SEATTLE — Seattle City Council approved legislation Tuesday to expand bike lanes and parking spots for bicycles.
Council Bill 119601 requires the Seattle Department of Transportation to build protected bike lanes for paving projects that exceed $1 million. The requirements apply to road improvements in the city’s Capital Improvement Program, but do not apply to routine maintenance and emergency repairs.
The ordinance allows SDOT to determine if the physical features of a street or financial constraints would keep the department from implementing protected bike lanes. However, the director of SDOT would also need to explain the decision to city council and show how the protected bicycle lane network would be advanced.
Resolution 31898 doubles the number of new bicycle parking spots by next year. The city says it is on track to add 1,500 more bike parking spots by the end of the 2019, and the resolution calls for 3,000 new spots by the end of 2020.
The resolution also proposes SDOT develop a budget proposal that includes financial penalties for bikes that are parked incorrectly. During the first quarter of 2019, 14.3% of bikes obstructed pedestrian access, according to a bikeshare report from SDOT.
Supporters of the resolution hope that giving bicyclists additional places to park their bikes will decrease the number of blocking bicycles across the city.
The group Seattle Greenways applauded the Council's passage on Tuesday in a series of tweets.