Cyclist makes, posts ‘do not block’ bike lane signs on Capitol Hill

SEATTLE — A Seattle bike commuter fed up with people parking in bike lanes on Capitol Hill took matters into his own hands.

Bob Svercl made a few official-looking “do not block” bike lane signs and posted them along Pike and Boren last week.

He said he made the signs after he got nowhere with the Seattle Department of Transportation or the city’s Find It, Fix It app.

He then attached the signs to short flex posts marking the bike lanes.

One disappeared after a few days and the other got run over and much it broke off, but he’s not discouraged.

“I definitely got a lot of good responses from people personally where they saw what I did and they want to see if they can do that elsewhere in their neighborhoods,” said Svercl.

Svercl said he’s not worried about possible repercussions and hopes the added attention will push the city toward solving the problem.

In response to this story, SDOT told KIRO that there are plans to build a concrete buffer around the bike lanes in the area that concerns Svercl.

“The bike lanes are part of the Office of the Waterfront’s Pike Pine Streetscape and Bicycle Improvements Project, which will include a concrete buffer with planter boxes to separate the bike lanes on Pine Street between First Avenue and Bellevue Avenue, and on Pine Street between Second Avenue and Bellevue Avenue,” SDOT said in an email.

SDOT provided a photo to show an example of a concrete buffer.

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