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The Ballard Bridge "death trap"—a brief cut in the tall curb that divides a narrow bike lane from the traffic that zooms by at 45 mph just inches away on the Ballard Bridge—leads directly into the path of right-turning oncoming traffic. If you're on a bike, you have to stop, swivel your head 180 degrees to look behind you, and hope for a break in the traffic long enough to pedal like mad across two lanes back into the flow of traffic.

A lot of bikers I know who are not otherwise histrionic would rather go a mile out of their way to cross the Ship Canal at the Fremont Bridge than risk life and limb on the Ballard Bridge.

In 2007, a cyclist ran into the concrete barrier and fell into traffic, where he was struck by a car; he died of his injuries in 2008.

So what's the city doing about it? Nothing.

Here's what the curb cut looks like today:



Last month, an ad hoc group of freight, bicycling, and pedestrian advocates met with Seattle Department of Transportation staff to come up with a solution for the dangerous curb cut. Their ideas included: Adding a new grade-separated loop that would provide safer (if more circuitous) access to 15th Avenue NW; creating a "switchback," also separate, also circuitous, to provide safe access; and adding a parallel but physically separate lane that would parallel the bridge without putting cyclists directly in speeding drivers' path.

All three of those options would have physically segregated cyclists from traffic, the holy grail of many cycling advocates because the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people opt to get around by bicycle. Another option would have at least widened the curb cut, giving cyclists a little extra room to work up speed before entering the flow of traffic.

So what did they decide on? New signs warning drivers to slow down, "monitoring" of traffic speeds, and tree trimming (!). Because the cost of the proposals ranged from $900,000 to $3.1 million, SDOT determined that they were "cost prohibitive" and scrapped them.

Not to sound like Mike McGinn, but: $900,000 is pocket change compared to a $4.2 billion tunnel.

According to a letter from SDOT director Grace Crunican to the 15 members of the ad hoc advisory committee, "I want to be up front with you about the feasibility of designing and constructing this project within the next year to year and a half. As the city works through a $72 million revenue shortfall and we move into new leadership, priorities and projects may change. However, at this time an unplanned project of this magnitude with all of our fiscal constraints could not be implemented in 2010."

Translation: The next mayor may decide to deal with this problem, but for now, cyclists, your life's in your hands.