**UPDATE** SDOT installed concrete barriers this afternoon to protect this vital bike route! We have updated the text of our letter to be a thank you to SDOT leadership for acting quickly when it's needed.

SDOT traffic camera image of installation at 4:00 pm on 4/30/2025, posted by Gabe Edwards on Bluesky.

Original Post:

Last fall, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) installed a planter-protected bike lane to close a critical gap in our downtown bike network along Pine Street near Westlake Park. While we’re grateful to see this long-missing connection filled, the design at the intersection of Pine and 4th Avenue remains dangerously flawed.

At this location, the bike lane suddenly veers into traffic, merging with a vehicle lane in a way that confuses drivers and places people biking in harm’s way. Vehicle lanes also swerve, but many drivers continue straight — a design flaw that has already led to serious collisions.

Advocates flagged this hazard when the lane was installed and have continued to raise concerns.

Tragically, those concerns have become reality:

• Last week, a Seattle Neighborhood Greenways board member was struck by a King County Metro bus.

• This week, another person biking was hospitalized after a hit-and-run crash at the same intersection.

In a desperate effort to make the street safer, community members installed DIY safety markings — including painted lines and orange-flagged plungers. SDOT removed these within hours, but has yet to announce a plan for official improvements.

We urge SDOT to take immediate action to fix this dangerous design before more people are hurt or killed. Simple, near-term changes such as physical separation, clear paint markings, and better signage could save lives.

Add your name in support of making the Pine and 4th bike lane safer.