Cyclists ride for the right to bike lanes

About 300 cyclists rode together in Seattle Wednesday night to demand that the city create bike lanes in a six-block stretch of Stone Way North, near the Burke-Gilman Trail and Fremont Bridge cycling routes.

They mixed with car traffic from Gas Works Park to Stone Way, Fremont and back to illustrate what happens when bike lanes are lacking.

The city canceled plans to put bike lanes along Stone Way North, after some businesses complained that trucks and other vehicles needed two lanes in each direction.

Rider Scott Starr, a Green Lake resident, said cars often cut in front of him to make right turns on Stone Way, but a bike lane would make drivers more aware. "It gives you a spot to be safe," he said.

Riders argue that if the city cancels a bike lane here, cycling projects citywide are up for grabs.

Mayor Greg Nickels said Wednesday he intends to triple the city's bike lanes, but they're not the answer for every location, and the Stone Way decision will be re-evaluated in six months.

Also Wednesday, the city announced that a closed stretch of the Burke-Gilman at the Fremont Bridge will reopen this month, instead of being blocked by a private construction project through mid-2008.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com