Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson recently announced that Lake Washington Boulevard will be open for Bicycle Weekends throughout the summer, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Three miles of the boulevard between Mount Baker Park and Seward Park will be closed to most car traffic, creating a scenic and safe route for people walking, rolling, and biking.
Local access will be maintained for drivers. According to the mayor’s office, “people driving to homes along the boulevard, including residents, visitors, and deliveries, may enter from the nearest cross street.” All parking areas remain accessible during Bicycle Weekends.
Approximately 8 miles long in total, Lake Washington Boulevard is a Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation property that connects several parks and beaches along Lake Washington, includingSeward Park, Genesse Park, Mount Baker Park, Colman Park, Leschi Park, Madrona Park, and the Washington Park Arboretum.
The first segment of Lake Washington Boulevard opened in 1909, just in time for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition being held on the University of Washington campus. It is part of a larger system of boulevards in Seattle designed by John Charles Olmsted (Learn more via HistoryLink).
Built at a time before automobile ownership was common, Lake Washington Boulevard was originally designed to accommodate non-motorized traffic such as bicycles. As the 20th century progressed, more people owned cars and would drive them on the scenic boulevard. After the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (520 Bridge) opened in 1963, car traffic was allowed to exit directly onto the boulevard.
Portions of Lake Washington Boulevard were almost bulldozed in the 1960s for the proposed R.H. Thompson Freeway. This freeway would have also destroyed many blocks of the Central District and the Arboretum. Led by community pushback in the Central District, including protests and community organizing, Seattle voters officially stopped the project in a 1972 vote.
In recent years, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) have worked together to make safety improvements to the historic boulevard. Some of these improvements include added stop signs and speed cushions to slow down car traffic.
Since 1968, Seattle has hosted some variation of Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washington Boulevard. Despite this, some residents have opposed Bicycle Weekends and efforts to add more permanent safety enhancements, such as traffic calming.
Disagreement about the vision and purpose of the boulevard dates to its early days, with Olmsted writing in 1909:
“It should be borne in mind that Lake Washington Parkway was designed and undertaken with the full understanding that it was primarily for the benefit of the city as a whole and only incidentally to benefit the neighboring private property.”
Expanding the Sumer Bicycle Weekends to every weekend this summer creates a consistent, predictable experience for people across the city to gather, slow down, and enjoy the natural beauty of the boulevard together.
To celebrate a full summer of Bicycle Weekends, Rainier Valley Safe Streets plans to host community bike rides and a summer street fair.