SEATTLE — A Seattle-based attorney is calling on the city to consider changes to its protected bike lanes, specifically related to where drivers are allowed to park along certain two-wheels-only routes.
Chris Davis, the founder and principal attorney of Davis Law Group, represents a man who crashed into a turning vehicle in May.
The bicyclist was riding in a protected bike lane along Eastlake Avenue. Footage from the cyclist's GoPro camera shows several parked cars to the left of the bike lane, which Davis believes reduced visibility for both the driver and the bicyclist.
"Because of the parked cars and the way the bike lanes are designed, it basically doesn't leave a lot of room for error," Davis told KING 5. "There is a concept in engineering and in legal jargon called sight distance. What it comes down to is when you're designing traffic methods, there has to be adequate sight distance for people to spot potential hazards and then take appropriate action to avoid collisions."
Davis said his client sustained a concussion in the May crash.
"I know the city is aware of the potential problem," he said. "We just haven't received any word back from the city DOT that they're doing anything about it or if they're looking at it seriously."
A spokesperson for the Seattle Department of Transportation could not be immediately reached on Tuesday night.
The City of Seattle is working to end all traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. It's part of their plan, Vision Zero. Hoboken, New Jersey and Oslo, Norway are two cities where Vision Zero has been successful.
Data from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) shows that 17 bicyclists have been killed in crashes 2023. In 2022, 12 bicyclists were killed and there were 14 deaths each in 2021 and 2020.