. You might have to walk a few blocks but it's a city not a one red light town. Things aren't always going to be to your ultimate convenience. No large urban city is like that. As to bike commuting, go down and watch the ferries in the morning and afternoon. They are full of bike commuters - rain and shine.

[strad]

Originally Posted by Haakon

Seattle doesn't care what you want, they want you out of your car and walking or on a bike. The mayor says their isn't a war on cars but actions speak louder than words.

Is Seattle waging a war on cars?

A lot of the traffic congestion, something like a quarter of all traffic congestion in the city is people cruising for parking, looking for parking," said Scott Kubly, director of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

According to data provided to KING 5 by the Seattle Department of Transportation, paid curbside parking shrunk by 1,380 spaces over the past four years. That includes 275 spots in the commercial core -- a 20 percent drop.

They're actively making things worse for the VAST majority of people who drive. 4% of Seattlites may ride a bike but they're far from the only people commuting into Seattle every day.

According to the Seattle Times, parking garages downtown are on average 40% vacant. That would seem to indicate that we still have plenty of parking downtown.

[tifoso]

Originally Posted by Haakon

Seattle doesn't care what you want, they want you out of your car and walking or on a bike. The mayor says their isn't a war on cars but actions speak louder than words.

Is Seattle waging a war on cars?

A lot of the traffic congestion, something like a quarter of all traffic congestion in the city is people cruising for parking, looking for parking," said Scott Kubly, director of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

According to data provided to KING 5 by the Seattle Department of Transportation, paid curbside parking shrunk by 1,380 spaces over the past four years. That includes 275 spots in the commercial core -- a 20 percent drop.

They're actively making things worse for the VAST majority of people who drive. 4% of Seattlites may ride a bike but they're far from the only people commuting into Seattle every day.

I won't argue that city policies in the main discourage use of an automobile to get around. And a good argument can be made that relative to mode share, alternative modes, in particular public transit, get a disproportionately high share of tax revenue compared to roads and streets.

Where I part company with the "war on cars" brigade is street parking. As many have already pointed out, street space, particularly downtown, is at a premium. So it should be relatively expensive, simply because supply exceeds demand. Since the street is a public right of way (ROW), the city (which owns that ROW in the name of its citizens) has a right to determine how that space should be used. If city officials feel that the ROW is better used for a bike lane rather than parking, well, you still have choices. Get a group together and lobby the council to force a policy change (that's how the bike advocates did it). If that fails, exercise your franchise at the ballot box and toss 'da bums out. Or you learn to live with the new regime and if that doesn't work, move to a more amenable place. Or just vent your frustrations on C-D; lots of folks will listen and engage with you. As I said, your choice.