Getting There: How many motorbikes can park in a space?

Question: We often hear grumbling from pedestrians and bicyclists, but now comes Robert Snell to argue that motorcyclists are not getting their due in the city.

Robert works in Sodo and makes frequent trips to downtown.

"I ride a motorcycle, as it is much easier to get around in traffic, and my employer allows employees free space in their parking garage for motorcycles," he says.

So far, so good for motorcyclists.

But in Robert's mind, the city doesn't seem to do much to encourage people to use scooters or motorcycles instead of cars, especially since they take up less space and he believes they pollute less.

"To me, the most stark example of this lack of encouragement is the parking situation," he says.

Robert recalls reading in Getting There that motorcycles must follow the same rules as cars when it comes to parking spaces: one vehicle, one space. This seems like wasted space to Robert, who says five motorcycles could easily fit in some spaces marked for a single car.

The few spaces reserved for motorcycles charge the same rate as for cars. Why shouldn't he just bypass the motorcycle space to use a closer car space if it's going to cost the same, he asks.

Finally, Robert complains that the tickets printed out by the new parking stations instruct the cyclist to put the ticket directly on the headlight.

"About once a week, someone helps themselves to my ticket rather than paying for their own parking."

Answer: First, let us pass on some good news, Robert. More than one motorcycle is allowed to occupy a parking space as long as there is sufficient room and all parking regulations are observed, says Katherine Casseday, the city's traffic manager.

What motorcycles cannot do is park in between parking stalls on the street, she says. And that's what we reported in our June 2004 column.

As for why the city doesn't offer preferential parking rates to motorcycles, Casseday says, "Motorcycles are still considered single-occupant vehicles."

City policies emphasize moving more people in fewer vehicles, so the same parking fees apply to motorcycles as to cars.

If you want a discounted parking rate, Robert, we guess you'll have to car pool.

Casseday says the city has had "very few reports" of parking receipts being taken from motorcycle headlamps, but there is an easy verification process if you pay by debit or credit card. If you get a ticket, call 684-ROAD and ask the city to verify the payment and rescind the ticket.

"Other cities have found that writing the motorcycle license plate number on the pay station receipt serves as an effective theft deterrent," Casseday notes.

Question: The French aphorism "to each his own taste" apparently goes for traffic signs.

Capitol Hill resident Cindy Russell was repelled by a new sign she saw on 15th Avenue East.


	Is this traffic sign for real? Yup.

"It was larger than the average traffic sign, blue, and showed two people flying through the air as if from being impacted by the block in the center," Cindy says. The words on the sign were something like "Drive Carefully. You can make quite an impact."

"Who thought this one up?" Cindy asks. "It is awful. The last thing I want to see on my walk is an ergonomic representation of people being hit by a car. Is this for real?"

Answer: Yes, Cindy, it's for real.

Wayne Wentz, manager of traffic operations for the city, says the signs are part of the city's 10-point pedestrian safety campaign.

"Think of the Impact You Could Make" was a deliberately chosen theme aimed at getting the attention of both drivers and pedestrians, Wentz says. The campaign was based on federal research showing that people respond to signs that startle them.

"They are intended to grab drivers' attention to remind them to be more attentive to their speeds and keep an eye out for pedestrians," says Wentz.

Another element of the pedestrian safety campaign involves rotating speed-watch trailers through neighborhoods. A radar board flashes speeds of vehicles passing by.

Wentz says most pedestrian-vehicle collisions occur when drivers turn at intersections without checking for pedestrians in the side street crosswalk.

Another common scenario: A driver in one lane stops to let a pedestrian cross, but a driver in the next lane continues through. Running red lights is a third cause.

Heads up. Local businesses will remain open, but construction is about to get seriously under way on replacing the approaches to the Fremont Bridge and also making traffic improvements near the Aurora Avenue onramps. The Burke-Gilman and the Ship Canal trails will be closed at the bridge probably beginning Wednesday. The Burke-Gilman will be closed until 2007, the Ship Canal Trail for a short distance until 2008.